Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
On Thursday, the Chicago Bulls released their 2013-14 NBA preseason schedule, which will feature eight games including one in South America against the Washington Wizards in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on Oct. 12 at HSBC Arena. This game will be the first ever NBA game played in Brazil. The Bulls and Wizards will be partaking in NBA Global Games Rio 2013.
The Bulls first preseason game will take place in Indiana on Oct. 5, against the Indiana Pacers. The fifth marks the date of the long awaited return of Derrick Rose. This will presumably be Rose’s first game since April 2012 when he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament.
Rose will get his chance to test his mettle as he has to face a good line-up of point guards during the preseason. Rose will play against Indiana’s George Hill twice (Oct. 5, Oct. 18), Memphis Grizzles‘ Michael Conley Jr. (Oct. 7), the Wizards’ John Wall (Oct. 12), Detroit Pistons‘ new guard Brandon Jennings (Oct. 16), Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Russell Westbrook (Oct. 23) and finish with Denver Nuggets‘ Ty Lawson (Oct. 25).
After self-proclaiming himself the best player in the NBA, Rose will have a target on his back and his opponents won’t go easy on him. The preseason is going to be a pivotal time for the Bulls to build back old chemistry and bring the new players along. The Bulls have a roster that puts them in a good position to compete better than they did last season.
Be sure to also tune into the Bulls preseason to see the progression of second-year player Marquis Teague, free agent pick-up Mike Dunleavy and rookie Tony Snell.
Brandon Martin is a Chicago Bulls writer for www.RantSports.com Follow him on Twitter @PressCoverage_ or add him to your Google Network.
