Mar 26, 2011; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Joakim Noah looks to shoot around Luc Richard Mbah a Moute during a game at the Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

In advance of tonight’s game at the United Center, I took a few moments to speak with Josh Hill of Pippen Ain’t Easy.  I asked him a few questions to get a better sense of the 2012 version of the Chicago Bulls.

1) How are the Bulls different when they use Rip Hamilton and Ronnie Brewer instead of Keith Bogans and Luol Deng?  

They’re 100 percent different. Deng isn’t the problem Bogans was, Deng is actually playing like an All-Star this year and there have been situations in games, most notably the Pacer game, where he was sorely missed. But in terms of Hamilton versus Bogans there’s not even a debate. Bogans was alright on defense but his offense was what needed to be upgraded. Hamilton is exactly that, with his 15,000th point being proof he can constantly score. Brewer is a nice change of pace guard when he comes in as he’s not the prolific scorer Hamilton can be but his defense is definitely appreciated. I’ve said this from the start, but when Hamilton will be most useful is in the playoffs when he can share his championship experience on the court. That was notably absent in last years run and for me, that’s where Rip is going to make or break his money.