2014 a Possible Precursor

It's amazing to think how far the Bulls have come since the beginning of 2014.  When I last did a yearend post, everyone was still reeling from Derrick Rose's second season-ending injury.  But a January trade of Luol Deng told everyone they were ready to let go of the past and start building with Rose rather than around him.  The early returns have been nothing short of promising.

We haven't seen it as much lately, but with Deng gone and Rose out of action, Joakim Noah took it upon himself to run the offense.  He began setting records for assists by a center in various fashions.  The rundown Bulls became his and his alone for his Defensive Player of the Year campaign, the first for a Bull since Michael Jordan in the 1987-88 season.  The first-time All-Star also further cemented his status as the emotional leader of the franchise, even if he was second behind Rose as far as talent.

As much love as we fans gave Noah, we expressed equal contempt for Carlos Boozer, an overpaid defensive liability whose nightly double-doubles made him seem better than he actually was.  By the end of the season, it was a foregone conclusion the Bulls would use their amnesty clause on him for the final year of his contract.  He found himself on the bench in the fourth quarter of games, both close and otherwise.  Although he rarely missed time and was decent offensively, he wasn't worth the money he made and definitely not compatible with Tom Thibodeau's defensive philosophy.

While the Bulls grinded their way to the fourth seed in the playoffs, their season-long offensive woes came to the forefront against the Washington Wizards.  Despite having home-court advantage, the Wizards proved to have more offensive talent, which made all the difference in upsetting the Bulls in five games.  The lone Bulls victory in the series came in Game 3 in our nation's capital.  In Game 5 at the United Center, the 75-69 loss which ended the season became symbolic of how much improvement was needed.

The first step came in the June draft.  With two first-round picks in hand, the Bulls traded them for the rights to Creighton's Doug McDermott, the national player of the year.  Their second-round pick was used to select Cameron Bairstow, an Australian out of New Mexico.  While McDermott has underachieved and is out for awhile due to injury and Bairstow has done nothing meaningful, their fortunes will hopefully change.

Free agency saw the signings of Aaron Brooks and E'twaun Moore, which only came after the big splash of Pau Gasol and bringing over 2011 draft pick Nikola Mirotic.  Two months into his Bulls career, Gasol is already in the running for the best big man in team history.  There are whispers that Mirotic is in the running for Rookie of the Year.  Amazing what two products from Spain at such different stages in their careers have brought so far.

The story of the new season has unquestionably been Jimmy Butler.  He's taken giant leaps already in his career, but this season has him playing at an All-Star level.  Although he refuses to take credit for the Bulls being arguably the best team in the league, there's too much working against his argument to deny any of it.  With him becoming a restricted free agent after the season, one has to hope the Bulls will do everything to lock him up long-term.

Rose had a rocky first month of the season, often looking timid and sitting out various games with multiple minor injuries.  Since Thanksgiving, he's become more aggressive, more confident and above all, approached his MVP level.  He hasn't had to carry the team on his back, but if the Bulls are to succeed later in the year, they'll need all the contributions from him they can get.  He may not be an All-Star this season, but it won't be long before we can say he's back to being a superstar.

The Bulls are a chasing a championship, or at least a Finals berth.  Considering their competition, this season is the best chance for them to get as far as they possibly can.  They finally have enough talent on both ends and certain guys have played together long enough.  Just about everything is working their way at the moment.

New Year's Day will be the day the Denver Nuggets come to the United Center.  That it's being played on a holiday is the only reason this game will really stand out barring a disastrous injury to a key player.  Otherwise, it's just one of 82 regular-season games.  Until then, Happy New Year and see you in 2015!

Just Enough Fuel in Indy

As I prepared to see the Bulls in person for the first time away from the United Center, it occurred to me that with a six-game winning streak, the Indiana Pacers could be a trap opponent.  With my cousin by my side, I bought into the consensus after three quarters that a 16-point lead was safe.  But then, my initial thoughts came back as the Pacers' reserves led a 20-0 run in the fourth and the Bulls missed their first 17 shots.  It took Indiana reverting back to their usual selves, Jimmy Butler hitting a clutch three and a short last-second three-point attempt by C.J. Watson to sweat out a 92-90 victory.

After all that went down, I was more relieved than excited about experiencing a Bulls win in enemy territory.  A near-collapse in Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Watson left wide open at the end brought back bad memories of Reggie Miller in the 1998 conference finals.  I anticipated the absolute worst and braced for the building to explode.  Everything worked out fine, but after witnessing a buzzer beater at the Harlem Globetrotters game the day before, this might be all the close basketball I can take for awhile.

Butler (27 points, nine rebounds) continues to impress me in ways I didn't think possible with him.  He's driving to the hoop fearlessly, drawing fouls in that process and will do whatever he wants with the ball.  I'm starting to hear whispers of him being in the MVP conversation.  I doubt it will happen, but if he doesn't at least win the Most Improved Player award, there's something wrong with the voting process.

Pau Gasol (20 points) shows no signs of slowing down in his campaign for the team's best big man of all-time.  His talent and experience brings it all together.  No matter what the Bulls do the rest of the season, he can be trusted on both ends of the floor.  Insert him into any era in club history and he's immediately an important piece on the low block.

Although Derrick Rose (17 points) shot an anemic 5-for-20 from the field, his confidence is still growing.  It's very refreshing to see him taking chances with the ball rather than passing it off as he did a lot early in the season.  He believes both he and his team are in for something very special, even saying so prior to Monday's game.  Hopefully, he'll be able to back up his words to the point where he'll be completely back to his MVP form.

The Bulls may have nearly lost the game, but Tom Thibodeau was surprisingly positive afterward.  In addition to the seven-game winning streak, the fact that this team is arguably the most talented on both sides during his tenure may have something to do with it.  Sure, it would be nice to see the bench score more than 14 points and not falling asleep in the fourth quarter wouldn't hurt either.  But all he offered was that any NBA team is capable of coming back, which is why you don't call off the dogs until a win is virtually guaranteed.

Hopefully, he'll have that luxury Tuesday when the Bulls face the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center for the second time this month.  With luck, Kirk Hinrich will return from his injury, but it seems unlikely.  Regardless, there's no denying this group will play until the final buzzer.  Even if a big lead slips away, all that matters is finishing well.

One more thing:  I ran into my old friend Trevor Magnotti at halftime last night.  He blogs about the Cavaliers, but is very knowledgeable about basketball.  So if you're into more than just the Bulls, give him a follow on Twitter.

Enjoying Christmas Turkey

The Los Angeles Lakers have now played on Christmas Day a record 16 consecutive seasons.  This one against the Bulls didn't have Kobe Bryant, who opted to sit out due to general soreness.  As it turned out, the Lakers could have used him in a 113-93 defeat at the United Center.

While the Lakers managed to stay within striking distance throughout much of the evening, they were never able to gain the lead after the first quarter.  To ensure such a thing wouldn't happen, the Bulls outscored the Lakers 30-16 in the fourth.  Ultimately, it came down to the talent on the floor, and no Laker scored more than 19 points (Wesley Johnson).  It was simply another illustration of what typically happens when one team has more talent on its side.

Pau Gasol, perhaps out to prove a point to his former team, led all scorers with 23 points and achieved his latest double-double with 13 rebounds.  Jimmy Butler made his latest case for an All-Star selection, even if he wasn't trying to, by scoring 21 points and making all six of his free throws.  Derrick Rose added 20, Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic had 13 apiece and Joakim Noah totaled 12 boards.

The only reason this game was notable in any sense is because it was played on Christmas.  Take the holiday away and it would just be another game with national interest.  Still, the Bulls had another chance to show everyone what they're able to do against lesser teams.

Christmas is always the league's prime opportunity to market itself.  No other day during the season can equal it when it comes to drawing viewers.  Those who come to play will catch people's attention and the Bulls did that.  Even if Carlos Boozer led the Lakers' bench with 14 points, that doesn't really matter in the great scheme of things given the result.

