Will Bulls be able to recreate winning formula when Butler returns?
The Bulls return to action with another tough set of back-to-back games. Just what the doctor ordered.
OK, maybe this is a bad time to joke about health care. The Bulls just lost their third straight game on Thursday in New York with Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic and Denzel Valentine sidelined by the flu.
The Bulls have already declared Mirotic out for Saturday's home game against New Orleans - note the unusual 4 p.m. start time - while Butler and Valentine are listed as questionable.
"I'm definitely worried (about the illness spreading)," Dwyane Wade said in New York, according to bulls.com. "We've seen it with other teams; you've seen guys go down. I'm definitely worried we have three guys down and don't have the luxury of missing key guys. Hopefully, we won't have any more down."
The timing wasn't great for the Bulls, since they were just starting to gather momentum with three straight wins to open 2017 when the illness hit. Now they've returned to their season-long trend of two or three wins, followed by two or three losses.
Fortunately, the gap between fourth place and 11th place in the East is small and Saturday will mark the halfway point of the regular season, so there's still a long way to go.
After the Bulls beat Toronto last Saturday, Wade talked about how they'd finally figured out a style that works. They were finishing games with Mirotic and Doug McDermott on the floor, which seemed to open space for Butler, who had an incredible run as a late-game finisher.
Then Butler got sick and the winning formula disappeared. Can the Bulls get it back? Well, even if Butler returns Saturday, Mirotic is out and McDermott just shot 2-for-16 from the field in the two games when he should have been helping pick up the slack.
"This game is a lot about confidence," coach Fred Hoiberg said after the loss in New York. "He is too good of a shooter to stay in a slump like this. We are confident he will get out of this and so are his teammates."
The Bulls' bench showed some promising signs on Tuesday at Washington, but didn't bother showing up in the second half against the Knicks.
Bobby Portis was one good game and done. Valentine followed up his season-high 19 points against the Wizards with a sick day in New York. Starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams scored 3 points against the Knicks.
The one bench guy who has started to show some consistency is guard Jerian Grant, who's averaged 9.3 points and shot 40 percent from 3-point range in the last six games.
"Obviously, this is a learning experience for those guys and you hope it helps them in their growth throughout this season," Wade said. "But you have to go through the pain in the moment and you are learning on the fly. It's a good thing for them and the future of the team, but it's a bad thing when you are trying to win now."
The first step is getting Butler back and the Bulls are optimistic he'll be ready to play against New Orleans. Chicago native Anthony Davis is questionable for the Pelicans. He took a hard fall and injured his hip last Monday after a flagrant foul by New York's Kyle O'Quinn and didn't play Thursday when New Orleans beat Brooklyn.
"It's tough (without Butler)," Hoiberg . "Obviously, we play through Jimmy a lot. He's a guy who can guard all the wings in this game. Without Jimmy Butler you miss a lot, but you can't use it as an excuse; guys have to step up. You have to play better. He's missed and hopefully we'll get him back."
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Scouting report
Bulls vs. New Orleans Pelicans at the United Center, 4 p.m. Saturday
TV: WGN
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: First of all, take note of the rare early start time for this game. While the Bulls have their illness problems, Pelicans star Anthony Davis (29.1 points, 12.2 rebounds) is questionable with a left hip injury. He took a hard fall Monday after a flagrant foul by New York's Kyle O'Quinn and didn't play in New Orleans' win at Brooklyn on Thursday. The Pelicans (16-24) have finally gotten healthy and are 7-4 in their last 11 games. PG Jrue Holiday (14.5 ppg) and SG Tyreke Evans (9.2) are back in the lineup after missing the start of the season. New Orleans had a deep pool of contributors, including ex-Bulls G E'Twaun Moore (9.6 ppg) and rookie SG Buddy Hield (9.1). The Bulls have won four straight against the Pelicans.
Next: Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum on Sunday, 8 p.m.
- Mike McGraw