Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

San Antonio Spurs (1-0) at Chicago Bulls (0-0), 8 p.m.

The Chicago Bulls finally kick off their 2009-10 season Thursday night when they welcome the San Antonio Spurs to the Second City.

The Derrick Rose-era got off to a rather productive start in the Windy City last year when the NBA's reigning Rookie of the Year helped will the Bulls to the playoffs before the team succumbed to Boston in one of the more exciting playoff series in NBA history.

Rose didn't look the least bit intimidated on the big stage and the future is virtually unlimited for the former University of Memphis star, who missed most of the preseason with an inflamed tendon behind his right ankle but is expected to take the hardwood tonight.

Rose did lose one of his running mates in the offseason when the sharp- shooting Ben Gordon fled for Detroit. But, the Bulls and coach Vinny Del Negro still have plenty of talented options to place alongside their star.

A midseason trade last year that landed veterans Brad Miller and John Salmons from Sacramento helped the Bulls immensely, and should pay even bigger dividends this season after a full training camp playing together. However, Gordon was the team's best crunch-time scorer and their leading scorer for the past four seasons.

Expectations remain high as Rose continues to grow with the team's other young talent like big men Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. Meanwhile, the club welcomes back a healthy Luol Deng in an effort to improve on the boards and at the defensive end.

The Spurs got their season started on a positive note in the Alamo City on Wednesday when Tony Parker led a balanced attack with 17 points and dished out six assists before taking a hard fall in the third quarter, as the Spurs downed the New Orleans Hornets, 113-96.

Parker fell hard to the floor after making a layup late in the third quarter, but later came back to the team's bench and is expected to be in the lineup tonight.

Manu Ginobili, who missed 38 games last season and the entire playoffs because of ankle problems, added 16 points off the bench for the Spurs. Rookie DeJuan Blair, a second-round draft pick, tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Tim Duncan contributed nine points and 12 boards for San Antonio, which has made the playoffs 12 years in a row, but was ousted by the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the first round last season.

Veteran forward Richard Jefferson had a disappointing San Antonio debut, however, scoring just five points on a dismal 1-of-7 shooting night.

"Our defense in the first half was good, very good. Our defense in the second half was very poor," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after the win. "I was disappointed in our defense the second half, the amount of points we gave up and the shots they made. We really lost our focus defensively. Fortunately we kept scoring."

San Antonio swept the home-and-home season series with the Bulls last year and has won four straight against Chicago overall.