The Bulls will stay home Saturday to take on the New Orleans Pelicans, the worst team in the NBA's best division.  On paper, it doesn't appear to be a tough task.  But consider who the Pelicans have to play against regularly, they'll be ready for anybody.  Tom Thibodeau will let them know of that and hopefully, he won't have to try too hard to convince his players.

300th Post for Christmas Eve

During this time of year in which we reflect on our lives, it's often worth looking back on certain things.  For example, I'm in my fourth season of blogging about the Bulls and have experienced many ups and downs for the team in that time.  This Christmas Eve, I'm making my 300th post on here, so in the spirit of the season, let's count down my six most read posts since number 200 on Dec. 17 of last year.  These are the number of views as of Wednesday afternoon.

4) See Ya Murph - April 4 (34 views):  Erik Murphy, the Bulls' second-round pick out of Florida in the 2013 draft, didn't even last a full year in Chicago and was waived, making this post necessary.  A lot of what I wrote seemed to question why he became expendable and how the front office evaluates draft talent.  But the bottom line seems to be he's just not that good, at least for the NBA.  He's currently in the D-League, so maybe he'll get another chance someday.

4) Fanning the Philly Flames - March 19 (34 views):  It's no secret the 76ers are hardly making an effort to win right now, but this post reminds us this has been going on since at least last season.  The Bulls traveled to Philadelphia and extended their hosts' losing streak to 22.  Something like this will always draw interest.  That franchise-record streak would extend to 26 before it finally ended.  After losing their first 17 games of this season, Philadelphia might be making a run at their 1973 incarnation's NBA-worst 9-73 record.  It's just amazing.

4) Getting Anthony in the New NBA? - March 8 (34 views):  There were plenty of stories surrounding Carmelo Anthony coming to the Bulls up until he re-signed with the Knicks.  This post was merited because there were reports that Joakim Noah made an effort to recruit Anthony during All-Star Weekend.  I generally try to avoid the rumor mill on here, but when enough people are talking about it and there's a legitimate story to boot, people will be interested in these posts.  The early returns on what ultimately happened shows the Bulls earned the upper hand while Anthony's Knicks are struggling to avoid last place in the Atlantic.

3) It's Jimmer Time - March 1 (45 views):  Oh, how people lost it when they learned former college star Jimmer Fredette had signed with the team.  The anticipation of what people thought he might do were why people wanted to read this.  However, he only played garbage minutes during his tenure, so the novelty of him on the roster quickly wore off.  Fredette is currently with the last-place Pelicans and not part of their regular rotation, so that says it all.

2) They Killed Taj's Lil' Super Man - June 5 (49 views):  This post had little to do with

basketball and was more about Taj Gibson losing his 7-year-old nephew to gun violence.  I devoted a lot of this one to my young cousin Claire and how I would hate to lose her in such a way.  I shared this with my uncle, who passed it along to his ex-wife, who passed it along to relatives in Canada, which surely accounted for the spike in views both overall and in that country.  I wish it were a more positive post, but that's how the world works unfortunately.

 

1) Guest Post: Grading the Bulls' Offseason Through the Risk-Reward Prism - Aug. 2 (53 views):  I find it comical that the most viewed post in the past year wasn't even my own, but that of my co-worker Luis Medina.  He has a lot of followers on social media, so that probably helped.  Anyway, Luis shared his thoughts on the Bulls' offseason to that point.  Most of them were his reflections on Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott.  Of course, he noted that the season began and ended with Derrick Rose's health.  To this point, only McDermott has been a disappointment and everyone else has gone beyond the call of duty.

 

Hopefully, these next 100 posts will include something special in the playoffs and other wonderful happenings for the Bulls.  It might even improve because I'm scheduled to take a sports blogging class with Adam Rittenberg of ESPN this winter.  I'll also be taking time to blog about another team during that class, but I will continue to maintain this site as well. Until tomorrow, Merry Christmas to you all and thanks for reading!

Rose Grows Through Wall

If the Bulls go on to do great things this season, one stretch people will point to is these past three games against Memphis, Toronto and Washington, all of whom are threats to win their respective conferences.  Tuesday's test against the Wizards in our nation's capital was to show just how much the club has changed since last spring's playoff exit.  Ultimately, it boiled down to which of the two star point guards could will his team to victory more.  And it was Derrick Rose who bested John Wall in a 99-91 final.

After starting slowly with a couple of costly turnovers, the Bulls got their act together and traded leads with the Wizards until establishing one that would last most of the evening.  Despite their best efforts to pull away, they could never quite do so and it nearly came back to bite them.  Up 11 midway through the fourth quarter, the Bulls saw Wall score 10 of 12 unanswered points in a little over two minutes. and were suddenly down by one.  That's when Rose decided enough was enough, scoring eight consecutive Bulls points and skipping to the bench in a fashion that screamed confidence.

Rose led all scorers with 25 points and Pau Gasol finished one rebound shy of a double-double despite scoring 18.  Aaron Brooks continued his recent offensive surge with 13, driving at will more than a player like him should.  Taj Gibson's 12 including a couple of angry dunks.  Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah had the number 11 in common:  Butler for points and Noah for rebounds.

These last two games against quality opponents have given people more confidence in Rose than they've had all year.  He's not completely back, but he's showing what he was able to do before and can do more consistently going forward.  Taking over the fourth quarter without making many mistakes is what the best NBA players do and Rose wants everyone to know he still belongs in that conversation.  Best of all, he doesn't seem to be playing with reckless abandon all night, but rather saving his best for the end of the game, which proved to be crucial in this game.

The second part of the fourth quarter was truly power against power, demonstrating where each player is in his career.  Wall has a lot of talent and leadership, which are key to a long All-Star career.  But even with Rose missing most of the previous two seasons, he's still got more to his game and as of right now, knows how to close out close games.  It helps that he has lots of talent around him, which the Wizards also do, but the Bulls have been through their growing pains, making them more seasoned.

Nick Friedell had an interesting tweet towards the end of the game.  It was about how the Bulls drew it up over the summer that the team would establish itself in the first three quarters before turning it over to Rose in the fourth.  For two consecutive nights against two other East contenders, that scenario played out.  If we can see more of this going forward, look out.

I know Butler didn't have his best game tonight, but I want to repeat something I told myself after Monday's game.  If the Bulls can lock him up and he continues his improved offense, he and Rose have the potential to become the franchise's next power duo like Jordan/Pippen and Love/Sloan before them.  For all we know, Butler could just be going on this spurt for one year and Rose might be dealt one final blow to his career.  Still, it's fun to think that this could just be the beginning of something special for years to come.

Next, the Bulls will face the Los Angeles Lakers at the United Center on Christmas.  I know it's the NBA's biggest TV day of the year, but the Lakers' marketability as a big-name franchise is all they have going for them right now besides Kobe Bryant.  I'm not anticipating the close finish we saw at the Staples Center on Christmas 2011, but stranger things have happened.  Until then, enjoy my holiday song parodies about Butler and Nikola Mirotic.

Winning in Memphis

The Bulls were playing the second of a back-to-back on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the hottest teams in the league.  Never mind that the Grizzlies were less than 48 hours removed from a triple-overtime thriller in San Antonio.  Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson weren't available, so there wasn't that much reason to think a miracle was in the works.  Yet somehow, the Bulls had their biggest win of the season 103-97.

By the second quarter, the Bulls were getting key contributions from Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic and Aaron Brooks.  More on those in a bit, but the Bulls had Memphis on the ropes in the third quarter and couldn't go for the kill like they surely wanted to.  That meant a close fourth in which the Grizzlies constantly threatened to steal the lead that had eluded them most of the night.  They got hot enough to pull to within two with 13.8 seconds left, but E'twaun Moore (yeah, him) and Butler followed with successful trips to the free-throw line and that was all she wrote.

Just one night after burning the Knicks for a career-high 35 points, Butler led all scorers with 31 to become the first Bull with back-to-back 30 point performances since Rose in January 2012.  It was Mirotic's turn to have a career-high night with 27, 18 of which came from perfect shooting behind the three-point line.  Brooks had 17 in the latest offensive onslaught by a backup point guard in Tom Thibodeau's system.  Joakim Noah chipped in 10 and achieved a double-double with a game-high 13 rebounds.

