Things didn't turn out as planned as the Bulls realized they needed to make a splash in the 2008 Draft. Looking for a new identity and franchise player they haven't seen since the nineties, Chicago drafted point guard Derrick Rose fresh off a one and done year at Memphis. Rose hasn't disappointed giving the Bulls everything they wanted and more. This season, he is averaging 18.6 ppg, and ranking 12th in the league with 6 apg, Rose's transition to the pro game was quick. In his rookie year, he led Chicago in an epic seven game series against the defending champion Celtics, in what has been called one of the greatest playoff series of all time. In the series (which they ultimately lost), it was hard to find a time when Rose wasn't on the court, averaging 44.7 mpg in those seven games, a remarkable stat for a rookie point guard.

In his third year in the league, Joakim Noah is enjoying a breakout season. Seeing his ppg average jump from around 6.5 all the way to 11 this season only tells half the story. Believe it or not, Noah is the leagues second best rebounder, hauling in 12.2. rpg. Noah is one of those players who is simply exciting to watch. The energy he brings to the court is exactly what this young Bulls team needs. Having grown up before our eyes, Noah burst onto the scene in his college years when he was winning back to back titles at Florida, and made a name for himself being labeled the tall goofy looking guy with long hair. His swag could be referred to as "phenomenal" because everywhere he goes, he has stepped his game up to the next level, all while staying true to his unique identity.

It is going to be interesting to see where this core group of Bulls players will be in five years. With all the potential in the world, do they have what it takes to overcome the Clevelands, Bostons, and Orlandos or the league? In a close game, the Bulls will come out on top as Washington's woes continue.

UPDATED: Wizards released this statement:

"We are aware of the charge filed against Gilbert Arenas today and will continue to follow the ongoing legal process very carefully. We will also continue to cooperate fully with the proper authorities and the NBA. Beyond our previous statements on this serious and unfortunate matter, will have no further comment at this time."

4:45 PM

The Washington Post is reporting that Gilbert Arenas was charged with with carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business. According to authorities, the charge is a felony and carries a maximum of five years in prison.

From the Post:

"Arenas's attorney and prosecutors had been negotiating a plea deal during the day and it was not immediately clear whether the filing of charges was a part of the deal. Court officials said they had been told to prepare to have Arenas in Superior Court on Friday.

The U.S. Attorney's office alleged that on Dec. 21, Arenas "did carry, openly and concealed on or about his person, in a place other than his dwelling place, place of business or on other land possessed by him, a pistol, without license issued pursuant to law."

The guns became an issue after Arenas and Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton got into an argument after a card game and Crittenton allegedly said he should shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired left knee, sources have said. Days later on Dec. 21, after a practice at Verizon Center, Arenas placed the guns on a chair next to Crittenton's locker with a note that said "pick one."

It was reported earlier today that a search warrant had been issues to search Crittenton's home this afternoon. It had been rumored that when Arenas displayed his guns to Javaris, that he responded by pulling out his own weapon.

The Post reports:

According to the court papers, police were looking for a "silver/chrome-colored semiautomatic handgun with a black handle or similar/like artifact."

They also were looking for ammunition, holsters, and "any photographs, video footage, or other media depicting the subject posing with a firearm."

Analysis: This should give Grunfeld the ammunition he needs to void Gilbert's contract which he will probably elect to do. The Wizards have made it no secret that they no longer want anything to do with the former face of the franchise as they have removed all images and merchandise involving Arenas.

With this finally happening, I expect trades to start happening sooner than later.

The Atlanta Hawks are another one of those young teams on the rise who have done it the right way. Trading for young talent and bringing in experienced veterans have worked out for the team, as they are 24-13 and one game behind the division leading Orlando Magic. Atlanta has picked up their game in the past week beating the mighty Celtics twice in the past five days.

The trade that brought point guard Mike Bibby over to the Hawks was the move that propelled them into one of the elites in the east. This season, Bibby has 9.6 ppg, 4.3 apg, and ranks 18^th in the league with a 41.5 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Although his numbers may not be stellar, his presence alone adds a new dimension to an Atlanta team that for many years was consistently at the bottom of the standings.

The go to guy on the Hawks in Joe Johnson. In his ninth year in the league, he has finally grown into the player that Boson and Phoenix gave up on. Leading the team in scoring with 21.2 ppg and assists with 4.8 apg, Johnson is easily the most dangerous man on the roster.

The highflying Josh Smith is one of the most exciting players in the league. Is it just me, or is he on the Sports Center Top 10 almost every night? Averaging 14.8 ppg, and ranking 3^rd in the league with 80 total blocks, it is always a joy to see Smith literally swat a shot attempt rows into the stands.

Jamal Crawford for Sixth Man of the Year? Crawford, who is 2^nd on the team in scoring with 16.9 ppg, has the ability to break out at any given night. He is also a very reliable 3 point shooter (depending if he is having a good night), and has broken the 50 point mark by dropping a career high 52 against the Miami Heat.

I like the Hawks in this game, as their window of opportunity for being a championship contender has officially begun. A roster mixed with experienced veterans like Bibby and young players full of potential, such as former University of Florida star, Al Horford, have produced a very productive team that will compete for some years to come.

I think the question in everyone's mind these days is what went wrong with the Detroit Pistons?!

Currently on a 13 game losing streak the 11-25 Pistons who last won a game on Dec. 12^th, are officially no longer a factor in the east. The team has lost many parts of their identity in the past year, due to the departures of both Chauncy Billips and Rasheed Wallace, who were valuable members of the successful Detroit teams of the past.

