Thread: 2011/2012 Chicago Bulls Thread

Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks - Recap - March 07, 2012 - ESPN

Derrick Rose lifts Bulls past Bucks with last-second jumper

MILWAUKEE -- Derrick Rose faked like he was going to drive to the basket again, creating just enough of a cushion on defender Brandon Jennings. Then he slid to his left in a split second, drilling a winning shot at the buzzer.
The reigning league MVP sure knows how to thrill a stadium filled with Bulls fans -- even when he isn't playing at home.
Rose's off-balance shot just inside the 3-point line capped a 30-point night that powered the Chicago Bulls to a 106-104 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

"It was like a kid, all the things that you dream about," Rose said. "It felt good. You're on the road, going against a team that's giving you their all and you hit a nice shot like that."
Rose was mobbed by his teammates near halfcourt as a predominantly pro-Bulls crowd roared in approval, bursting out in chants of "M-V-P!"
Joakim Noah added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won eight straight.
"It was like a movie," Noah said. "Hit the shot, no time left on the clock, you hear the horn, the ball goes through the net. It must be an unbelievable feeling to hit a shot like that."
Jennings noted that Rose wasn't having a particularly good night shooting from outside, so the Bucks were expecting him to drive.
"I tried to make him take as difficult a shot as he could," Jennings said. "I was playing him to go to the basket, of course. He hit a step-back jump shot with a hand in his face. Hey, man, you go ahead and take that one."
Bucks coach Scott Skiles said Rose made an incredibly tough shot look easy.
"What a luxury to have, you don't even need to run a play," Skiles said. "You can just bring it in, throw it to a guy and he can get whatever shot he wants."
Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 32 points and Drew Gooden added a season-high 27 for the Bucks, who were coming off a home win over Philadelphia on Monday.
The Bulls held Jennings to 11 points on 4 for 18 shooting. Jennings had scored 27-plus points in his previous three games coming into Wednesday.
With the Bulls often double-teaming Jennings on defense, especially early, Gooden was left open for several outside shots -- and he cashed in, scoring 16 first-half points to keep the Bucks in the game.
"I mean, it was a little difficult," Jennings said. "But like I said, Drew was hitting shots, Ersan was playing big for us."
Once again, the Bradley Center was taken over by Bulls fans -- although Chicago's home-away-from-home-court advantage wasn't quite as pronounced as it was in the Bulls' Feb. 4 victory at Milwaukee, a Saturday night game that drew a huge crowd comprised mostly of Bulls fans.
Still, the Bucks received a jarring greeting when they took the floor before Wednesday's game -- mostly boos -- and the crowd was decidedly pro-Bulls most of the game. When Milwaukee's Mike Dunleavy Jr. missed badly in the second quarter, he was subjected to "Airball!" chants.
It left the Bucks in the odd position of having to talk about tuning out the crowd at home.
"It hurts a lot that we lost this one, just the fact that we played so hard for 48 minutes," Jennings said. "Guys were down there battling. We didn't let the crowd get to us at all."
The crowd apparently did get his attention before the game.
"I told the guys before the game, 'We're just going to tune that out and play basketball,' " Jennings said.
The Bulls have won all four meetings with the Bucks this season.
With the Bulls up by two, Rose lost the ball out of bounds and officials initially ruled it went off a Bucks player. After a replay review, the call was reversed and the ball went to the Bucks with 55.2 seconds left.
Milwaukee's Beno Udrih then drove for a layup, tying the game with 42.9 seconds left.
Rose drove on Jennings, then tried to hit a turnaround jumper -- and drew a foul on Jennings and hit both shots for a 104-102 lead with 32.5 left.
Ilyasova scored inside, tying the game again with 24 seconds left and setting the stage for Rose's last-second shot.
"It was a great play by him," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He took the clock down, he didn't leave any time because it was one of those games where whoever had the ball, you thought they were going to score next."

Nice!