There are wins and then are wins that show the best teams who you are.  This was exactly that.  People knew who the Bulls were going into this one, but to go on the road without your top player and top bench player and eek out a close win says they'll be ready to play no matter who's on the court.  Few teams in this league have that luxury.  We'll see how far they can go with the talent they have because in the NBA, talent is everything.

We always like to say the Bulls have a deep bench, but in the past, it's been inconsistent when it's mattered the most.  Hopefully, this season's bench is the exception and not the rule.  Mirotic, Brooks, Gibson and everyone else is letting teams know that any holes can simply be plugged by players who will do the job anyway.  These Bulls are that good.

The Central Division leaders will take the rest of the weekend off and face the Toronto Raptors Monday.  There was a close game the last time these teams met, but the Bulls pulled it out.  With luck, the same result will happen, but with a home crowd watching this time.

Not Helping Heat

Sunday was the Bulls' first look at the Miami Heat post-LeBron.  Luol Deng has more or less taken the King's place in the starting lineup, but it's not nearly the same.  It didn't help the Heat that they were missing Chris Bosh, their primary offensive weapon, for this game.  Despite not having Joakim Noah once again, the Bulls showcased their depth and won 93-75.

The Bulls got off to a hot start in the first quarter before going cold and picking up turnovers to go down 18-14.  Aaron Brooks decided that was enough and scored eight unanswered points to put his team in front.  Brooks would not score the rest of the game, but he gladly handed those duties off to his teammates, who broke it open after halftime.  Miami struggled offensively during the second half, showing occasional signs of life, but having every run answered and not enough power to get their deficit below double figures.

Mike Dunleavy was kept off the board in the first half, but he scored 19 of his 22 points in the third quarter, outscoring the entire Heat roster by three during that frame.  Four of his eight field goals in this game were three-pointers.  I've talked about how he's usually a quiet player, but I'm now starting to think he's just that good offensively.  After all, there has to be a reason he's started every game for as long as he has.

Jimmy Butler finished with 17 and was relentless on defense throughout.  Taj Gibson filled in for Noah wonderfully once again and had 15.  Derrick Rose entered the fourth quarter with only three points, but dashed any hopes of a real Heat rally by totaling 14.  Pau Gasol's nine points and nine rebounds ended his double-double streak at eight, but if that's an off night for him, he's not going to cool off anytime soon.

The Heat are not as bad as they showed tonight, but Bosh or no Bosh, they're just not as exciting or dangerous without the best player in the league.  The Bulls, meanwhile, improved this offseason and showcased their depth in this game as they have so many times during the year.  Their dominance got to a point where Tom Thibodeau could empty his bench.  Even that was bad for Miami when E'Twaun Moore, who only played the final 25 seconds, knocked down a three on the Bulls' final possession.

I literally laughed out loud when I saw the number of empty seats at the American Airlines Arena at tip-off.  By the end of the game, you never would have known anyone came later on.  It just goes to show that a market with only so-so support of its team did not deserve what it had over the previous four seasons.  Even after the Bulls' dynasty broke up, the United Center maintained its sellout streak for quite some time, so what does that tell you?

The Bulls will stay in the Southeast Division Monday when they head to neighboring Georgia to meet the Atlanta Hawks.  There, you'll find fan support somehow worse than what typically goes on in South Beach.  I can almost guarantee the Bulls will experience a partisan crowd in their favor there.  This won't be the first time a Chicago team in any sport gets this benefit in Atlanta.

Before you go, check out my song parody about the temporary loss of Doug McDermott, who will be out 6-8 weeks after having knee surgery.

McBuckets Having McTrouble

It's no secret I've slobbered over Doug McDermott even before the Bulls acquired him on draft day.  They were obviously high enough on him to give up the two first-round picks they held.  But the honeymoon is over as the realities of his rookies struggling have set in.

During the Bulls' Friday victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, it was announced that McDermott will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee.  Dr. Brian Cole, who performed both of Derrick Rose's knee surgeries, will take on this task as well.  No timetable has been set for McDermott's return.

In 17 games, none since Nov. 30 at Brooklyn, the Creighton product has averaged just 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.6 minutes while shooting 42 percent from the floor.  Not exactly what many had in mind for him coming out of college.  The good news is he still has time to make something of his first NBA season.  The bad news is it may be awhile before he gets to remedy what he's done so far.

To say it's been a rough year for McDermott so far would be an understatement.  For all we know, his knee problems are the sole reason for his struggles and he'll be good as new when he comes back.  I just don't want the Bulls to feel like they gave up too much to move up in the draft to get someone who will continue struggling.

To be fair, the Bulls haven't needed him that much to stay at the top of the Central for most of the still-early year.  Nikola Mirotic has turned into something impressive and is projected to finish better than the reigning national player of the year.  It would be exciting to see at least one rookie live up to the billing early and so far, Mirotic is it.

Still, we should continue to hold out hope that McDermott will have good consistency going forward.  We haven't even approached 2015 yet, so stories and issues will come and go.  Rose is looking like his old self now while just a few weeks ago, he was being reviled for making comments about his future.  Such is the life of a sports team's season.

Netting a Nice Win

Almost 18 years to the day, I attended my first Bulls game.  The defending champions beat a Minnesota team that had Kevin Garnett, who sat out the game with an injury.  Tonight at the United Center, I saw a healthy Garnett suit up for the Brooklyn Nets, but it made little difference.  Although the aging star scored 13 points, he didn't have Brook Lopez or Joe Johnson to back him up and lost 105-80.

I had a two-game losing streak coming into this one.  A quick 10-1 Nets lead and 7-0 rebounding advantage made me dread I was in for another defeat.  But Derrick Rose woke up after earning two personal fouls and one technical.  Perhaps it was his frustration with a bad start that got him going.

The former MVP showed shades of his old form and led the Bulls back to a tied halftime score at 51.  He continued to step up in the second half, but a tighter defense and depleted Nets offense resulted in the Bulls winning the second half 54-29.  A jumper by Jimmy Butler gave the fans free Big Macs with over three minutes to play.  With that, many in the stands cleared out and both teams emptied their benches.

All five Bulls starters scored in double figures, led by 23 points from Rose, who also had a team-high four assists.  Pau Gasol achieved his latest double-double of 16 points and rebounds apiece.  Taj Gibson, starting in place of the injured Joakim Noah, joined Gasol with 11 and 10.  The two big men also combined for 10 blocks, so there was a collective triple-double in there.  The interior defense, led by these two, was so stifling that it was hard to believe so many close Nets shots were being sent back.

Jimmy Butler showed the latest example of his improved season with 18 points.  Mike Dunleavy was a surprise offensive contributor by scoring 12 of his 14 from beyond the three-point line.  Nikola Mirotic, who absolutely convinced me tonight that he'll be on the All-Rookie Team, poured in 10 while playing effectively and efficiently.  A few more quality defensive outings and everyone in the league will be watching him.

For a team that hasn't played well at home or defensively early in the season, the Bulls showed little evidence of that in this one.  It was obvious early on, but they regrouped and rightfully took down a team more depleted than they were.  Whether Rose's technical was a catalyst for them to wake up may never truly be known.  But in the long run, if everything I saw from him afterward indicates what's coming from him, there's every reason to believe in this season.

I can't say enough about how deep the Bulls are in the post.  We all know what Noah can do, but when Gasol, Gibson and Mirotic are on, it can be tough on teams that don't like to shoot from too far out.  The offense is there and the defense can make a real difference when everyone is ready to play.  To beat the Bulls, opponents better have some well-rounded offensive talent or it's going to be tough to do that.

The Bulls will get Thursday off before returning to the United Center Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers.  It presents them with another chance to show they can compete with the top guns in the West.  That didn't pan out against Golden State.  But hopefully, they're just getting stronger as the season progresses.

Rose "Can't Breathe" for Justice

Saturday's Bulls loss to the Golden State Warriors exposed quite a few things.  Steve Kerr has done an incredible job in his first season as a head coach.  The Bulls might have trouble later this season if they can't adjust to offenses who love to move the ball quickly and often.  We were also reminded that Derrick Rose can take a stand on a social issue when he wants to.

