The Chicago Bulls have solid pieces on its new-look reserve unit, but placing those pieces in the right roles to form a cohesive unit is a difficult challenge.
Building a successful bench is like solving a complex equation. The players are the variables, and winning is the solution.
Luckily for Bulls fans, head coach Tom Thibodeau is the professor. He may have to experiment with different lineups, and it may take some time, but eventually Thibs will find the perfect role for each player.
The Bench Mob of the past two seasons was one the of the reasons why Chicago earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference each year. That unit had a player who could handle the floor general duties, a lights-out shooter from downtown and terrific perimeter and interior defenders.
This untested substitution squad has big shoes to fill, but there should be at least one player who could handle each one of the aforementioned tasks. Here is a breakdown of each of the roles on the Bulls bench heading into the 2012-13 NBA campaign.