2011/2012 Chicago Bulls Thread

[Riczaj01]

LB, I'm talking from the start of the year moving forward though. W/the supposed deepest bench in the league, you would think game in game out Thibs would have been able to keep the minutes down on Rose and Deng.

The Spurs went for home court last year, and it cost them big in the first round. They were beat up and physcially spent. This year they went about business as usual sitting their stars in some games and limiting minutes in the others; and will probably still get the 1st seed. I hope Thibs learned his lesson this year and starts tracking this stuff b/c right now Rose/Deng are so beat up the playoffs might not matter.

[Jimmors]

Rose has had plenty of rest this year lol

[Riczaj01]

Apprently not Jimmors, hurt w/a 12 point lead and 1.5 min's to play. Knee injury. Again, if we have the deepest bench, why is he so reluctant to use it?

[The Benjamin]

Apprently not Jimmors, hurt w/a 12 point lead and 1.5 min's to play. Knee injury. Again, if we have the deepest bench, why is he so reluctant to use it?

He needs to get his conditioning back.

[The Benjamin]

Bernstein: Why, Thibs?

By Dan Bernstein
CBSChicago.com Senior Columnist
(CBS)Players play. Got it.
There’s a difference between being hurt and being injured. Check.
You can’t live your life in a state of constant worry, trying to protect well-conditioned, professional athletes from the perils of their trade. True enough.
The Bulls led the hapless Sixers by 12 points with 74 seconds left, and Derrick Rose was still on the floor, working his way back into shape after his latest injury in a season marred by games missed due to a torn groin, sprained toe, swollen ankles, back spasms and other maladies both forgotten and unknown.
Home game, 12 points. 1:14.
Rose jump-stopped as he has so many times, landed oddly, and crumpled to the United Center deck. The trainers performed the grim field-tests for ligament stability. There were no smiles as Rose was helped away, likely dragging the Bulls’ championship hopes with him down the linoleum-floored corridor to the locker room. He will have an MRI, but nothing looks good at press time.
Tom Thibodeau has been criticized for two seasons for not better protecting Rose from himself by sitting him late in decided games, and such thoughts have been expressed frequently and pointedly in this very space.
“I don’t work backwards like you guys,” Thibodeau said after the game. “The score was going the other way. We weren’t closing the game the right way.”

Well it’s sure closed, it appears. And we’re not “working backwards.” The more concerned observers among us have said it every game, before the fact: get him out of there before something awful occurs.
Twelve points, 1:14.
“He’s gotta play,” Thibodeau continued, when pressed further. “We sat him until the seven-minute mark of the fourth, and he’s gotta work on closing, gotta work on finishing.”
Then came the It Can Happen Any Time bit. “There’s gonna be injuries,” he said. “Guy could get hurt in practice, guy could get hurt in the first five minutes of the game. The more he plays, the better he gets.”
First of all, this is not a “guy.” Derrick Rose is the only reason there is any possibility of winning another NBA title. He is the star at the time of stars, entrusted to transcend. This is not the season of John Lucas III, C.J. Watson and Mike James.
Second, he is not healthy. The injuries he has battled all year have piled up on each other, as compensations both mental and physical already had him playing as if the all-important connection between brain and body wasn’t quite right. We even saw it in this game – while the threes were falling, that last bit of explosiveness had yet to return.
That should change the risk calculation, right?
It can happen any time, of course. But a coach can make sure there are times when it can’t, by removing a recovering, invaluable asset from harm’s way.
The score was going the wrong way, fine, but the Bulls were not going to lose that game to that team. Even if Rose really does need to play to get better, and even if he does need to practice closing out games, was it still worth it?
For a long time, it has looked like something like this could happen.
Something like this just happened.

Bernstein: Why, Thibs? « CBS Chicago

[little bear]

2012 NBA playoffs -- Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose injures knee against Philadelphia 76ers - ESPN Chicago

Rose injures knee, to have MRI

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose suffered a left knee injury while trying to leap off his left foot in the lane with 1:10 left in Saturday's playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Rose was helped off the court before the Bulls sealed their 103-91 Game 1 win. Rose had 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists when he was injured.
"He's going to be examined and they'll know," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He started moving his leg, but they have to do an MRI and all that, so I would be guessing."
Thibodeau was asked about his philosophy of keeping his top players in late-game situations when the outcome is not in doubt. It's been a recurrent line of questioning for Thibodeau, especially concerning Rose, who has battled several injuries.
"I don't work backwards like you guys do," Thibodeau said. "The score was going the other way."
The mood in the Bulls' locker room was not befitting a victorious team.
"I just started saying a prayer," said Bulls backup guard John Lucas, who could see additional playing time if Rose is limited.

"It's like the saddest win," Bulls shooting guard Kyle Korver said. "Regardless, we've got to pick ourselves up. We've played a lot of games this year without him. So maybe it was just getting us ready for this."
Game 2 is Tuesday, giving Rose a couple of extra days to rest.
"I hope he's not seriously hurt," 76ers coach Doug Collins said. "I admire him so much. I think he's one of the young, bright lights in this NBA. And I hope he's going to be back and he's going to be able to play, because I admire greatness, and he's a great player."
The 23-year-old Rose played in just 39 of the Bulls' 66 regular-season games because of turf toe, back spasms, pulled groin and foot injuries. He hasn't played more than two games in a row since suffering a foot injury on March 12.
"It's tough," Carlos Boozer said. "It seems like he just can't catch a break. We're all praying for him, hoping it's not that bad. It seemed pretty bad, but we're hoping for the best in this situation. I just feel for him, man. He really can't catch a break this season."

Not a good start for the Bulls. Without Rose they can beat the 76ers, but may not get past the second round. Why is he even in the game when they are up by so much with only a minute to play? That's all on the coach.

[Jimmors]

Apprently not Jimmors, hurt w/a 12 point lead and 1.5 min's to play. Knee injury. Again, if we have the deepest bench, why is he so reluctant to use it?

I know, i was making a joke.

And i dont fault Thibs for playing him...it IS the playoffs after all. Besides, Rose's injuries have been on different parts of his body and from freakish landings or incidents. Im not superstitious, but its almost as if he is cursed this year...cant catch a break at all. And the previous 3 seasons...hes only missed 6 games COMBINED (1, 4, 1).

I dunno..he's gone from being the Ironman of this team...carrying them on his backs all the way through the playoffs, to being a punchline. I just hope its a minor injury, but something is telling me this one is big (MCL or ACL tear maybe). Hopefully its just a sprain and minor and he bounces back. Has plenty of time before their next game Tuesday.

[motownbear]

Rose tore his acl I'm a sad panda

[little bear]

More great news for Chicago! Rose done for season. Thanks coach.

Byebye championship.

[Jimmors]

wow, sad to see the season Derrick had this year...he deserved better. I dont know who is watching over him from up on high, but they were definitely asleep at the wheel this year. Here's hoping he bounces back and goes on a rampage next year.Time to root against the Heat.