Instead of his usual garb during pregame warmups, Rose wore an "I Can't Breathe" t-shirt in support of Eric Garner.  In case you've been ignorant of the news this week, a Staten Island grand jury chose not to indict a police officer who was caught on video giving a fatal chokehold to Garner, who was under arrest for selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.  The quote on the shirt is what Garner could be heard saying on the video.

Rose has taken stands on social issues in the past.  He's donated money to help at-risk teenagers, spoken out against violence in Chicago and even taken to Twitter to protest how a Chicago Public School teachers strike was bad for students.  So it's hardly a surprise that he would choose to say something about a hot national issue.  But this may be the loudest he's ever been when speaking about such things, even though he left the United Center without speaking to the media Saturday.

Joakim Noah stood beside Rose during a postgame interview.  He even went so far as to say more athletes should make social statements more often.  It was a sentiment recently echoed by Magic Johnson after LeBron James (who is backing Rose on this) made his own comments on the issue.  This call for justice seems to be echoed more at a time when athletes have been hesitant to speak out, possibly out of fear of alienating some people.

I'm not going to say whether the grand jury was right or wrong in their decision, but this, along with the Ferguson case, has brought out the activist in many people from civilians to professional athletes.  It can get tiring for a lot of people who are sick of all the shouting and accusations going on.  But in a country where free speech is protected, there is absolutely nothing wrong with people speaking out wherever and whenever they desire.  It's only wrong when people get violent with their actions.

Athletes speaking on these issues proves that no matter how much sports is an escape from real life, we can never really ignore what's going on.  No matter what profession you're in or how hard you work, you almost always find time to know about your world.  Social issues just happen to be the ones people are the most vocal over.  It's probably because people want true freedom and true justice in a country that is supposed to provide both.

Say what you want about Rose, but please don't attack his character over this.  I can't even tell you how many stupid things I've read in the Facebook comments sections of Rose stories.  People will find any reason to call for the Bulls to get rid of him, no matter what the story's content is.  If you consider yourself an intelligent fan, please think before posting something online about Rose so you don't come off as just another Internet whiner.

At least Rose is making headlines for something not involving injuries.  All we can hope for now is more stories that he's approaching his old form.  I might be attending Wednesday's game against the Brooklyn Nets.  If I do, I'll hopefully be able to come back here and report something positive.

Dallas Damns Done Deal

 

After a 4-3 road trip, the Bulls were ready to take on the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center.  The problem was their guests were just as hyped and eager to show off why the Southwest Division is the best in the NBA.  Clutch plays were made on both ends to force two overtimes.  In the end, the Mavericks were just a little bit better and won 132-129.

It was a game of runs, truly making it a back-and-forth affair.  So it was only fitting that extra time would be needed.  The Bulls could have closed out a come-from-behind effort in regulation, but Kirk Hinrich fouled Monta Ellis in the active shooting behind the three-point line, allowing enough free throws to tie the game and bringing about the first overtime.  Derrick Rose banked in a three at the end of that session to extend the game further, but air mailed another long ball one period expiration later and that was that.

Ellis, who averaged 19.6 points per game entering Tuesday, led all scorers with 38 points.  The Mavericks had their fair share of contributors, but Ellis stepped up more than anyone else, even hitting the game-winning three.  This is a guy who is often overlooked in the NBA, but games like this show why any team would be lucky to have him.  He put on a performance and did all the right things in a way that would make MJ himself jealous.

Of course, Ellis had his supporting cast to bring him home.  Chandler Parsons, making his mark in Dallas after coming over from Houston, scored 24 and went 7-of-8 from the free throw line.  Future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki was just behind with 22 and Devin Harris hit all six three-point attempts for 18 of his 20.  J.J. Barea shot 5-of-8 from the field for 13 in 12 minutes.

Pau Gasol, surely gassed after this one, led the Bulls with 29 points and 14 rebounds in 50 minutes.  The offense ran through him more often than not:  further evidence that he has a lot left in the tank which wasn't quite utilized properly near the end of his Lakers tenure.  Jimmy Butler continued his offensive onslaught with 23 and the normally quiet Mike Dunleavy had a loud 20.  Rose's 18 were hurt by his game-high seven turnovers, but Nikola Mirotic's 15 surely made some forget that second part of Rose's evening.

While it's difficult to accept that the Bulls let this one get away, it's hard to overlook that they allowed a hot Dallas team many open looks during certain stretches, forcing them to come from behind more than once.  This may have contributed to their habit of shooting too much behind the three-point line (8-of-26).  The offense may be better than it was a year ago, but it's average at best when it relies on that game plan.  The 50 points in the paint shows the Bulls are stronger at getting the ball to the basket, so Tom Thibodeau may want to emphasize that more going forward.

Rose was clutch at various moments, but several tweeters observed that he remains passive when diving for the ball and isn't battling as hard for tough rebounds.  We don't know if he's either unwilling or unable to do that right now, but it's a reminder of how far he still has to go on his road to recovery.  Right now, he's succeeding at scoring, passing and staying healthy.  He just needs a little more of that fearlessness and explosiveness that set him apart from others in the league a few years ago.

The Bulls have no time to rest after this marathon.  They travel to Charlotte Wednesday to play Michael Jordan's lowly new-look Hornets.  It's unknown how long certain players will see the floor after going above their usual minutes in this defeat.  Hopefully, it won't matter if a lesser team allows them to take a bit of a breather, if Thibodeau can even picture that.

One more note on a project I'm currently tackling.  This holiday season, I'm trying to record 24 different holiday song parodies about Chicago sports.  I'll post all the ones I write about the Bulls on here.  My very first one involves Rose and his inability to stay healthy.  Enjoy.

A Filling Black Friday

It appeared the Bulls were going to have to settle for their Black Friday matinee against the Boston Celtics to be one of 82 games.  They came out flat, but slowly realized they were the better team.  So they'll take this 109-102 win, although it was anything but easy.

The Celtics took a 35-24 lead at the end of the first quarter, but had lost both previous games in which they held a double-digit advantage during that time.  The Bulls emphasized that by cutting their deficit to six at halftime and then taking an early lead in the third.  After Derrick Rose temporarily took a seat, Boston went on a 13-2 run to reclaim what had been theirs.  What followed was the two teams trading leads until the Bulls made some clutch defensive plays and the Celtics missed key free throws to go down at home.

Six Bulls, including four of their starters, scored in double figures.  Leading that group was NBA minutes leader Jimmy Butler with 22 points.  Rose barely trailed him with 21 in 27 minutes.  Aside from sitting for a period following which he appeared to jam his finger (the 13-2 run in the aforementioned paragraph), he got through this game just fine.  Pau Gasol found 15s in both the scoring and rebounding columns.

Joakim Noah looked like the player of old by scoring 15 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, dishing out a team-high six assists and getting six blocks.  In the final minute, he made a key block and fired a perimeter jumper that appeared short, but then went in.  For all the talk about Rose needing to recover from his injuries, Noah has needed an equal boost coming off knee surgery.  As November gets close to becoming December, this is the right time for him to get going.

Against an inferior opponent like Boston, the Bulls probably should not have had such difficulties, especially on defense.  Then, you remember how many key players are still recovering from their various injuries and Taj Gibson didn't suit up.  The good news for these Bulls compared to last year's is they have the offense to get themselves out of these situations.  Plus, in close games, they can still make key defensive stops, which will hopefully happen more frequently and characteristically as the season continues.

The circus trip ends Sunday afternoon against the Brooklyn Nets.  At 3-3, a win would allow the Bulls to finish this annual brutal stretch above .500, which should count as a success.  With luck, Gibson will able to return to the lineup.  And New York's famous borough won't be feeling so mighty when this game is over.

Bulls' Circus ER

The Bulls' circus trip exists to allow families to laugh and be amazed by performers.  A pleasant time is guaranteed by all who enter the United Center for this occasion.  This is a yearly custom during the last two weeks of November.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, this year's trip has been anything but funny or amazing.  A 2-3 record through seven games is one thing, but it's quite another to see players dropping like flies due to injuries.  For over a week, Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson have all missed games.  The result is the Bulls having that much less of a chance to win before the starting lineups are announced.