Chicago Bulls working to acquire Pau Gasol from Los Angeles Lakers, sources say - ESPN Chicago

Sources: Bulls vying for Pau Gasol

The Chicago Bulls are exploring avenues to acquire Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol before Thursday's trade deadline, according to sources close to the situation.
The Bulls have long hoped to wedge themselves into the trade running for Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard, but sources told ESPN.com that Howard's well-chronicled lack of interest in a trade to Chicago has prompted the Bulls to switch their focus to Gasol in advance of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline.
Sources say that the Lakers, however, have limited interest in the players Chicago would be offering, starting with Bulls forward Carlos Boozer.

So the Bulls would have to recruit at least one more team to the discussions to have any shot at Gasol, sources said, with the Lakers known to be insistent on getting back at least one certifiable star if they consent to trade the Spaniard.
Sources say that the Lakers, furthermore, are talking to other teams about Gasol in advance.
The Lakers' longstanding preference, of course, is acquiring a top point guard if they agree to surrender Gasol. They included the 7-footer in the December deal with New Orleans and Houston that would have landed Chris Paul with the Lakers, only for NBA commissioner David Stern -- acting as the final decision-maker for the league-owned Hornets -- to tell New Orleans' basketball people to cancel the deal after all three teams agreed to terms.
Gasol has been subjected to constant trade speculation ever since, and recently acknowledged to ESPN.com that "there's no guarantees" he'll be with the Lakers beyond the trade deadline, despite recent assurances from Lakers management that no deal was imminent.
The Rockets continue to have interest in Gasol but have consistently refused to make point guard Kyle Lowry available. Golden State and Minnesota also are known to have interest in trading Gasol if the Lakers prove willing.
Before the All-Star Game, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant registered a public plea to team officials for clarification on Gasol's tenuous future, saying that "it's hard for [Gasol] to kind of invest himself completely ... when he's hearing trade talk every other day."
Asked how much he's looking forward to getting past Thursday, Gasol recently told ESPN.com: "When that day comes along and nothing happens, I know for sure I'll have the security that I will be here at least for this season. After that? Who knows? Obviously it'll be an important day in order just to put everything behind me for another month or two or three."
ESPN.com reported last month that the Bulls are shocked and frustrated that Howard has not included them on his publicly known list of teams to which he'd welcome a trade, which is headlined by the New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks and originally included the Lakers, as well.
The Bulls naturally relish the idea of pairing Howard with star guard Derrick Rose, but it's believed that Howard's primary reservation about a trade there is that the Bulls are clearly Chicago native Rose's team.
Going to the Brooklyn-bound Nets, by contrast, would not only put Howard in a major market but also give him a larger share of the spotlight alongside Nets guard Deron Williams.
Howard's interest the Lakers has waned for similar reasons, with sources close to the 26-year-old saying that he has grown increasingly sensitive to suggestions that he is following Shaquille O'Neal's career path too closely.
The Bulls' primary need remains backcourt scoring thanks to a succession of injuries suffered by newcomer Richard Hamilton, but team officials have quietly maintained an interest in acquiring an elite big man such as Howard or Gasol to try to ease the nightly load Rose carries.
Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history last season but couldn't overcome the suffocating attention he received from the Miami Heat in last spring's Eastern Conference finals, raising concerns that Chicago -- despite its league-leading 35-9 record -- will face the same issues this postseason.
After the Lakers' shootaround Tuesday in Memphis, Gasol told reporters: "This year's been pretty intense as far as the uncertainty of my situation. How it's going to end up and play out, I really don't know. But, I still come in and love what I do. I love being here and I'll continue to do that for as long as I can."
Gasol, though, has not let the speculation permeate throughout his life. Gasol and Lakers coach Mike Brown visited St. Jude Children's Research Hospital shortly after the Lakers arrived in Memphis on Monday, continuing Gasol's years-long association with "Hoops for St. Jude" dating to his days playing for the Grizzlies.
"He's been very impressive," Brown said of Gasol. "He's been impressive on the floor, he's been impressive off the floor and you just appreciate when you have guys like that. There's not a single thing that I can say that's negative or anything like that when it comes to Pau."
If the Lakers elect not to trade Gasol before the deadline and give the core of their current roster one more shot at making a championship run before pursuing major moves in the offseason, they still have an $8.9 million trade exception to use before Thursday that was created in the December deal with Dallas that sent Lamar Odom to the Mavericks. The Lakers also possess two 2012 first-round picks that could be used as trade assets.
One league source told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin that the Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers recently tried to resuscitate a deal that would have sent point guard Ramon Sessions to L.A. by bringing the Rockets into the mix as a third-team facilitator.
The source said that the Lakers, in that proposal, would have received Sessions from Cleveland and future considerations from Houston, with the Rockets receiving one of the Lakers' two 2012 first-rounders and the Cavaliers landing Houston guard Jonny Flynn to back up Kyrie Irving at the point.
As of Tuesday, though, those discussions had gone dormant, according to a Western Conference executive. But Sessions remains at the top of the Lakers' list of targets to upgrade their backcourt.

