Bulls get another chance to join playoff race
According to the current NBA standings, the Bulls are still playoff contenders, despite their less-than-impressive 19-30 record.
As of Tuesday morning, they were even in the win column with Brooklyn for eighth place in the East, but four back in the loss column.
The next two weeks could make or break the Bulls' quest to play meaningful games late in the season. They'll play five of the next six on the road heading into the all-star break, with the lone home game against New Orleans on Feb. 6.
The Bulls start a three-game road trip Wednesday at Indiana, which is expected to feature the season debut of Pacers star Victor Oladipo. He's been out for a little over a year with a quad tendon tear. Then on Friday, the Bulls get a chance to gain ground on the Nets.
"We had a moment in Orlando (on Dec. 23) where we were playing a team that was close to us in the standings, that we were trying to catch, and we fell short in that moment. Played hard, they won," Bulls coach Jim Boylen said Tuesday. "Now I think we're going to be in another situation where, first we've got a division opponent, then we have a team that we're chasing in the standings. So we'll see how we handle those situations.
"The beauty of this is we have a young group that's going to play some meaningful game. That's what we hoped for, that's the situation we're in and we'll see how we handle it. I expect this group to play hard and play together and we'll see what happens."
If the Bulls are going to make up any ground, it needs to happen now, because the schedule over the final 17 games of the season will be brutal, with most of the Western Conference playoffs teams on the road.
Tall defensive task:
With second-year forward Chandler Hutchison finally healthy and playing well, it's worth wondering if he's ready to take on more challenging defensive assignments.
Kris Dunn is a tenacious defender, but he was giving up three inches to San Antonio's DeMar DeRozan on Monday, and DeRozan scored 36 points.
"I thought Kris was trying (Monday) night. It's hard to break that dude's rhythm," coach Jim Boylen said. "I thought Kris did a heck of a job. But sometimes your defense is good and the offense is better. But Hutch is a guy that we envision being a two-way player that can defend multi-positions.
"To say I'm going to take Kris off somebody to put (Hutchison) on him, I don't know if we're quite there yet. If Kris isn't in the game, maybe we put Hutch on him. He wants that."
White awaits call:
The NBA said it would announce rosters for the Rising Stars Game on Friday. Since Chicago is hosting All-Star Weekend, rookie Coby White and second-year center Wendell Carter Jr. figure to have a good chance of making the cut.
White talked Tuesday about how he's faring against the rigors of the NBA schedule.
"I'm feeling good for the most part," he said. "I'm feeling better than I was in December when I was going through a lot. I'm doing a better job of recovery and taking care of my body. I feel like I've been getting more treatment and staying in the training room. I've been getting in the cold tub a lot more than I used to and that's been a big help."