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North: Chicago Bulls could miss the playoffs

As the Chicago Bulls continue to spiral out of control, any buzz about them has turned into a whisper.

With Jimmy Butler out with a knee injury for three to four weeks and Derrick Rose remaining an ongoing question mark, where does that leave head coach Fred Hoiberg?

Hoiberg isn't as heavy-handed as Tom Thibodeau was, and we have yet to see if that's a good thing.

The last thing this organization needs is to miss the playoffs, and right now the Bulls are just one game from being out of the playoffs. There's plenty of time to increase or decrease their chances, and we'll see what kind of coach Hoiberg proves to be.

Can the Bulls overcome Butler's injury and the unpredictable Rose and make some headway to make the playoffs?

They can't use injuries as an excuse, because Thibodeau didn't have Rose for most of the last three seasons. But he did have a healthy Joakim Noah, and Butler was emerging as a very good player.

It is the NBA East, though, and the Bulls still have a good core of players. Still, you can't blame Bulls fans for walking on egg shells right now. Let's hope for a strong finish.

Warriors make things fun:

Meanwhile, the NBA regular season has become relevant again for the first time since the Michael Jordan era and, to some extent, the LeBron James "experience" because of the Golden State Warriors. They are a fun team to watch and Stephen Curry is a great frontman that everyone seems to like.

With the NBA All-Star Weekend beginning, it has to be humbling for LeBron, who is still a megastar but not the main man. That honor has to fall to Curry now.

Who would have "thunk" it? LeBron is like Elvis and Curry is like the Beatles stealing the thunder.

Curry also has inspired many kids who now believe they don't have to be 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds to be a star in the NBA. Of course, the kids don't realize Curry is a once-in-a-lifetime player and their chances are slim.

Now the Warriors have to go 25-5 the rest of the way to beat the Bulls' NBA record of 72-10, and they still have to win the championship to make it mean something.

If the Warriors can pull it off, more power to them.

How about Durant as a Bull?

I have to give credit to Kevin Durant - he has overcome his laundry list of injuries and is playing like a stud again.

There is a reason the list is growing for teams that would like to sign him at the end of the season when he becomes a free agent.

Why not with the Bulls? I keep thinking he will stay in Oklahoma, but who really knows?

I do know this: the grass is greener on the other side until you get to the other side!

Have a great weekend.

Program notes:

Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.

• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.

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