A very interesting coincidence is that on a given night, multiple players at the same or similar positions have been unable to go.  We've seen Rose and Hinrich sit out at the same time, forcing Aaron Brooks to carry more than the load he was asked of when he signed here.  In Tuesday's loss to the Denver Nuggets, Gibson and Noah were unavailable, which meant seldom-used rookie Cameron Bairstow had to start down low.  This is a deep team, but stretch it too much and you can see why only the Spurs can really get away with sitting their key players here and there during the regular season.

For a coach that has been told to take it easy on his players so they're not fatigued and injured for the playoffs, Tom Thibodeau has only shown slight movement in that direction.  Whether the injuries has something to do with his method is not clear, but you have to worry about some of the players' health.  Jimmy Butler's breakout offensive season has been both a blessing and a curse for him.  He's helping the Bulls, but Thibodeau is riding him as much as Luol Deng before him, so that could be trouble later on.

By a similar token, Rose's inability to finish games or stay healthy might not be doing the Bulls any favors now or later.  There's talk he might not be helpful in the playoffs if this keeps up.  All kinds of solutions have been proposed, including the Tribune's David Haugh suggesting that Rose sit until Christmas.  I personally think that's a little extreme, but I've heard a lot worse from fans on sports talk radio and in social media.

The Bulls will celebrate Thanksgiving in Boston before playing a Friday matinee against the Celtics.  They should be thankful to be in first place and while they say grace, they should pray for a healthier rest of the season.  As for the rest of us, Happy Turkey Day to all!

Not Enough Jazz Still Feels Like Too Much

It's too bad Taj Gibson had to fly back to Chicago to take a real look at his sprained ankle.  He missed a chance to recreate the above photo.  Fortunately, the Bulls didn't need him to beat the Utah Jazz.  However, they would have preferred a much more comfortable final than 97-95.

With Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol returning from their respective injuries, the Bulls felt healthier and a little more talented.  That was evidenced by a 15-point halftime lead.  They pulled in front of Utah by as much as 21 and everything seemed to be just fine.

Suddenly, Utah caught a second wind and took the lead early in the fourth.  From there, it was back and forth between the teams with the Jazz leading by four with 3:30 remaining.  Eventually, the Bulls retook the lead by one thanks to a fast break which culminated in Mike Dunleavy's putback layup for his only points of the game.  After Gasol split a pair of free throws with 3.2 seconds left, Gordon Hayward tried to duplicate his game-winning three against Cleveland earlier this month, but was unsuccessful.

Jimmy Butler, quickly making a case for the Most Improved Player Award, led all scorers with 25 points, shooting 8-of-16 from the field and 8-of-9 behind the free-throw line.  Gasol acted like no time off had been wasted, barely trailing the Bulls' swingman with 23.  Finishing one rebound shy of a double-double certainly helped both his and the team's causes.  There's just no way you can underestimate his importance during the first month of the season.

Rose, seeing game action for the first time in 11 days, did his best to shake off the rust with 18 points and a team-high five assists in 24 minutes.  There was talk after the game that fatigue in the second half slowed his later production, but it's probably not something to get too worked up over.  He got some help off the bench from Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic, who each scored 10.  That's all the Bulls could have asked from their third-string point guard and an increasingly improving rookie.

Granted, the Bulls are still not completely healthy despite getting two of their three best players back for this game.  However, you should still beat the beatable teams and they almost blew this one.  Then again, they still stopped a two-game losing streak and it's best to stop any bleeding before it gets too far out of control.  Just ask the 76ers, Hornets and Thunder (still can't believe I'm putting that team in this category).

The Bulls will stay in the Mountain Time Zone as they play the Denver Nuggets Tuesday.  That's another Northwest Division team so far behind Portland, the Rockies have practically doubled in size from their perspective.  It's the Bulls' job to keep it that way, hopefully with Kirk Hinrich returning.

Shorthanded, but Breakouts Galore

Picture this.  You're a Bulls fan in Los Angeles about to go to Staples Center to watch your team begin their circus trip against the Clippers.  You've just learned Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol will sit out to nurse their injuries.  There's less reason to be optimistic, right?

A few hours later, you and your fellow brethren have taken over the building, cheering on a 105-89 victory.  You leave with an understanding you might be seeing an emerging superstar in Jimmy Butler.  You realize this could have been the game Nikola Mirotic needed to start a journey to the All-Rookie team.  That's a night well spent.

After the teams played equally in the first quarter, former Bull Jamal Crawford led the Clippers on a nice run during the second to get the home crowd into the game.  It helped that the Bulls went cold from the field, resulting in a 14-point lead with less than 3 1/2 minutes to play in the half.  At this point, Bulls fans had to hope this was just a bad stretch of basketball and the tide would turn soon.

Fortunately, that became the case as the Bulls cut the deficit to two at halftime.  Then, they truly took over by outscoring the Clippers 31-14 in the third.  They kept it going in the fourth and even fought off a late Clippers rally in which the lead was cut to eight.  Before it was over, the home fans were headed for the exits and the visiting fans made their presence known.

All five starters scored in double digits, led by Butler's 22.  The fourth-year man from Marquette led  everybody with eight assists and made life miserable for Chris Paul (12 points) on defense.  He drove whenever he wanted and wanted to be wherever the ball was at any given moment.  If you didn't think he was a go-to option on offense before, you better start thinking so because he's not going away.

Taj Gibson, starting in place of Gasol, proved he's regular starting material again by scoring 20.  Mike Dunleavy and Kirk Hinrich had 19 and 14 respectively while burying four three-pointers each.  Joakim Noah, knowing Gasol couldn't earn a double-double, earned one of his own with 11 and 16.  He nearly made it a triple-double, but capped his assist total at six.

Mirotic led the shorthanded bench by totaling 12, three of which came from downtown.  There was a lot of talk on Twitter during his 18 minutes of play that this was the game in which we could see what he truly is.  His defense leaves something to be desired, so we'll have to wait and see on that.  For now, we'll take the message that he shouldn't be messed with as we get deeper into the season.

The Clippers are a tough task these days, so starting the circus trip against them should have meant dread for a team rattled by injuries.  Instead, the Bulls showed how even without their two most talented scorers, they're deep enough to handle any team anytime.  Butler has the top scoring average so far at 21.3, so his presence is proving just as valuable.  If they find good looks for each other, limit turnovers (just eight in LA) and keep up their trademark defense, they'll continue to add to that 6-0 road record, which ties the 1996-97 Bulls for the best start away from home.

The Bulls will play their second game on this long trip Thursday in a nationally televised tilt with the Sacramento Kings.  At least one of Rose and Gasol is expected back by then, which should tilt the odds further towards the Bulls favor.  Tune in to hopefully see a win and a team-record 7-0 beginning outside of Chicago.

Look at Rose's Walk, Not Talk

"I'm thinking about long term. I'm thinking about after I'm done with basketball. Having graduations to go to, having meetings to go to, I don't want to be in my meetings all sore or be at my son's graduation all sore just because of something I did in the past. [I'm] just learning and being smart."

Those words were all some people needed to hear in order to go off on Derrick Rose once again.  He's soft, they said.  He's only cares about himself, they said.  He needs to be traded and so forth.

Such figures as Tom Thibodeau and Mike Dunleavy have since come to the star's defense, saying the comments were taken out of context and the rest of the team is confident in his commitment to everyone.  Most of us only know Rose the player and (flawed) PR man.  These are the ones who know Rose the person and can see what makes him who he is every day.  That should be enough to calm everybody, right?

Not in a town like Chicago, unfortunately.  While there's no question about the city having great fans, there's also little doubt about the ill-informed meatheads who take everything at face value.  They can also turn very nasty, as Bears coach Marc Trestman's daughters learned the hard way last weekend.  It often makes me ashamed to live among people who are so passionate about their teams, yet so misguided in the way they think things.