The problem with the 2009-2010 team is that they simply cannot score. They are second to last in the league in that category averaging a weak 91.6 ppg with only the New Jersey Nets scoring lower. Their leading scorer, point guard Rodney Stuckey, is averaging 18.4 ppg, 4.1 apg, and 1.4 spg. Now in a rebuilding mode, the Pistons already have a few pieces in place including Stuckey, who was next in line after Chauncy's departure.

To team up with Stuckey in the back court is veteran Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon. Gordon, who recently became the latest trivia question by scoring the 10 millionth point in NBA history in a game against the Sixers, has been doing what he's best at, being used as both starter and reserve, Gordon has averaged 17.9 ppg, 33.5 mpg, and is very reliable at the free throw line shooting 83%. One part of his game that has been unusually low has been his 3-point percentage. In his previous five seasons in Chicago, Gordon had consistently shot over 40%, but this year that number has fallen to 32.4%.

With the Pistons getting blown out by the Bulls last night, expect the carry over affect against a Washington team with a new attitude. The Wizards will come out on top with this one as they begin a stretch of 4 games in 5 days. Captain Antawn Jamison will lead the team with his dominating play. Jamison, who is averaging 29.5 ppg in his past 4 games has emerged as the new go to guy in Gilbert's absence.

Chris Paul was too much for the Wizards to handle as the former ACC Star willed his New Orleans Hornets over the Wizards 115-110 this afternoon.

Bullet(s) Points:

-Despite the Wizards shooting .579 from the field, and out rebounding the Hornets 41-29, they still couldn't pull a win together at the Verizon Center. It, of course, didn't help that the Hornets also shot .525 from the field and .565 from three. However once again it was likely turnovers that did the Wizards in Saturday, as the club recorded 19 of them to 22 assists. It seemed that with Gil off the court the rest of Washington was picking up the slack as the only Wizard to not commit a turnover was Dominic McGuire. He only played eight seconds. Foye, Miller, Butler and Blatche all had three turnovers a piece.

-Antawn Jamison was again the clubs leading scorer as the captain scored 32 points on 13-21 shooting. He also grabbed eight boards and once again helped boost his trade value. However long Jamison will stay on the Wizards is uncertain, but what's for sure is that the club is getting their minutes worth. Antawn registered 44 minutes today after registering 42 in the clubs last contest.

-Brendan Haywood had another double-double as the seven-footer was a perfect seven of seven from the field. Haywood scored 14 points and grabbed 14 boards. He also contributed four blocked shots and had a +9 plus/minus rating.

-Nick Young was scorching off the bench, shooting seven-of-ten from the field while racking up 20 points and six rebounds. While Mike Miller started for the Wizards, Young got the majority of playing time as the two-guard putting in 36 minutes on the night. Unfortunately for the Wizards, Young was the only bench help they got. Blatche recorded 16 minutes without even attempting a shot while turning the ball over three times. Boykins scored six points but turned it over twice himself and McGuire only was on the court for eight seconds.

-Randy Foye again filled in well for Gilbert Arenas by adding 23 points and eight assists. Foye is now averaging 20.3 points per game since Arenas has been suspended.

The New Orleans Hornets are one of the NBA's biggest mysteries, how can a team with Chris Paul, David West, and Peja Stovakovic find themselves as a bubble team in the western conference playoff race? A team that won 49 games last year and an astounding 56 the year before, are now 18-16, battling the likes of the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz for one of the final playoff spots.

Another mystery surrounding New Orleans is their home vs. road records. The Hornets are a fantastic 14-3 at home this season, one of the tops in the league, but they are a dismal 4-13 on the road. Sure the team has always been a better home record in recent years, most teams do, but this year is almost unexplainable. If their road struggles continue, don't count on this team to be in the post-season.

Despite the absence of Gilbert Arenas, the Washington Wizards pulled out on top over the defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic tonight, 104-97.

Bullet(s) Points:

-Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler picked up where they left off in 2007-2008 as a pair of stars pulling a Wizards team without Gilbert Arenas into the playoffs. Jamison scored 28 on the night and grabbed 11 boards in 42 minutes of play while Butler notched 23 and seven.

-The two players performances were valuable to the Wizards not only in helping them beat the Magic, but also in boosting their individual trade values. Butler, who had been struggling recently, looked like the player of old as he contributed on both ends and was aggressive enough to go to the line for eight free throws. Jamison had a third great game in a row as the club captain showed top conference competitors that he may be the key to a championship.

-Brendan Haywood registered 18 points and 15 rebounds on the night. Those numbers alone would be impressive, but when you consider they came against arguably the most dominant big man in the game, Dwight Howard, they are pretty staggering. While Haywood did pick up four fouls guarding Howard he was able to grab four offensive rebounds, and out rebound Dwight 15-11 total.

-Stepping up in a big way on the night was Randy Foye. Foye, a swing guard in the mold of a poor mans Gilbert Arenas, filled in well on the night scoring 20 points and dishing six assists. Most importantly for Foye, he committed 0 turnovers on the night, making him very efficient in his first action as the starting point guard. Foye also had two blocked shots, was eight of eight from the line, and led the Wizards with a +22 +/- rating.

-Making his return tonight after a month and a half on the shelf was Mike Miller. Miller shot only two of five from the field but contributed six rebounds and six assists as well as an intensity the Wizards have noticeably missed over the last 21 games. Since Miller has been out the Wizards have gone 9-12.

-The Wizards bench only contributed nine points on the night, one of their worst showings of the season.