Rose has been suffering from back spasms. Earlier Friday, he said his back was stiff but he expected to play against the Bobcats.
While speaking with the media before the game, coach Tom Thibodeau said he hadn't spoken to Rose or the team's trainer and therefore he didn't know Rose's status for the game. Rose was originally listed as a starter for the Bulls but later scratched.
]]>"He's got a personal issue he's dealing with, a family matter," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of Hamilton. "He'll be back shortly and we'll see where he is health-wise. The big thing with him is we want him completely healthy. We're going to be patient."
"I had a feeling" Deng said. "I don't know why. I was still surprised to see that [I] made it. This year kind of felt different going into it. There have been a few years where I thought I might make it. This year, for some reason, I thought it was going to happen."
Coach Tom Thibodeau wasn't surprised, either.
"I thought it would happen," the Bulls coach said. "The one thing about Lu, if you really look at his career each year he has been in the league he has gotten better and better. That's a sign of how serious he is, how he approaches the game. He's obviously a very well-rounded player. There isn't anything he doesn't do well. Obviously, he's very significant for us in terms of us winning."
Deng is the Bulls second best player but is often overlooked because he does so many things well that no one thing stands out. Here's what I've learned covering the team this season: He's a guy you have to watch every night to truly appreciate how multifaceted his game really is and how much he contributes to the team.
"Coaches appreciate what I do and how I play," he said. "It just feels like in the past years maybe someone was having a better year and maybe I got left out. But I've always gotten a lot of compliments [from] coaches around the league who appreciate the way I play. To me, my coaches, my teammates and people who know the game, they see it. I'm not so much caught up in people who do not know the game who just want to see the flashiness."
Deng said Thibodeau and his coaching staff, along with Derrick Rose, has made it easier for him to excel. Staying healthy has been a plus, as well. Although he did tear a ligament in his left wrist earlier this season, causing him to miss several games, he has avoided the type of injuries that resulted in him missing extended periods earlier in his career.
He said sitting out the Bulls memorable first-rounds playoff series against the Celtics during the 2008-09 season was the most difficult time in his career.
"When I had the stress fracture and had to watch one of the best series --- Boston against us --- that I've never seen," Deng said when asked to describe his lowest point as a Bull. "Knowing that I'm on that team but I can't dress up and play and then sitting there and reading everything, the papers, the fans, saying I really wasn't hurt. To me, that was the lowest point and the craziest thing I ever had to go through. That's the first time I went through something like that. It helped me a lot in bouncing back and knowing how things worked. Before I felt I was loved by everyone. That's really the way I felt. Through my whole life I never experienced if you want to call it hate or whatever it was. Until that point, and sitting there for seven games, to me, was the toughest thing I've done my entire career. "
Thibodeau may be Deng's biggest fan. He may also end up coaching Deng in the All-Star game. Coaches of the team with the best record in each conference through games played through Feb. 15 will be named All-Star coaches. At 22-6, the Bulls currently own the best record in the Eastern Conference.
"For us he's invaluable," Thibodeau said. "There are so many intangibles he brings to our team --- unselfishness, hard work, caring about nothing but winning and how he can help. He's a great teammate, very coachable and there's nothing he doesn't do well. He plays great defense, he moves without the ball, he shares the ball, he can hit threes, he can put it on the floor, he slashes, he can post. It's his leadership, the way he approaches things every day, the example he sets, you can't say enough about him."
]]>The Bulls forward was named to his first All-Star game along with Eastern Conference reserves Paul Pierce of the Celtics, Chris Bosh of the Heat, Roy Hibbert of the Pacers, Andre Iguodala of the 76ers, Joe Johnson of the Hawks and former llini standout and current Nets point guard Deron Williams.
Deng, Hibbert and Iguodala will be playing in their first all-star game. Rose has been named a starter at point guard.
Coaches of the team with the best record in each conference through games played through Feb. 15 will be named All-Star coaches. At 22-6, the Bulls currently own the conference's best record. Therefore, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau could end up coaching Rose, Deng and the Eastern squad.
And while it's easy to scoff at the competition -- the 11-14 Milwaukee Bucks (113-90), the 8-19 New Jersey Nets (108-87) and the 4-22 Hornets -- the totality of the Bulls' domination can't be ignored.
The Bulls were trailing for a combined 24 seconds over all three games -- Luc Mbah a Moute gave the Bucks a 2-0 lead in Milwaukee on Saturday before Derrick Rose settled the matter by scoring 13 points in the next 4:20. They led 30-16, 35-14 and 23-14 after the first quarter en route to halftime leads of 24, 25 and 13 points.
