Points to ponder in unpredictable NBA
If the events of Thursday taught us anything, it’s that there appear to be no limits on what could happen during this NBA season:
ŸCould the Bulls pull it together and get a top-four seed in the East? Probably.
ŸCould injuries and narrow losses send the Bulls into a downward spiral to the point where they make several trades by February and play for lottery chances? No doubt.
ŸCould Derrick Rose come back from knee surgery and join the Bulls for the playoffs? It’s not far-fetched at all, but not worth worrying about now.
ŸWill Dwyane Wade and his bad knees break down and leave Miami looking like a one-man, rebounding-averse squad by late in the season? It’s possible.
ŸHas Indiana already peaked too early? Time will tell.
ŸWill the Western Conference attempt to secede from the NBA, tired of being associated with the wretchedness of the East? The idea has merit.
The Bulls gathered for a short practice Friday afternoon, following a convincing 107-87 victory over Miami at the United Center. The Bulls led by as many as 25 points and their rebounding advantage through three quarters was an astonishing 40-14.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We don’t have anything to show for it, but I see it coming. Now the challenge for us is to come in tomorrow with the mindset of making the necessary corrections to prepare ourselves against Detroit (Saturday). Don’t feel good about ourselves. Understand why we win or lose and keep building.”
After Rose’s surgery, Thibodeau made an argument for playing out the season with full effort, because you never know how things might turn out. Thursday provided some evidence to support that stance.
The Bulls will continue to struggle in close games without an experienced late-game closer on the roster. But since Rose went down, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and Kirk Hinrich have played well; Joakim Noah might be rounding into shape after missing most of training camp; rookie Tony Snell has shown some good signs and Jimmy Butler is inching closer to a return from a turf toe injury.
Carlos Boozer had been mostly quiet since Rose went out, but he was impressive against Miami, scoring 27 points. Just as everyone suspected at the start of the season, the Bulls should have a big advantage on the boards anytime they play the Heat.
Wade missed his fifth game of the season on Thursday. The reason given was an illness, but Wade sent out a selfie of him getting treatment on his knees a day earlier. Espn.com suggested Friday that Miami is trying to make a trade to get someone who could help fill in for Wade.
Rose’s declaration that he could come back for the playoffs shouldn’t have been a surprise. It’s more common sense. If Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook made it back in about six months with a slightly more serious injury (lateral meniscus cartilage tear) and a reported setback (loose stitch), then it’s conceivable that Rose might be ready after five months. No one knows the answer now, so it’s not worth worrying about.
For the time being, a big win over Miami seemed to make everyone happy. Now the Bulls need to find out if they can register more wins with Detroit, New York, Toronto, Orlando and two games against Milwaukee coming up on the schedule.