I'm not going to say Rose was right in what he had to say, especially given the timing of all the time he's missed recently.  However, I can see him wanting to preserve his body for the playoffs and quality opponents.  And heck, if he wants to avoid constant pain when his playing days are done, I'm fine with him thinking that.  But if you're a professional athlete, it's best not to say things like he said, lest you reawaken the beasts who refuse to stay asleep.

Despite that, don't let yourself think that a player who is poor at damage control with PR blunders isn't going to try and win.  From what we've seen in the games he's played in, he has at least approached the level of play that won him the MVP award in 2011.  He's distributing the ball well, driving to the hoop and contrary to some belief, isn't afraid to act aggressive when needed.

Don't act like Rose has to be a model citizen either.  Michael Jordan will always be my favorite athlete, but he has a vicious reputation when others rub him the wrong way.  He's imperfect like everyone else, so Rose certainly has a little bit of leeway in that area.  Not every player is going to act like David Robinson, who always put his team first and is an all-around nice guy.

All that matters is what Rose does on the court and in the playoffs.  It's true he hasn't had a lot of those chances lately, but if he continues to do what he's doing, all of what's transpired these past couple of days will be completely forgotten about.  If he doesn't play the way he can when it really counts, then by all means pile on top of him.  For now though, put your torches and pitchforks away and enjoy whatever greatness we see.

From now until the middle of April, the regular season is going to be filled with these kinds of stories.  If you're not used to it by now, you need an education on how sports seasons work.  Hopefully, I'm just preaching to the choir.  In that case, we all know how tumultuous this might be.

Everyone's Healthy, Everyone Wins

Former Bull D.J. Augustin returned to Chicago Monday on his 27th birthday.  His team is now the Detroit Pistons, who were just coming off a one-point defeat to Utah the day before.  Much to his chagrin, the Bulls played their first game this season with all five members of their projected starting lineup.  Even worse, the final was 102-91 in the Bulls' favor and the United Center crowd was cheering for free Big Macs.

The first half was one Tom Thibodeau would be pleased with afterward, which shouldn't be a surprise considering a 13-point halftime lead.  Then, the Pistons turned up the heat in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulls 26-18 to cut the lead to five.  The fourth would provide a bit more tension as Detroit got to within two.  But led by the returned Derrick Rose, the Bulls would deny the visitors their first lead of the game and pull away at the right time.

Rose led all scorers with 24 points and had a team-high seven assists after being listed as questionable earlier in the day.  It was reported he would test his sprained ankles out in the pregame warmups and it paid off.  While he also led the Bulls with three turnovers, the club totaled just 10 of them.  For at least one night, his detractors were kept at bay.

Jimmy Butler, who has not had much starting experience with Rose, benefited from the former MVP's presence by scoring 19.  Of his six field goals, four of them were shot from beyond the three-point line.  One of those threes gave the Bulls a seven-point lead with 1:56 to play.  Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for this duo.

Pau Gasol contributed a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds in what has quickly become a norm for him.  Joining him in the DD Club was Joakim Noah with 13 points and 14 boards.  He came rather close to a triple-double with six dimes.  This might have been just what the premier center needed to get in the right gear while coming off of knee surgery.

Thibodeau has recently expressed concerns about his team routinely getting outrebounded, which had happened in the last six games entering Monday.  For a group that stresses defense as its strongest point, it's practically a disaster to show any chink in that armor.  The Bulls corrected that against the Pistons to win the battle 49-46.  It's certainly not a huge improvement, but it's a step in the right direction which can hopefully last a little longer with a completely healthy lineup.

What Augustin gained besides 16 birthday points off the bench was a former insider's perspective on how it feels to play the Bulls.  There's little doubt he has much of what he learned in Chicago still in his mind, but the additions of Gasol and a healthy Rose forced him to see something he didn't have last season.  A 2013-14 Bulls team that struggled to score now has an easier time doing so.  Perhaps if that hadn't been the case, they wouldn't have had to count on Augustin so much, resulting in fewer chances and thus, no resurrected NBA career for the point guard.

It always feels good to be healthy and these Bulls probably know that better than most other teams.  If the past few seasons have taught them anything, it's that there's a huge difference between who you have on paper and who you have that's actually available.  A 6-2 record is nice, but the best way to maintain that is for all major players to see as much time as possible while conserving energy for the playoffs.  Although a .750 winning percentage may not be maintainable for the 82-game grind, seeing all that talent on the floor will make these Bulls fun to watch.

After two days off, the Bulls travel north of the border to play the Toronto Raptors, who have gotten off to a surprising 6-1 start.  It's the first time in their 20 seasons they have been alone atop the Eastern Conference.  Perhaps they'll take the third seed as they did last year this coming April.  But the Bulls are expected to go further this year, making this game a perfect chance to let Canada know that.

The Bucks Stop Here

A true bipartisan crowd was present Wednesday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center to see the hometown Milwaukee Bucks take on the Bulls.  The quality improved during the starting lineup when Derrick Rose was introduced after missing two games.  What the fans got was far from perfect basketball, but there were plenty of bang-bang plays on both sides.  In the end, the team from 85 miles south had a 95-86 victory.

The Bulls had trouble finding a defensive rhythm in the first half, resulting in a lot of the close baskets they surrendered in Tuesday's win against Orlando.  The offense did its best to keep pace, although turnovers (four each from Rose and Jimmy Butler) would keep the score within striking distance throughout.  Finally, the defense clamped down and the offense took advantage of several empty Bucks possessions.  It showed what happens when a veteran team that knows how to win matches up against a very young roster still figuring things out.

It was another big night for the top two power forwards.  Taj Gibson, starting again for the ill Joakim Noah, led all scorers with 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and just played with pure heart all night.  Pau Gasol achieved another double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds.  This string of double digits in two categories is repeating what Carlos Boozer did without the defensive issues.

Despite the aforementioned turnover numbers from Butler and Rose, they had respective points totals of 14 and 13 while dishing out seven assists apiece.  Rose was clearly still favoring his two sprained ankles, but did well to facilitate the offense and even drove to the hoop fearlessly a few times.  Mike Dunleavy rounded out the starting five scoring with 12, two of which came on a breakaway layup he probably could have dunked if he wanted to.

What we know about this Bulls team's capabilities cannot be ascertained properly when four of their five opponents so far have been lesser teams.  But we can at least say they know how to close these particular clubs out.  Whether they're cracking down on defense, playing smart on offense or drawing rookie mistakes (see Andrew Wiggins), this team is holding up its end of the bargain regarding preseason predictions.

As for Rose, we saw him suit up at a time when the doubters were starting to make noise about his fragile body again.  When he went out in the first quarter, there was speculation that his body language on the bench indicated he was already finished.  Instead, he played 31 minutes and had the Bulls fans in attendance chanting "MVP" by the time he got to the free-throw line late.  The more we see of him, the more we'll be put at ease.

The young season will continue Friday when the Bulls travel east to play the Philadelphia 76ers.  I shouldn't say this is already a victory, but they're playing a team that's not even trying right now.  Time to put them in their place as the lowly club they're trying to be.  In the meantime, the Philly fans can see a reminder of what winning basketball is.

Bulls Find Own Magic

Derrick Rose (ankles) and Joakim Noah (flu) missing any game typically means not much excitement is going to happen.  Add a winless opponent in the Orlando Magic and you're going to get some empty seats at the United Center.  But those who showed up were rewarded with a hard-fought 98-90 victory.

This game really was a tale of four quarters.  First, we saw the Magic move the ball freely while the Bulls looked flat.  We secondly saw a lot of successfully penetrating to the basket on both ends followed by poor offense by the sides in the third.  For the fourth and final frame, the Bulls slowly, but surely pulled ahead to put the game out of reach with clutch offense and defense.

In his second game of the season, Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 21 points and went 7-of-11 from the free throw line despite a bandaged hand.  With no Rose or Noah, the offense was somewhat forced to revolve around him and he answered the call.  At a time when he's made his allegiance to Chicago clear despite no new contract signed, he's trying to convince the Bulls he'll be worth overpaying for this summer.

Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson each scored 16 in equally impressive fashions.  Gasol's total was part of a double-double, which included 13 rebounds.  Although he only had a couple of offensive putbacks, it certainly appears he's more comfortable with this task than Carlos Boozer ever was.  Gibson got in early trouble and ended up with five fouls, but he turned fearless at the right time and his play showed it.

Aaron Brooks provided the latest evidence that he'll be next in the line of successful backup point guards on this team, scoring 13 and leading all players with eight assists and three blocks.  Both three-pointers he shot went in as well.  Doug McDermott showed off his high basketball IQ by driving to the basket and even throwing down an emphatic dunk.  He finished with 12 to indicate he continues to adjust to the NBA just fine.

Although the Bulls were without their two best players, that shouldn't be an excuse for allowing so many close baskets.  Fortunately for them, the Magic are an inferior team who shot themselves in the foot plenty of times.  Plus, they had just enough in the tank on both ends to finish Orlando off.  Talent almost always wins out in the NBA and the team that had more of it got the victory.

The Bulls will travel by bus tomorrow to take on the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.  This will be Jabari Parker's first matchup against his hometown team and it's very likely the Bulls contingent will be well represented in the seats.  The Bucks have a long way to go, although Parker is a good start.  Hopefully, Rose will be healthy enough to go one-on-one with him a few times.

Little bit of trivia to close:  the Bulls played the Magic at home on the night of the midterm elections.  I watched these same two teams at the United Center two years ago on the night Obama was reelected.  This was also the fourth game of the season, and I saw this matchup as the fourth game of the '97-98 season.  How do these things happen?

Grand Opening

As the New York Knicks prepared to open the season against the Bulls at Madison Square Garden, they were undoubtedly hoping Oak Park native Iman Shumpert could repeat the above image as part of a winning effort.  It didn't happen and the Knicks needed a prayer to even stay competitive.  The Bulls ran the home team out of the building 104-80.

The defense was in sync from the very beginning.  It took half a quarter for the offense to break out, but once it did, there was no preventing the Bulls from a victory.  It's impossible to predict an entire season based on the first regular-season contest, but if this game was any indication, the scoring is already light-years ahead of what we had to watch last season.

Brooklyn native Taj Gibson came off the bench like a player possessed and led all scorers with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting.  Pau Gasol let it be known he's going to be quite an offensive upgrade over Carlos Boozer by putting in 21 almost effortlessly.  He also picked this game to achieve his first double-double as a Bull with 11 rebounds.

All eyes were on Derrick Rose in his first meaningful NBA game in almost a year, and he performed decently as he scored 13.  Sharing that total in his first Bulls game was Aaron Brooks, an early indication that he will indeed be that next big backup point guard in Chicago.  Doug McDermott had 12 in his first NBA contest and looked supremely confident in doing so.  Kirk Hinrich struggled out of the gate, but rebounded in the second half to finish with 12, nine of which came from beyond the three-point line.

The bench quickly became an example of how deep this year's Bulls are and why they should contend in the East if Rose can stay healthy.  The Knicks' second unit had no answers for how to contain them and it took the Garden crowd out before it could affect the course of the game.  If you loved the first incarnation of the Bench Mob, you're going to love what this one has to offer.  In time, they should gain the same cult following Watson, Korver and Asik did before them.

We certainly can't fault Carmelo Anthony for following the money to the City That Never Sleeps.  It's tough for anyone to turn down the money he signed for.  For all of the triangle offense he'll learn under Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher though, he and the rest of his Knicks just can't match the defense the Bulls unleashed on them.  He had trouble creating his own shot and his teammates struggled to find good looks most of the time.

As for Rose, it certainly would have been nice to see him take over.  It's not like he didn't try.  Quite the contrary, he drove to the hoop many times in the first half and made up for his near misses by making seven of eight free-throw attempts.  Let's at least wait until the calendar flips to November to direct any criticism his way.

Atop the Central with a perfect 1-0 record, the Bulls will quickly face their first real test of the season Halloween night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The schedule makers did a good job letting us see Rose and LeBron James face off so early.  It's also as early a preview of a potential conference finals as we're going to get.  That means little in the NBA, but we can at least get a feel for it.

Eager to Win East: 2014-15 Preview

For most of Tom Thibodeau's tenure as Bulls head coach, each season has begun with expectations higher than the previous year.  That's because he has a knack for getting the most out of his players nearly every game and people have figured that's bound to pay off sooner or later.  However, the Bulls have made only one trip to the conference finals under his watch, leaving many to wonder what could have been every year.  Now, winning the East is more possible than it ever has been.

The consensus is the Bulls have their deepest team under the current regime of Thibodeau, Gar Forman and John Paxson.  They addressed their low-post scorer need with Pau Gasol, drafted a promising rookie in Doug McDermott and finally brought Nikola Mirotic over from Europe.  Add everyone who was already in Chicago and you're looking at a group few opponents will want to face on a nightly basis.

The East has changed with LeBron James returning to Cleveland and Kevin Love joining him.  Many consider that club the favorite to reach the NBA Finals this year on that alone.  But remember that James needed some time to get used to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh when he first arrived in Miami and he's already told people to cool it with championship predictions for his new Cavs.  That said, this will have to be the year for these Bulls to go the furthest they've ever gone, so let's look at the players who could help make that possible.

Every Bulls story begins and ends with Derrick Rose, the former MVP who is trying to return to his old self consistently with two reconstructed knees.  After a poor showing for Team USA in the World Championships and a shaky start to the preseason, he finally led the Bulls in scoring during their final couple of exhibitions.  This is the year the unselfish Rose will have to become selfish with the ball in order to return to the top of the precipice he once stood on.  Besides that, he's the only player on the team who can create his own shot, so expect the ball to be in his hands when the Bulls need offense the most.

As much as we don't like to talk about it, the greatest truth about the Bulls' season is that they're one major Rose injury away from having all this NBA Finals talk go down the tubes.  With their star point guard suddenly prone to his body breaking down, many Bulls previews have included the phrase "Derrick Rose, if healthy" for good reason.  Whether it's scoring himself, finding open teammates or playing Thibodeau's lockdown defense, he will be counted on heavily to do it all.  His value is so high it would almost make sense to stop this preview right here.

But I must go on, beginning with Jimmy Butler, Rose's fellow starting guard who can become a free agent after this year (I'll save that talk for later).  He plays heavy minutes regularly and has improved every year since coming into the league.  His offense would be valuable to any team and he's extremely focused on defense when he needs to be.  You can call him an example of a basketball player who wasn't born with the most natural talent, but gets the most out of what he has, leading to momentum for his team and thus, more victories.

The starting forwards, Gasol and Mike Dunleavy, bring a collective 25 years of NBA experience to the team, meaning they know what it takes to win in the league better than anyone else.  This is where the Bulls will have to show that being older in certain areas doesn't mean unable to keep up with the younger, fresher players on the floor.  Offense typically sticks around longer, so for a team that couldn't possibly have a worse time scoring than it did last year, this is a valuable facet of their starting lineup.

Gasol won a pair of NBA championships with the Lakers, so he brings that important knowledge with him as well as his low-post offense.  Maybe he's lost a step or two and isn't as explosive a scorer as Carmelo Anthony, but his 18.3 points per game for his career and seven-foot frame make him an immediate upgrade over Carlos Boozer.  If he can show he won't be a defensive liability during his age-34 season, the Bulls will be solid at the four throughout a typical 48-minute contest.

There was much debate whether the rookie McDermott should start at small forward, but for now, Dunleavy's endurance (he played all 82 games last year) and potent offense are enough to keep the spot he took after Luol Deng was traded last season.  His biggest weapon is his solid shooting, which will definitely be needed for the Bulls to rebound from a bad year on offense.  It's very likely he'll play the least out of the five starters, but that will merely take the pressure of doing more than needed off of him.  This way, he can concentrate on providing the Bulls with what he can until the deep bench is unleashed (more on that in a bit).

All energy on the Bulls runs through starting center Joakim Noah, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year who's just coming off knee surgery.  When he plays well, he gets pumped up and the rest of the team responds.  Doing it at the United Center is a bonus because it really gets the crowd going, which allows the team to feed off the extra energy in the building and will them to be ahead when the clock hits zero.  Without Noah, the Bulls would be a very different team, certainly not a championship contender.

