Bulls' holiday weekend features Wade and Rose reunions
This is reunion weekend for the Bulls. Dwyane Wade returned with Miami on Friday, then the Bulls will get their first look this season at the revitalized Derrick Rose on Saturday in Minnesota.
Rose scored 25 points in a Friday afternoon win at Brooklyn. He's now shooting 46 percent from 3-point range this season. His previous career-high was 33 percent for the Bulls during his MVP season of 2010-11.
"I'm really happy for Derrick," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "I loved that game a couple weeks ago where he went for 50. It's good to see him out there playing with that swagger again. I really enjoyed coaching Derrick and I'm happy for his success."
Hoiberg coached Rose for one season in 2015-16. The only current Bulls who played with Rose in Chicago were Justin Holiday and the injured Bobby Portis.
Wade, meanwhile, recently returned from a seven-game break for paternity leave. He and his wife, Gabrielle Union, welcomed a baby girl via surrogate. This was Wade's second game back, and he announced prior to the season this will be his NBA "Farewell Tour."
"He doesn't allow any of us to call it that," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra joked before the game. "But I love any extra day, moment, week, month that I get to spend with Dwyane when he's in a uniform. There will be enough time down the road where he'll have whatever role he wants in our organization, but right now I'm really enjoying this."
Hoiberg delivered a similar message about Wade, who spent one eventful season with the Bulls two years ago.
"I feel very fortunate to have coached Dwyane," Hoiberg said. "I know our guys are going to look back in their careers and realize how fortunate they were to play with a first-ballot Hall of Famer like that, a guy that's arguably one of the top shooting guards of all time."
Bulls and Bears:
Ryan Arcidiacono walked into the United Center on Friday wearing a Dick Butkus jersey. The Bulls point guard grew up in Philadelphia and is a die-hard Eagles fan, but didn't lose a bet or anything.
He chose to wear No. 51 for the Bulls this season because that was his father Joe's number when he played football at Villanova. Arcidiacono said the Bulls' equipment team of John Ligmanowski and Steve Pankow immediately nicknamed him "Butkus," the most famous No. 51 in Chicago sports history.
So Arcidiacono played along and got a Butkus jersey. He even promised to cheer for the Bears as long as they're not playing the Eagles.
Chicago native Dwyane Wade also had the first-place Bears on his mind when he arrived at the United Center for Miami Heat shootaround.
"I've obviously been a Bears fan for a long time," Wade said. "We've had to endure a lot. But to see this team come together, kind of unexpectedly, the way they have; to go on this five-game win streak the way they have, it's been impressive to watch this whole year. As a fan, you just enjoy it. So I'm enjoying the ride and want it to continue."
More Markkanen progress:
Time for yet another Lauri Markkanen injury update as he appears relatively close to returning from a sprained right elbow.
"Lauri had a really good workout (Friday)," coach Fred Hoiberg said before the game. "He's going to duplicate that tomorrow, get a little bit of contact in and see how he responds to that and hopefully get him back at full practice shortly after.
"Bobby Portis had a great workout today. He ran at about 80 percent on the floor, he had multidirectional movements. Kris Dunn the same thing. It's good to see those guys out there getting better."
Dunn and Portis are both out with sprained knees.