Don't like the rumor. Gasol is way overrated imo. What do you guys think?

Thibodeau one win away from quickest 100 - Chicago Bulls Blog - ESPN Chicago

Thibodeau one win away from quickest 100

If the Chicago Bulls win on Monday night against the Orlando Magic, Tom Thibodeau would become the fastest coach to record his 100th career win in NBA history. It's an accomplishment that's not lost on any of his players, although they realize that the veteran coach isn't going to pay much attention to it at the moment.

"I think that that's probably something that Thibs can look back on when his career is over and say, ‘That's big, that's huge.’ That would be huge. But I know how Thibs is," Bulls center Joakim Noah said, before dropping his voice a few octaves and doing his best Thibodeau impersonation. “It's 'the next game,'” Noah continued, rattling off a string of Thibodeau cliches. “'It's all that matters. Don't worry about the past. We're not worried about what's going to happen in two weeks. We're worried about Orlando and that's it.’"
Bulls' forward, and Thibodeau favorite, Luol Deng couldn't help but get in another playful jab at his coach.

"Oh wow. For real? Oh man," Deng said. "When they talk about it in the future, about his fastest win [record], I hope you guys [give] my minutes in those wins."

Then Deng laughed hard.

"No, I'm playing. I'm happy for Thibs, man. It's great."

Thibodeau, who has compiled a record of 99-30 in 129 games, has earned respect in the Bulls locker room because his players understand that no matter how hard they work, nobody will work harder for their success than Thibodeau will. It's one of the biggest reasons why the Bulls are off to such a good start again this season. Thibodeau sets the tone that the rest of his players follow.

"Thibs is always the same," Noah said. "He's always high energy, going crazy on us. He's the most passionate person, when it comes to basketball, that I've ever been around. Whether we're up 20 or we're down 20, it doesn't change."

Should the Bulls lose on Monday, Thibodeau could still set the mark with a win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

Go Bulls!

Rose's ankle 'feeling good' - Chicago Bulls Blog - ESPN Chicago

Rose's ankle 'feeling good'

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose went through all of Saturday morning's practice and says his sprained right ankle is feeling better.
"I'm feeling good," Rose said. "I'm feeling about the same, where it's getting better every day, improving. Just trying to work on my health, stay positive like I always say and keep my spirits up."
Rose has missed 23 games this season because of various injuries, including Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks because of the ankle injury. He returned on Thursday against the Miami Heat and struggled -- going 1-for-13 from the field, scoring a career low two points and getting benched at the end of the game for backup C.J. Watson. After Saturday's practice, he wore a large pack of ice on the ankle as he watched tape with Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau. Rose admitted that the ankle impacted his play on Thursday.
"When your ankle's hurting you can't move," Rose said. "You know how a sore ankle is where the bone is tender, you can't get around like that ... it was just one of them games."
For his part, Thibodeau sounded upbeat about Rose's progression. The reigning MVP spent extra time at the Berto Center Friday afternoon trying to shake some of the rust off.
"[He's doing] great," Thibodeau said. "He came in [Friday], got a lot of work in, he's feeling really good."
Rose is trying to shake off the poor performance he had against the Heat.
"Amnesia," Rose said. "I forgot about that game and it's onto the next one."
As Rose watched tape of Thursday's game with Thibodeau, the 23-year-old point guard said he took one major message out of the impromptu session.
"We have a good team," Rose said. "Only thing I can take from it where of course I didn't play up to the ability I can play at and we still found a way to win the game. We got a deep team."

Bulls next 3 games: Piston, Wizards, & Bobcats. Sounds like a great opportunity for DRose to get in sync with the rest of the team.