Besides the defense he's become so known for, Noah reinvented his game last year to become one of the best passing centers in the league.  He basically forced himself to do it after Rose went down, which raises the question of whether he would have unleashed that part of his game if Rose had stayed healthy.  This combination makes him one of the most exciting two-way players in the league.  His mere presence is enough to affect the course of a game, which is a big reason why we as Bulls fans have fallen in love with him more as he's continued to raise himself.

Taj Gibson was told to train as a starter this offseason, but that chance will have to wait a little longer with the signing of Gasol.  Still, things are looking up for him one year after averaging a career-high 13 points and shooting 75.1 percent from the free throw line.  He plays very well on both offense and defense and, while his game isn't built on flash, he has enough talent to show he's worthy to be on the same court as basketball's best.  This makes him one of the favorites for Sixth Man of the Year.

Not since Rose's selection in 2008 have the Bulls ended draft night with a player as decorated as McDermott.  Last year's national player of the year out of Creighton was lauded for his scoring and high basketball IQ, all of the above being qualities Forman and Paxson admire.  A rookie with that resume should be ready to contribute right away, something Thibodeau will have to recognize as he hasn't been generous with rookies' minutes in the past.  In fact, if he plays well enough to begin the season, don't be surprised if he takes Dunleavy's spot as a starter.

After the Bulls held onto his rights for three years, they finally brought Mirotic over from Real Madrid of the Spanish league.  While he was a star in Europe, we don't yet know how that will translate with the North American game.  However, expectations are high that he will eventually be as critical to the Bulls' success as Toni Kukoc was during the 90s.  He might even surpass McDermott in value, but all that will be decided as the two players gain more NBA experience.

One acquisition that would have made greater headlines in the Bulls' previous three offseasons would have been that of Aaron Brooks.  Despite averaging just nine points between Houston and Denver last season, Thibodeau's offensive system gives Brooks a chance to thrive at the point the way D.J. Augustin and Nate Robinson did before him.  He'll be 30 in January, so he's about the right age where he's hoping for a breakout season, resulting in someone overpaying for him next year.  For now, he's trying to win a championship, and he's never had a better chance than he does now.

The rest of the roster focuses on guys the Bulls have confidence in to help out as the season progresses.  Kirk Hinrich and Nazr Mohammed are not the players they once were, but provide the veteran leadership that will hopefully allow them to contribute just enough.  Tony Snell played a lot his rookie year and has room for growth, which the Bulls believe as they just picked up his option for next year.  E'Twaun Moore has two years to prove he's worth that investment of the organization's money and Cameron Bairstow will have plenty to prove as the second-round pick out of New Mexico.

Thibodeau had a valuable summer as an assistant to Mike Krzyzewski for the gold-medal Team USA World Cup team.  Hopefully, a combination of observing Rose, watching Paul George's gruesome injury and other factors told him you don't have to step on the gas every single night at the expense of health to your players.  A minutes limit on guys who aren't completely healthy are worth consideration, particularly during the regular season.  Sure, it goes against what he's preached ever since coming to Chicago, but in today's NBA, you can't be too careful when the organization has invested so much money in its stars.

That doesn't mean we're going to see a completely different coach out of him though.  He'll still be the same tough-nosed individual roaming the sidelines in order to conduct his orchestra.  Perhaps though, he'll do so with a more guarded mentality.  The bottom line is he needs to find that middle ground between crazy for wins and fearful of injuries and fatigue.

In a conference as wide open as the East, that trip to the NBA Finals is there for the taking.  The Bulls and Cavaliers are the most primed to battle it out for that simply because how talent-driven the league is.  I predict the Bulls will finish behind Cleveland in the Central and also bow out to them in the conference finals.  Despite all the high expectations for this year's club, James is the one player you still have to go through and until the Bulls learn how to take his team down, I can't see them playing for the O'Brien Trophy.

This season filled with hope begins Wednesday when the Bulls take on the New York Knicks in a nationally televised game at Madison Square Garden.  Driving public interest in this contest will be Anthony facing the team he scorned to re-sign in the Big Apple for more money.  Of course, this is just the first of many interesting storylines that will surround the team this season.  It's time to play basketball and have fun doing it.

Minutes Manager

Ever since he's become an NBA head coach, Tom Thibodeau has developed a reputation for driving his players hard day in and day out.  Many would argue that it's hurt the Bulls come playoff time as guys are banged up and too tired to catch that second wind required in the second season.  Now, Thibodeau has to force a little compassion into himself out of necessity.

With Derrick Rose making a second comeback, Joakim Noah trying to rebound from knee surgery and Jimmy Butler nursing an injured left thumb, Thibodeau has to look at limiting minutes for his stars.  To do such a thing goes against every fiber of his being.  But if the Bulls are to win the East, as Sports Illustrated has predicted them to do, he'll have to sacrifice a little bit of pride.

Entering his fifth year as the head of the Bulls, Thibodeau has to recognize that some games are meant to be lost.  Certain victories also don't have to send a message by resulting in a blowout.  2 1/2 years after Rose's ACL tear, he's still dealing with some flak for keeping the star in when the game was already decided.  Can you imagine what would happen with him if Rose goes down again in a similar situation?

Of course, if Thibodeau chooses to rest his stars during certain stretches as other coaches have been known to do in recent years, there's going to be frustration on certain nights that the Bulls let games they should have won slipped away.  As long as that method is limited to the extent that it won't affect playoff seeding, it seems to be all right.  But everything just mentioned is going to come with the territory, whether Thibodeau likes it or not.

This season will show how much Thibodeau has grown as a coach, if at all.  Too much has happened over the past four years for him to be too stubborn to do any kind of growing.  Now, the Bulls are presented with perhaps their best chance to return to the Finals since the 90s.  It could all hinge on whether a hard-nosed approach has to take a bit of a backseat to one that's more conservative in handling key injuries.

Rose-y Outburst

We can talk all we want about the Bulls dropping their first match-up 107-98 against the new Cleveland Cavaliers at Ohio State.  But the game didn't count and we'll have plenty of time to dissect the pros and cons of both East contenders.  If you're a Bulls fan, Derrick Rose was the best news they could have received.

While most of the local crowd was focused on LeBron James, the star from the team LeBron exalted earlier in the day scored 30 points in 24 minutes.  That beat Kyrie Irving's total by two and also contributed to his game-high 12 field goals.  It's worth noting he attempted 18 shots from the field, so those shooting struggles everyone has been concerned about were not present here.

This offensive explosion prompted a happy locker room after the game.  Those who have been around Rose the longest were the most vocal.  Taj Gibson thought the performance was a reminder of "old memories", Tom Thibodeau reiterated the belief of many that he's coaching "an MVP-caliber player" and Joakim Noah called the outburst "big for our team."

Obviously, it's going to take more than a 30-point preseason game to convince many that Rose has come all the way back.  For all we know, this is just a flash in the pan in what will be a struggling season.  However, this should let at least a few people know he's not a lost cause.  Yes, his knees might still betray him again (hopefully not), but let's perish that thought.

If this becomes the norm for Rose however, this was just the first of many eventful battles we'll be seeing between the Bulls and Cavs within the division for the next few years.  A rivalry like this is good for the NBA and especially the putrid East.  All the power can't be in the West, so it's up to these teams to do battle in the way basketball was meant to be played.

Fortunately for us, Rose won't have to wait that long to do battle with LeBron for real.  A Halloween meeting at the United Center, the second game of the season, could really give the Bulls a swift kick.  They should want to make a statement early during a year that might be their best shot to reach the NBA Finals.  While LeBron claims that the Bulls have the better team chemistry of the two teams, we'll see how they both gel together during the playoffs.

The Bulls will end their exhibition schedule Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves in St. Louis.  Andrew Wiggins, the Cavs' first-round pick they traded for Kevin Love, will be around to preview how he can help a franchise in limbo.  And while that's going on, how about another decent game from Rose, assuming he plays much?  Any momentum over the next week is good.