Or let's put it this way: they led by 10 points or more for more than 39 out of 48 minutes against the Bucks (39:29) and Hornets (39:23) and for nearly 44 minutes (43:54) against the Nets. That's the definition of cruising.
]]> It's one thing to beat up on the weak in the NBA. But to do it as resolutely and completely as the Bulls have done -- and on the road -- is pretty impressive. The Heat faced the Bucks, Cavaliers and Pistons recently and lost by 9, won by 7 and won by 3. The Oklahoma City Thunder, which has the best record in the NBA, faced the Wizards, Nets, Pistons and Hornets in consecutive games recently and lost by 3, won by 10, won by 20 and won by 9.A steady diet of struggling teams is not healthy for a championship contender. But there's something to be said for a young team taking care of business like the Bulls have.
''We're staying focused knowing we're on a mission,'' Rose said after the Hornets game. ''We can't take any steps back. We're learning. that's something I told you we had to work on. For the last couple of games we've been jumping on people and that's the right way to be.''
The Bulls led 9-0 in the first 3:46 of the first quarter against the Hornets. Joakim Noah scored inside off an air by by Ronnie Brewer. Carlos Boozer scored off a feed from Luol Deng. Rose hit Deng for a three-pointer and hit a floater on the baseline.
The Hornets' Emeka Okafor scored after a time out, but Rose found Noah inside for a layup and after a steal by Brewer, Boozer hit a 16-footer off a pass from Rose for a 13-2 lead and he rout was on.
''We're doing a good job of being aggressive on offense and defense,'' Boozer said. ''We're very humble, but we're very hungry. We want to continue to improve every day.
''We did a good job of setting the tone defensively in the first quarter, trying to get deflections and get stops and then we did a good job offensively, executing our plays and getting the right shots and the lead just kept growing. For us, our mindset is to get better no matter who we play.''
After they play the 3-22 Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, it'll be interesting to see how the Bulls respond to a more competitive NBA team when they face the Boston Celtics in Boston on Sunday. Until then, they've earned the right to consider blowouts against inferior teams as a sign of progress.
''We're playing well. It shows a lot of maturity,'' Deng said. ''We've just got to keep doing it. We came a long way. We weren't doing that before. So we've got to stick with it.''
]]>''My back feels better. I should be ready to go tonight,'' Rose said prior to the Bulls' shootaround. ''Game-time decision. I'll see how it is when I go out there and I should be all right.''
Rose, who did not participate in the shootaround, said he enjoyed a relatively leisurely day off in New Orleans.
''It was great. I laid around the whole day,'' he said. ''I really don't get that much time to do that. But since I'm here, I don't know too many people here, so I had the whole day to myself.''
]]> Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose will play if he can. So resting Rose against the 4-21 Hornets or the 3-22 Charlotte Bobcats on Friday in preparation for games against the Celtics on Sunday in Boston and the following Thursday at the United Center is not an option.''If he can play, he should play,'' Thibodeau said. ''This notion of guys sitting out games ... pretty soon we'll be at the point where a guy sits out the whole season and just plays in the playoffs. I don't get that.''
Thibideau said the coaching staff is trying to pace the team through the season by not practicing as much or as hard on off days. On Wednesday, the Bulls had meetings and a film session, but did not practice as a team.
But with the pace of the post-lockout season, this is uncharted territory to a degree. The Bulls have played 27 regular-season games in the first 60 days since training camp opened. Last season they had played 13 regular-season games in the same span. The wear-and-tear factor might have to be managed differently.
''I think how you pace your team is important,'' Thibodeau said. ''Everything you're doing, you're projecting what you need [to do] to be playing your best at the end of the season and to be as healthy as you possible can.''
]]>They didn't even need Derrick Rose to do it. But therein lies the problem for the otherwise ever-improving Bulls: Rose played less than 11 minutes and sat out the second half because of back spasms.
Normally that's just a typical malady affecting Rose during an NBA season, but this isn't a normal season. Rose has been playing through tightness in his back since at least the last five games and ''probably even before that,'' Rose himself acknowledged after the game. And after having played 27 games in the first 44 days of the season, there's no telling what effect the rigors of the post-lockout schedule will have on Rose's ailing back.
''Just back spasms. Nothing to worry about,'' Rose said after the game.
Rose has been worked on by the training staff during recent games. But the situation appears to be getting worse. He missed part of the second quarter against the Bucks while getting treatment near the Bulls bench. This time he missed the entire second half.
