Injuries to Rose, Noah a setback for Bulls
The Bulls thought they were getting healthier and certainly felt happier after playing a competitive game Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
But then came a new round of injury issues. Derrick Rose missed about 12 minutes of the first half with a muscle strain on his right side and Joakim Noah took a cortisone shot in his left shoulder following the game.
Those two, plus Kirk Hinrich, skipped Wednesday's light workout at the Berto Center, but all three are expected to play when the Bulls host the New York Knicks on Thursday night.
Noah's injury hadn't been revealed until Wednesday's practice. He couldn't identify an incident that might have caused the injury and was told it's likely tendinitis. Noah finished with 20 rebounds and 6 blocked shots in the 96-87 loss to the Lakers.
"I have a problem with the rotator cuff in my left shoulder," Noah said. "It feels pretty sore and weak right now. I think I'll be OK for tomorrow."
Rose shared details of getting a painkilling shot after heading to the locker room midway through the first quarter. He said the problem began about three weeks ago and gets aggravated on occasion.
"Every time I twist wrong, it makes me take short breaths and I can't really breathe," he said. "During the game, I got two shots. It felt weird that one side of my body was numb and the other side wasn't."
Rose told an entertaining story about how player-development coach Randy Brown helped convince him to take a shot or two for the team.
"If Randy wasn't back there, I wouldn't have gotten the shots," Rose said. "I would have just gone back out there and played hurt.
"He told me one of his sob vet stories talking about out of his whole career in the NBA, how he had to get at least 100 shots like that. So if he could get 100, I know I could get one.
"But they lied and gave me two. I think (Brown) was telling the truth. I'll have to go back and ask who the trainers were back then."
Hinrich still is recovering from a sprained left thumb and a variety of other ailments but said after the Lakers game that he's feeling better than he has since the thumb injury first occurred Nov. 25.
Assuming everyone is ready to go against the Knicks, the Bulls' second order of business is to recreate the energy they brought to the floor against the Lakers.
While going 2-11 in the last 13 games, the Bulls seemed to sink into a lethargic state in which they couldn't or wouldn't play competitive basketball for 48 minutes.
But the effort was noticeably different in Tuesday's game.
"It's mental a little bit," Noah said. "When you lose a lot of games the way we've been losing, it's frustrating for everybody. You seem to get down on yourself. But you've just got to get out of it and understand what's going on and find a way to deal with adversity.
"I think we have enough character on this team to show that we're not going to back down. Getting blown out is not the way to go."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Bulls game day </p> <p class="News">Bulls vs. New York Knicks at the United Center, 7 p.m. Thursday</p> <p class="News"><b>TV:</b> Comcast SportsNet Radio: WMVP 1000-AM</p> <p class="News"><b>Update:</b> After getting off to a 3-14 start, the Knicks have gone 5-2 in December, including wins over Phoenix, Atlanta and Portland. Al Harrington is the leading scorer at 19.8 ppg, while PF David Lee is having another good season, averaging 18.1 points and 10.1 rebounds. Last year's first-round pick, Danilo Gallinari, leads the league in 3-pointers made (64). The Knicks have lost eight of their last nine games at the United Center.</p> <p class="News"><b>Next:</b> Saturday vs. Atlanta Hawks at the United Center, 7 p.m.</p>