LeBron says Bulls are better, but by how much?

LeBron James made big (not really, but since it's still preseason, people will hype it up as big) news this morning by saying that bulls were "much better" than Cleveland right now.

Via the Northeast Ohio Media group:

“It’s going to be fun. I don’t really see a rivalry renewed right now,” James said after shootaround this morning. “We haven’t done anything right now. They’re a team that’s much better than us right now just off chemistry. They’ve been together for a while. The system has been there for a while. So, we have a long way to go.”

Monday’s preseason contest will be a nice preview of things to come, but James, playing his final preseason game this evening, says it’s also important to make it out of the game uninjured. […] “Just get out healthy,” James said and proceeded to knock on the wooden floor. “Just get out the game healthy. Gets some conditioning, get some camaraderie with my teammates. Get some rhythm. But get out of the game healthy for all of us.”

“A preseason game is not going to make our chemistry be where we want it to be,” he said. “It’s going to take regular-season games, it’s going to take some losses, it’s going to take some practices, some film sessions for all of us to get on the same page.”

James does have a few points, considering the Bulls are a lot more "battle-tested" than any other team in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls big three (Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol) have all played at least 29 games in the playoffs, compared to the Cavs big three (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love), who only LeBron has tested the playoff waters.

The Bulls also have an identity (something the Cavs have yet to figure out) as being one of the best defensive teams in basketball. Last year, they led the league in points allowed per game (90.2), and were second in the league in defensive field goal percentage (.430) and defensive rating (100.5). This is led in part to their man in the middle, Joakim Noah, who has been named to the All-NBA defensive team three times in the last four years.

However, this is no guarantee that the Bulls will be a sure-fire lock to finish in the top two spots of the East. All-"What If" player Derrick Rose is returning from not one, but two knee surgeries in the last 18 months. For someone who relies on speed and agility, Rose is no guarantee to return to the MVP-like form he had back in 2011.

Just as LeBron talked about how the Bulls have better chemistry than the Cavs, but the question is how much? Rose has missed virtually the last two seasons and Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau still has to figure out how he wants to use all three of them in the offense come the regular season. Gasol has played well so far this preseason, but it will be interesting to see what his role is on this team.

On paper, the Cavs are more talented than the Bulls (and every other team in the league), but talent can only take you so far. Once the chemistry is built and their identity is set, the Cavs will be the better team when all is finished this season.