Chicago Bulls: Selecting franchise’s 2010 All-Decade team

PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 30: Joakim Noah #13, Derrick Rose #1 and Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls react during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center on January 30, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Bulls 99-93. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 30: Joakim Noah #13, Derrick Rose #1 and Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls react during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center on January 30, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Bulls 99-93. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Small Forward of the decade: Luol Deng

The Bulls acquired the rights to Luol Deng via a trade with the Phoenix Suns in 2004. After missing the playoffs for five straight seasons, Deng, along with Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich, helped guide the Bulls to four playoff appearances in five seasons.

During the 2010s, though, Deng became an integral cog of Chicago’s rotation under Tom Thibodeau. Deng played four seasons with the Bulls and during that stretch and never averaged less than 15.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest.

During his last season in a Bulls uniform, he was averaging 19 points and 6.9 boards per contest before he was dealt to the Cavaliers.

Under Thibodeau, Deng was a two-time All-Star that led the league in minutes played for two consecutive years. Long before Jimmy Butler became a staple on the defensive end of the floor, it was Deng who had the unenviable task of defending the opposing team’s best player while remaining a threat from an offensive standpoint, and he did so at a high level.