W/how beat up Deng/Rose are and how many min's they always seem to play, is it possible the coach is killing them ala Dusty and Lou w/the cubs pitchers?

Look how San Antonio rests their guys; gives them wholes nights off, sometimes against div opponents. Spurs understand it's not about the reg season, it's about being healthy for the post season. I wish the Bulls would get this and start resting Deng and Rose; after all w/the bench as deep as it is, there is no reason they cannnot sit for long periods of time and find themselves severely down.

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

W/how beat up Deng/Rose are and how many min's they always seem to play, is it possible the coach is killing them ala Dusty and Lou w/the cubs pitchers?

Look how San Antonio rests their guys; gives them wholes nights off, sometimes against div opponents. Spurs understand it's not about the reg season, it's about being healthy for the post season. I wish the Bulls would get this and start resting Deng and Rose; after all w/the bench as deep as it is, there is no reason they cannnot sit for long periods of time and find themselves severely down.

Coach Thibodeau is not resting them because they must earn the #1 seed first. With Rose's fifth injury of the season the Bulls really need the home advantage, otherwise they won't go all the way.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Chicago Bulls - Recap - April 21, 2012 - ESPN

Rose rusty in return to action as Bulls win to increase East lead

CHICAGO -- Derrick Rose could feel some pain in the area of his right ankle and foot, the site of his most recent injury during a season in which he has missed 26 games.
It was OK, though. All worth it. The fans were cheering for him, he was back on the court and the Chicago Bulls got another victory that moved them closer to clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
"It was throbbing a little, but the great thing about it is we got the win and we get a couple of days off to get treatment and I'm going to stay off my feet and hopefully it's going to get better," Rose said after the Bulls beat the Dallas Mavericks 93-83 on Saturday night.

Rose's return after missing three straight games wasn't spectacular, but it was still a 32-minute effort that saw him get 11 points and eight assists.
"I think he played a very controlled type game. He was taking care of the ball, running the offense and just trying to get a feel for being out there again," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said
The Bulls, able to use their starting five for just the 14th time this season, got 22 points from Luol Deng and 19 from Richard Hamilton in beating a Mavericks team that had already clinched a playoff berth two nights earlier, played at home Friday night and rested guards Jason Kidd and Jason Terry.
The victory by the Bulls (48-16) gave them a 2½ game lead over Miami for the top seed in the East after the Heat lost at home to Washington. Chicago has two regular-season games left, against Indiana and Cleveland.
"We still have to win out," said Rose, who acknowledged he didn't have his usual confidence driving the lane and was content to pass the ball to Deng and Hamilton.
"We're not worried about other teams, just what we are trying to do here and we're trying to win every game," he said.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 17 points and Rodrigue Beaubois, starting in place of Kidd, added 16 -- 10 in the final quarter -- despite playing the second half with a dislocated finger. After leaving with about 7½ minutes to go in the first half after hurting his finger guarding Ronnie Brewer, he returned minutes later to the game with his fingers taped.
"Once they put the fingers together I said it's good enough to play," Beaubois said.
"He held up to the physicality of it and came back to play. ... I thought it was great how he got a dislocated finger popped back in and then came back," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.
Deng's 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer capped an 11-0 run and gave the Bulls a 66-56 lead. But Dallas rallied as Vince Carter had nine points and Brandan Wright's follow-up basket cut the lead to 75-72 with just under 6 minutes remaining.
Joakim Noah and Rose scored for the Bulls before Kyle Korver hit his third 3-pointer of the game to restore the lead to nine points. Deng then hit a 3-pointer from the corner with just under 2 minutes left and Chicago had a 90-79 lead.
"They did a good job of finding the shooters. They have a bunch of guys that can get the ball off quickly," Carlisle said. "Deng and Korver hit big ones for them."
Nowitzki's eight second-quarter points helped the Mavs close a 13-point deficit down to six by halftime.
Hamilton had 10 points and Carlos Boozer eight as Chicago opened a 21-8 lead after one quarter -- the Mavericks' lowest scoring quarter of the season.

Btw, the Bulls are 17-9 in the 26 games Rose has missed.