''Tonight was pretty tough,'' he acknowledged. ''It was tight the whole game. It's just something where I've got to get a massage and stretched right away and hopefully it'll be gone.''
]]> The reigning league MVP said he is no more worried about this back issue than any others he's had in his career. He even chuckled lightly when it was implied that he might have to miss a game or more. But he also qualified his own confidence that it won't be a problem.''No,'' he said. ''For right now, I I'll be playing next game. It's nothing like I'm going to be sitting out. I always want to think positive and keep things going that way.''
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau also is ''hopeful'' Rose's back problems won't be a bigger issue. But the way this season has gone you never know. While Rose was sitting out in Jersey, Carmelo Anthony was sitting out most of the New York Knicks' victory over the Utah Jazz with a strained right groin -- his fourth injury of the season. And Chauncey Billups missed the final six minutes of regulation and overtime against the Orlando Magic with a possible left Achilles injury.
''You're always concerned -- certainly with him,'' Thibodeau said. ''But no moreso than every other player, too. Health is a big concern. We're hopeful. He's done a great job of taking care of himself this year, doing a lot of extra conditioning. Lifting, rehab, massage, rest. We're hopeful that this is a very short-term thing.''
]]>Rose picked up two early fouls -- the second one an offensive foul and went out of the game with 9:14 left in the first quarter and the Bulls leading 9-2. Rose returned with 10:38 left in the second quarter and went back to the bench with 2:54 left in the first half.
Rose scored four points on 2-of-3 shooting, with no assists, no steals and two turnovers.
]]> The back issue, which has hampered Rose from time to time throughout his career, flared up in Milwaukee when he missed much of the second quarter while he was having his back treated by assistant trainer Jeff Tanaka. He returned to that game and did not appear to be significantly affected by the back problem.He downplayed the injury at the time.
''My back tends to get tight a little bit, that's why my shots were kind of flat,'' he said after the Bucks game. ''I know [with] the day off [Sunday], I'll get my back worked on and that should be out of the way quick. It just got tight on me. That can easily go away.''
The Bulls practiced on Sunday at the Berto Center and coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose was able to participate in ''most of practice.'' The Bulls cancelled their Monday morning shootaround in New Jersey.
Thibodeau acknowledge Rose's back was a minor issue prior to the game but had no concerns about him being able to play. He did start but played just 11 minutes of a blowout.
Backup C.J. Watson replaced Rose on the court. He scored six points and had two assists to spark an 18-6 run that gave the Bulls a 27-8 lead.
''Who wouldn't?'' said Bogans, who started all 97 games for the Bulls last season but was cut when Richard Hamlton was signed. ''We're all men here first -- we're men before basketball players. I don't want to say the wrong thing, so I'm going to be quiet and just let it go.
''It was tough. It was a learning experience. I [decided] I'm going to turn it into a positive and work my ass off and that's what I dd. It was fun playing with them last year. But as far as [getting cut], I'm done with it.''
''I stat in contact with everybody on that team. All those guys hit me up, wanting to know how or why,'' Bogans said. ''I couldn't answer that. I still can't answer that. When I signed I got a call from all of them, congratulating me, saying, 'Finally.' Nobody understood what happened.''
Bogans had a supercilious look on his face when asked prior to the game if playing the Bulls gave him added motivation. ''Man, I'm just going to wait and see,'' he said. ''I'm just going to go out and have fun. I'm not going to put an pressure on myself that I gotta do this or that against them. I'm just trying to learn the system and get back in shape.''
But he still has fond memories of his one season with the Bulls.
''I had a great time. I wouldn't trade it for the world. We won 60 games. Went to the Eastern Conference finals. One of the best years of my NBA career. Definitely wouldn't take anything from that.''
Either way, the return of Luol Deng to the lineup has given the Bulls a big lift on many levels. Deng scored 21 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night after missing seven games with a torn ligament in his left wrist. But he means much more than that to a team that lacks a vocal leader.
''Lu's just kind of a safety net. He kind of does everything,'' said guard Kyle Korver. ''He's a great on-ball defender. He gets rebounds. We don't run a ton of plays for him, but he always ends up with the ball.
''He makes good decisions. He just kind of covers everything. The way he's able to play that many minutes and still play at a high level is a real tribute to him. He's playing at an All-Star level for sure.''
]]> Thibodeau reported that Deng's wrist was not a problem in practice Sunday. Both Deng and Thibodeau are treating the situation as if Deng were 100 percent.''He's fine, now,'' Thibodeau said. ''But if he has a problem, we'll deal with it then. But he said he feels good.''
