Top priority for Bulls from day one is defense

Bulls.com: What kind of commitment did you see from the roster this offseason?

Forman: “I thought our guys, pretty much across the board, made great progress. For the most part, all of them were in here for large portions of the summer. Tyrus [Thomas] and Joakim [Noah] both worked on their skill level, and they’ve gotten bigger and stronger. Derrick [Rose] has worked on shooting, and during the USA trials, it looked like he has extended his range. He’s also getting more confidence. Luol [Deng] has absolutely lived in [the Berto Center]. He started the summer around 225 pounds and 10 percent body fat; now he’s up to 235 with five percent body fat. He literally lived in the gym. He’d bring his dinner and eat it in the player’s lounge inbetween his afternoon and evening workouts. The rookies have been here pretty consistently since summer league. Even veterans like Brad [Miller] and Lindsey [Hunter] have spent a lot of time in the gym. Kirk [Hinrich] has had the best summer since he’s been with the Bulls. He’s in great condition and he’s very motivated to have a good year. John Salmons is another guy who works on his game, his body and his conditioning all of the time.”

Bulls.com: Obviously there are a lot of priorities to address as camp begins, but would you say that defense is the top priority?

Forman: “It really is. We have got to have a defensive mentality about how we play, and that’s got to start on the first day, Saturday, when we open up camp. It’s our goal to have a defensive base as to how we play on that end of the floor. That’s got to be from the first man to the thirteenth man on the team. With that comes maintaining our energy level, not only throughout a game, but throughout the season. Whether it is in practice or in games, when we approach things, the players are going to be held accountable to that defensive mentality. It’s a huge point of emphasis as we start the season.”