The Chicago Bulls snagged another win on Tuesday and the buzz is picking up.
Check out the latest news and rumors below.
November Can be Maintenance for Rose
Derrick Rose is hurt again, and missed the win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
But the Bulls have a pretty easy schedule this month, meaning the team can make sure to rest Rose as much as he needs.
“He practiced yesterday, he practiced today, he warmed up,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau after the game. “He’s not quite there. We‘ll see where he is tomorrow. This is all part of it. He’ll be fine.”
But the Bulls face a number of the bottom teams in the Eastern Conference coming up, including the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.
Bleacher Report says that the team should put Rose on a maintenance plan similar to the one that Dwyane Wade had for the Miami Heat last season. Wade often sat out back-to backs and games against weaker teams, playing in only 54 games in the regular season.
The Bulls feature a bolstered roster where Rose’s absence isn’t felt that much. Kirk Hinrich started much of last year, and he’s now joined by Aaron Brooks and an improved Tony Snell along with Jimmy Butler. The frontcourt is also notably deep with Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Mike Dunleavy, Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson, and Nikola Mirotic.
Michael Wilbon noted after the weekend that the Bulls appear to have “exceptional depth.
“The Bulls trashed the Knicks in New York without their best on-ball defender, Jimmy Butler. They went to OT with the Cavaliers, again without Butler around to guard James, and with Rose in the locker room at crunch time. They stole a win in Minnesota without Rose and Taj Gibson, probably two of the team’s four most important players,” he said.
“It’s a small sample size after just three games, but the Bulls so far have 11 players averaging 15 minutes or more per game, including rookies Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic. Tom Thibodeau wanted a deep team, and it appears John Paxson and Gar Forman have given him exactly that.”
Bulls beat Magic 98-90 without Rose, Noah