The Bulls still need Richard Hamilton back, but they are a much better team with Deng (16-3) than without him (4-3).
''Just because he brings so many different things to winning,'' Thibodeau said. ''All the intangibles that you look for. Defense. The hustle plays. Moving the ball. Moving without the ball. He can shoot the three. He can slash. he can post. There's not much he can't do and he does everything well. And he's got experience. He makes the team better in every aspect.''
]]>It wasn't long after that the calls for Brian Scalarine started coming. Without a doubt, Derrick Rose and the Bulls were energized by the home crowd in their 113-90 blowout of the hapless Bucks.
Except the home crowd was at the Bradley Center. In Milwaukee.
''I thought the crowd tonight was amazing,'' said Bulls guard Kyle Korver, who scored 18 points and hit 4-of-8 three-point shots. ''It was like a college crowd. It was rowdy. And it was all for us.''
]]> It's not unusual for Bulls fans to be heard at the Bradley Center. But they dominated the sellout crowd of 18,717 on Saturday night. And Rose and his teammates took notice.''It's great,'' Rose said. ''Our fan base is unbelievable. I want to thank all of them that came out and supported us. It means a lot, not only to me, but to our team and the organization.''
''I've played in Milwaukee for five years now and I couldn't believe how one-sided it was,'' said Bulls center Joakim Noah, who played with noticeable energy and contributed 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting with nine rebounds.
]]>Playing his first game since suffering a torn ligament in his left wrist two weeks and eight games ago, Deng was his typical model of consistency in the Bulls' 113-90 blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at the Bradley Center.
Deng started and scored 21 points on 9-of-19 shooting with nine rebounds, three turnovers, one steal and one blocked shot in 41 minutes. No other Bull played more than 35 minutes.
''It feels fine. It feels great,'' said Deng, who was peppered with questions about his wrist after the game. ''Right now it's fine. If anything, I'll know [Sunday].''
]]> Deng's return seem to inspire his teammates as the Bulls took an early lead behind Derrick Rose and never let up. Deng scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, with four rebounds and one turnover in the first half as the Bulls shot 61 percent from the field and had 19 assists on their 28 field goals to take a 67-43 lead.''Lu, he's Lu,'' Rose said. ''He plays with a lot of energy when he steps on the court. He's consistent. He works hard, playing defense, rebounding. He makes the game easy. When you play wit guys like [Deng and Richard Hamilton], they've got your back no matter what. He's a veteran. He makes everybody comfortable out there.''
Deng said he was hit on the wrist a couple of times during the game, but wasn't bothered by the contact. Despite the interest in his wrist, he doesn't want to make it a constant concern of his.
''I'm going going to continue everything the same,'' he said. ''I'm just going to forget about it. I'm playing. I don't need to keep talking about it. As long as I'm playing, it's fine.''
Deng missed seven games since suffering the injury two weeks ago against Charlotte.
''I was told 4-6 weeks,'' Deng said. ''I knew when I had the injury the way it felt, I could recover quickly. When we were in New York, I was going to play. But it got sore. I did some stuff with Scal [teammate Brian Salabrine] in Philly. We did a lot of 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 and it got sore the next day.''
Deng scored on a drive in the first two minutes, but said it took awhile for him to get in the flow.
''I felt a little hesitant,'' Deng said. ''I was a little worried about getting bumped and falling in the beginning of the game and I kind of missed those layups. But I took the hit in the fourth quarter, so just keep that in mind that it's fine.''
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't like to baby injuries. So once Deng was cleared to play, he treated him as if he were 100 percent.
''You don't know from a conditioning standpoint if he's going to have any problems with his wrist,'' Thibodeau said. ''But he said he felt great. Once he showed that he could handle it, we just got back to the normal rotation.''
]]>''I was just taking what they were giving me,'' Rose said after he blitzed the Milwaukee Bucks with an first-quarter barrage en route to 26 points and 13 assists in a 113-90 blowout Saturday before a sellout crowd at the Bradley Center dominated by Bulls fans.
But it looked like more than that -- more like payback against Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, who scored 16 points in the first quarter against Rose at the United Center last month, before Rose rallied the Bulls to a 107-100 victory.
''Derrick remembers things,'' said Bulls forward Kyle Korver. ''And the last time we played Milwaukee, Brandon Jennings really went at him in the first quarter. Derrick he looks for anything. I think he really wanted to attack.''
]]> It was too obvious. Rose hit three three-pointers and scored 13 points in a 15-2 run that gave the Bulls a 15-4 lead with 7:15 left in the first quarter.''That's what I live for,'' Rose said. ''That's the way Chicago players play -- aggressive. ''If anything, I love that. It makes me want to play harder.''
