Bulls finally enjoying healthy roster
One reason to feel optimistic about the Bulls' playoff chances is that they've gone 13-3 when using their primary starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol.
That group was together last week in a victory over Sacramento, but Butler left at halftime with a shoulder strain and backup guard Kirk Hinrich missed the game with a turf-toe injury.
On Friday at Detroit, the Bulls are expecting to have their full roster healthy for the first time since Nov. 13 when they won at Toronto, and for just the third time all season.
"Well, it's good to have everyone back and hopefully we can build on it," coach Tom Thibodeau said Thursday. "It gives us a chance to build some continuity, and ideally that's what you would like."
Back on Jan. 1 against Denver, the Bulls had everyone healthy except rookie Doug McDermott, who was recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. That was the night Dunleavy suffered an ankle injury that kept him out 19 games.
"It was great (having everyone at Thursday's practice)," Dunleavy said. "We had some extra subs during our scrimmage - not that they were used - but it was good, just to have everybody out there, not seeing anybody over there on the sidelines sitting around. So good for the spirit of the team."
Momentum takes a break:
The Bulls won four in a row heading into the all-star break and are third in the Eastern Conference standings. So they're not in bad shape, but clearly things could have gone better.
"Not all was lost in the first part of the season," Mike Dunleavy said Thursday. "We've had some good moments and we've built some chemistry. We've just got to grow a little bit more and stay healthy and sharpen things up and be ready to go."
The next few weeks could be telling. Coming out of the break, second-place Toronto plays nine of its first 11 games on the road, mostly against good teams. Cleveland starts with 11 of 14 on the road. The Bulls, meanwhile, have a season-high seven-game homestand after visiting Detroit on Friday.
No TV for Dunleavy:
Mike Dunleavy says he did not watch the NBA All-Star Game on television, despite the presence of teammates Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol.
"I'm usually away from a TV at that point in the break," he said. "I'll see some highlights and things like that. I got out of town and went somewhere warm, got away for a few days and it was good. I feel re-energized.
"I didn't want to take too much time off. Tried to do some running and things like that. Overall, it was a nice overall break, physically and mentally."