In his latest rankings, the Sporting News' Sean Deveney ranks the Bulls 13th, writing:

Every November, the circus comes to the United Center and the Bulls start playing like clowns. Chicago started a stretch of seven road games by getting thumped in Dallas and giving up 111 points, marking the third time this defensive juggernaut has given up triple digits. If they're missing Ben Wallace in Detroit, tell them not to worry, they're missing him in Chicago, too. Wallace has only had one great, Wallace-type game, when he grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked five shots against Milwaukee. He had 18 rebounds against Indiana, but turned the ball over five times and shot 4-for-11. It's not all on Wallace, of course, but if he is going to make the Bulls a contender, he has a long way to go.