Rose elicited chants of ''M-V-P'' from the partisan Bulls crowd just 4:08 into the game, after hitting a pull-up three-pointer that gave the Bulls a 10-4 lead. He followed that with a drive through traffic and then hit another three-pointer to bring the crowd to its feet again, leading 15-4.
It wasn't as easy as it looked for Rose. He sat out most of the second quarter when his back tightened up and was worked on by assistant trainer Jeff Tanaka throughout much of the quarter. But Rose returned in the second half and while not appearing to be 100 percent, still turned it on to finish the blowout.
''My back tends to get tight a little bit, that's why my shots were kind of flat,'' Rose said. ''I know after a day off tomorrow, I'll get my back worked on and that should be out of the way quickly.''
The Bulls got a boost from the return of forward Deng, who had missed the previous seven games with a torn ligament in his left wrist. Deng scored 13 of his 21 points in the first half. and added nine rebounds in a typical 41-minute performance.
''He was great,'' Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ''I can't say enough about him. He got out there and did everything. It was very encouraging.''
Deng said afterwards that he feels great and his wrist feels great and everything is fine. ''If anything, I'll know tomorrow,'' he said.
Deng's return seem to inspire his teammates. But so did the pro-Bulls crowd that made it feel like a home game and wasn't unnoticed by the Bulls players.
''Our fan base is unbelievable,'' Rose said. ''I want to thank all of ten that came out and supported us. It means a lot, not only to me but our team and the organization.''
With Rose leading the way, the Bulls had four players in double figures by halftime and ended up with five. Korver added 18 points and hit 4-of-8 three-pointers. Joakim Noah scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a spirited performance. And C.J. Watson scored 13 points and hit 3-of-5 three-pointers off the bench.
''It was clear form the jump ball, they came ready to play,'' said Bucks coach Scott Skiles. ''That's a great team. Once they take control it's very difficult to get back into the game.''
]]>''Who's in it?'' he said, probably joking.
But while Thibodeau has little interest in the game itself, he does have a healthy respect for New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Thibodeau was an assistant coach with the Celtics for three seasons (2007-10) during Belichick's reign with the Patriots.
''He's a big basketball fan. He was at a number of games in Boston,'' Thibodeau said. ''I had the opportunity to meet him. I haven't had the opportunity to spend any time with him, but I'd like to.''
]]> Thibodeau and Belichick have similar backgrounds. Both went to small colleges in New England -- Thibodeau at Salem State in Salem, Mass; Belichick at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., just 12 miles from Thibodeau's hometown of New Britain.Both were defensive assistants for championship coaches (the Celtics' Glenn Rivers; the Giants' Bill Parcells). And both were fortunate to get their big break at the right time -- Thibodeau inherited Derrick Rose; Belichick has made five Super Bowls with Tom Brady.
''He's a great coach -- year after year he finds a way to win,'' Thibodeau said. ''Whenever they lose players, he always finds guys that can step in and fill the roles for the team to succeed. He's done a great job of building a culture there that each year they have a chance to win it.''
Thibodeau said that while he never has talked coaching in-depth with Belichick, he has learned a lot from him.
''Because I was in that city I had an opportunity to study him a little bit,'' said Thibodeau, who also was an assistant with the Knicks when Belichick was an assistant with the Jets in 1997-99. ''I've read some of his books. And I also think the coaches that he had been around -- like Parcells is a great coach ... So any time you have an opportunity to study and learn from other people you try to do so.''
]]>Deng has missed the past seven games after suffering a torn ligament in his left wrist in a victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Jan. 21. The Bulls are 4-3 without Deng. They are 15-3 with him. Deng is averaging 15.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this season and is the team's top defensive forward.
''There's a possibility [Deng will play vs. the Bucks],'' Thibodeau said before the Bulls' shootaround at the Al McGuire Center on the campus of Marquette University. ''He's very close right now.''
]]> Deng was hopeful but not overly optimistic. The pain in his wrist is not as severe as it was when he suffered the injury, but it's still there.He did not rule out possibility of surgery if his wrist does not respond well whenever he returns to the court.
''If that's the case, that's the case,'' Deng said. ''Until I get on the floor and I know how it feels if I can do it or not, then I'll make that decision.''
Thibodeau said guard Richard Hamilton, still recovering from a groin and thigh injuries, is ''unlikely'' to play against the Bucks. Hamilton has missed the past three games, four of the last five and has played in 11 of the Bulls' 25 games this season.
]]>