OPINION

By Sean Deveney

updated 11:41 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2007

Sean Deveney

Here's what one general manager had to say yesterday, when I asked him about Luol Deng and the Bulls' rumored refusal to include him in a potential deal with the Lakers for Kobe Bryant: "If I had Deng, I would not trade him, either."

Even for Kobe?

"Even for Kobe."

Yeesh. How's that for pressure?

Deng is 22 years old, mind you. He played one year at Duke and is starting his fourth NBA season. He has never made an All-Star team. He has helped the Bulls to the postseason twice, with just one series win. He's a heckuva nice guy, having taken a leadership role on issues like the Darfur crisis in his native Sudan and the need for mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria in Africa. But, in all, his pro hoops resume is pretty short.

Still, depending on just how things play out with Bryant in Los Angeles -- and, though Bulls GM John Paxson quelled trade talk the other day by declaring discussions with the Lakers, "done," only a phone call would be required to revive them -- Deng already has ascended to a level of projected greatness well ahead of reality. It's not entirely fair or accurate, but in Chicago, the feeling is that the Bulls' desire to keep Deng is the reason they don't have Bryant. There's more to it than that, of course. For most, though, that's the perception.

You could go back and drudge up trade rumors past, too. The Bulls didn't want to include Deng in a trade last winter for Pau Gasol. Or Kevin Garnett. Gasol, Garnett, Bryant -- that's 20 All-Star games. Again, it's not fair to heap all that on Deng, but it'll be hard for fans to watch Deng and not think about other players, the trades not made.

Deng admits to being tired of the trade rumors, which have been compounded by a failure to come to an agreement on a contract extension with the Bulls. But he has been through this before. At the beginning of training camp, before the Bryant rumors really got heated, Deng was honest about rumors. "You can say you don't hear about them, but of course you do," he said. "It's part of the business. Everyone understands that. But it is hard."

It only figures to get harder, because the Bulls now need Deng to justify their love. He had a breakthrough season last year, when he averaged 18.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He was healthy all year for the first time, started 82 games, shot 51.7 percent from the field and finally took coach Scott Skiles' advice to quit with the 3-point shooting and focus on the midrange game (he went from 117 3-point attempts as a rookie, to seven last year). He is a legitimate 6-9, with a good midrange shot and the ability to put the ball on the floor. His post-up game is a work in progress, but it seems to get better every time he takes the floor.

It's that last facet of Deng's game -- playing in the post -- that makes him so valuable to this team. The one aspect that's clearly missing on Chicago's roster is the ability to get easy baskets inside. They don't really have a center (Ben Wallace) or power forward (Joe Smith, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah) who thrives with back-to-the-basket scoring. But Deng can.

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He will have to. If the Bulls are to cash in on the opportunity to go to The Finals -- and they have enough talent to get that done -- Deng will need to build on his breakout year. In order to stop the Chicago fan and media whinnying over Bryant, Deng needs to be a little more Bryant-like. He doesn't need to score 30 per game, but he does need to wrestle the role of team leader and go-to guy away from shooting guard Ben Gordon.

Gordon is a nice scorer, but his reputation as a late-game go-to guy is overblown -- he is too easily forced into difficult shots, as anyone who watched the Bulls' opening loss to New Jersey can attest. With his versatility, his ability to score inside and out, Deng needs to be the guy taking shots in the final minutes, not Gordon. Of course, it's a delicate thing to do, to nudge Gordon into a second-fiddle role without bruising his ego. But if the Bulls are to blossom, they need to increase the offensive focus on Deng.

The Bulls don't have Kobe Bryant. But all Chicago needs is for Deng to become their Kobe.

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