CHICAGO -- No matter how this season plays out, this much is clear about the Chicago Bulls: Theyre worth watching.They jettisoned one hometown superstar and welcomed another when they traded former MVP Derrick Rose and signed three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade.They also handed the keys to an All-Star guard in Jimmy Butler who called out his coach last season. And on top of that, they added mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo to the mix.Coming off a flat season that ended with them missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008, the Bulls at least spiced things up in the offseason. Now, its time to see if interesting also means better.I love the vibe of this group, Hoiberg said. I love the competitiveness of this group.The Bulls clearly had to do something after a year that began with high expectations ended with a 42-40 record, a fractured locker room and all sorts of questions about team leadership.Gone is Chicago native Rose -- derailed by injuries after leading the Bulls to heights they hadnt reached since the Michael Jordan Era -- after being dealt to New York for center Robin Lopez and guard Jerian Grant. So is Joakim Noah, who signed with Knicks not long after the big trade. Pau Gasol went to San Antonio as a free agent.Wade shocked Miami when he chose to come home to Chicago and accept a two-year deal worth about $47 million.Here are some things to look for this season from the Bulls, who open at home against Boston on Oct. 27:EYE ON THE BENCHThe Bulls thought Hoibergs fast-paced tempo and soft-spoken style were just what the team needed when he was hired. They just didnt think the learning curve would be as steep as it was. Hoiberg got called out by Butler last season for not coaching the team hard enough. The system and the roster did not mesh.So does Year 2 bring a better Hoiberg?Executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said he expects it. So does Hoiberg, who came to the Bulls after a successful five-year run at Iowa State.But is this the right roster for him? After all, Wade and Rondo are both in their 30s. And if the Bulls struggle, who takes the fall?THE WADE EFFECTWho knows what might have happened had Wade signed with the Bulls six years ago rather than form a superstar triumvirate with LeBron James and Chris Bosh in Miami? But hes here now, coming off a strong season and being counted on at age 34 to set the tone for the Bulls younger players. The 12-time All-Star has been doing just that, speaking up in practice and meetings.FOLLOW THE LEADERIts been a steep climb for Butler from low first-round draft pick to bench warmer to two-time All-Star with an Olympic gold medal. But his success hasnt translated to team success. Butlers first All-Star season ended with Tom Thibodeaus firing. Last year, the Bulls dropped into the lottery. And while Wade and Rondo have said the Bulls are Butlers team, its not clear exactly how far he can lead them.I can learn from (Wade and Rondo), the winning culture theyve built, Butler said. Im excited because theres so much growth I can handle in that aspect of the game. You look at what Wade has done for his career, a future Hall of Famer. I think that I can model the way I do things around him.ON POINTWhile the Bulls added scoring punch and the reigning assists-per-game leader in Wade and Rondo, they still lack a starting guard who can consistently hit from long range. That was a problem last season with Rose and Butler, who moves to small forward.Spacing could be a problem when Rondo, Wade and Butler are on the court together, though the Bulls do have solid shooters in Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott. Gasols departure also creates a scoring hole in the paint.RONDOS REVIVALRondo is coming off a resurgent season with Sacramento that saw him average 11.9 points and a league-leading 11.7 assists. It was the fourth time he averaged a double-double in a season and the first for him since the 2012-13 season. The four-time All-Star has clashed with coaches, most notably Dallas Rick Carlisle, and his relationship with Hoiberg could be one to watch. Cheap Vans Shoes For Sale . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Cheap Vans Shoes Shop . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. http://www.vansoutletstore.com/ . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Vans Shoes Outlet . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Wholesale Vans Shoes Online .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. LOS ANGELES -- A woman accusing NBA star Derrick Rose and two friends of gang rape testified Thursday in the civil trial of her $21.5 million lawsuit against the New York Knicks player, who appeared in court for the first time.When Rose entered the courtroom, the woman paused and cried while being questioned by her attorney about what happened on a night in August 2013.The trial is scheduled to resume Tuesday in Los Angeles.Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said on Thursday that its unclear whether Rose will miss preseason games while he attends the trial. Rose is expected to be in Los Angeles on Friday, and the Knicks play preseason games in New York on Saturday and Monday.The woman on Thursday testified that she went to Roses rented Beverly Hills mansion for drinks and got very drunk. She said she felt as if ?she had been drugged and does not remember much about the mansion or the evening.She said she drank before going to the mansion, then had three or more shots of tequila after she got there.I just felt I was less in control, more goofy, she said, adding that she had previously had tequila with Rose and felt as if it gave her strength. This was the opposite.The woman testified that when she got home to her apartment, she vomited and passed out on her bed. Her lawsuit says the three men came to her apartment and raped her.During a break in testimony, a lawyer for the two friends objected to the womans amount of crying and asked the judge to order her not to cry.Im not going to order the witness not to cry any more than Im going to order her not to breathe, said U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald, adding he was unaware of courts that have ordered witnesses not to cry.No criminal charges have been filed against Rose or the other men, Ryan Allen and Randall Hampton, but Los Angeles police continue to investigate.Rose, 28, didnt appear in court during jury selection earlier in the week or when attorneys made opening statements Wednesday to the panel of six women and two men.During opening statements, the woman wept quietly as her lawyer provided jurors with lurid descriptions. Roses defense fired back by portraying the encounter as something from a porn film, not a horror moviee.ddddddddddddThe plaintiff will tell you all three men were in the bedroom at the same time, said her attorney, Waukeen McCoy. Each of them took turns raping her; they dont even know who went first.In sharp contrast to McCoys statement, defense lawyers doubled down on their assertions that the woman willingly had sex with the trio at Roses mansion in Beverly Hills.They used a string of text messages as a timeline to question the womans story and whether she even drank enough to black out hours later. And they questioned how she had managed to send lucid text messages during that period -- several of which invited Rose to her apartment.Whether you claim you were blacking out or not, you were using periods and sentences, attorney Mark Baute said. I dont usually text like that, she replied.They said the woman gave lap dances earlier, performed oral sex on Rose and had sex with his friends before inviting them back to her apartment.There was no gang rape, attorney Mike Monico said. There was no rape at all.McCoy said the story about her having sex earlier in the night was falsely concocted to try to show she was insatiable and wanted to have sex with the men later that night.Jurors will have to rely primarily on evaluating her word against that of Rose, Allen and Hampton. There is no physical evidence because the woman was not examined by a doctor afterward and did not report the alleged rape to police for two years -- after filing the suit.McCoy said the woman was initially too embarrassed to report the incident.After having sex, Rose took his condom, put it back in the wrapper and took it with him like he was never there, McCoy said.NBA players are instructed to flush their condoms down the toilet or take them so women cant use the sperm to impregnate themselves, Roses lawyer said.Rose was traded to the Knicks this season after spending his previous seven years in his native Chicago with the Bulls. Hes in the final year of a five-year deal that will pay him $21.3 million.ESPN Staff Writer Ian Begley and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '