Derrick Rose could be on the way to losing his starting All-Star spot, and I'm not talking about his injury. Jeremy Lin is playing like an All-Star. If he keeps making a name for himself, even with some less production, the player of Chinese descent could easily find himself as the starting PG on the East for years to come. We saw year after year how this ridiculous fan voting, coupled with China's enormous population, influenced the selection of Yao Ming. Several times he didn't even deserve to make the team let alone start. I know I might be getting ahead of myself as Lin has made 6 career starts, but the guy looks like the real deal. Do you see this happening? Ryan Schlanser
Do you see the Bulls getting another big name player anytime soon then. Because I don't think will get Howard. Gabe Sprunger
Do you think the Bulls made a mistake for Hamilton? I honestly like him regardless of the injury. He hasn't played many games but when he does you simply can't beat us, well at least it's really hard. Gerald Gitzke
What a joke the Slam Dunk contest has been turned into with top athletes not even trying to win it. Blake Griffin ought to do it. If Derrick Rose wasn't injured, maybe he could do it one year. And only fans are voting now. One of my favorite parts was seeing who the panel of judges would be. I want Dr. J., Nique, Michael, Dee Brown, Spud Webb, etc to be invited back. LongGiang Le
Tell me why the Bulls aren't aggressively trying to acquire JR Smith? Jonathan Yalda
Quick comment on Linsanity. I think its pretty incredible what he's doing, he's obviously so much better than anyone realized. But let's be realistic for a second. 6 more TO last night against a Kings team who plays no defense and was on the 2nd night of a back to back (Knicks were too I realize). And he only played about 25 minutes. Don’t you think with someone like Derrick backed by the Bulls' team defensive shell he is going to turn it over non-stop? Michael Koltun
I hope that the Bulls sign Mike James for the rest of the season, he is a great leader and solid veteran, who knows how to contribute. He has shown his worth time and again already and is great assurance when D-Rose can't play for whatever reason and C.J. isn't having a good game. You think they'll keep him? Mike Roth
Given the recent success of using Deng as a kind of point-forward, similar to the way Miami (and Cleveland before them) uses LeBron, do you think Thibs will consider using Deng more to get Rose playing off the ball, rather than CJ? Seems to me it could work some (though maybe not against Miami). Richard Connor
I was extremely happy to hear Luol Deng selected as an All-Star, to share the spotlight with Rose. With Hamilton and Boozer, the Bulls (preferred) starting lineup now comprises 4 current, or past All-Stars. My question to you is, has there ever been any team’s starting five with 5 past/present All-Stars? I distantly recall Payton and the Mailman uniting with the Lakers to chase a ring, but can’t recall who else was in the lineup. Vinh Lam
Just wondering with all the connections you have and word you hear, do you know how the situation with Przybilla is coming along? Last we heard he was deciding between the Bulls and Heat, but then the heat resigned gladness and word was that Przybilla was not going to be heading to Miami after all. Steve Lewis
Jumping on the Linsanity bandwagon here. Is there any possibility that he can be picked as a replacement for the upcoming All-Star game especially with Rose dealing with the injuries? I know he's only really played 6 games thus far but is averaging 27pts and 8.5 assists which are pretty good numbers. Jay Choi
These days I keep forgetting Rip Hamilton is still on the roster and a part of this Bulls team. Do have any sense of what the Bulls level of concern is about Hamilton? Are they just being cautious with him or is there a real concern he might never be able to stay healthy? John Swank
I started the season as one of the few fans defending Boozer to everyone I could after the turbulent season he had in '10-'11 (the broken hand, the turf toe — the guy seemed to be snakebitten). Through all that he still averaged close 18/9 per game. But after watching that game in Boston on Sunday and seeing #5 let back to back big men get transition alley-ops I cannot take anymore. I know he gives you some much needed offense, but his basketball I.Q. is just too much to ignore (i.e. missing C.J. on a fastbreak and calling a T.O.,etc). At what point do we look to Derrick to take him aside and tell him it's unacceptable. Also what rumblings have you heard about Boozer's lack of defensive effort from other vets in the locker room? Rahul Chatterjee
Just read your blurb regarding Rose's back spasms and in it, you mentioned how Rondo torched Watson this past Sunday. While watching the game, I noticed that Watson played Rondo like Rose usually does. They back up about five feet to encourage Rondo to shoot and to discourage his penetration. Is this something the coaching staff tells them to do or something the Bulls' guards come up with on their own? Rondo's awful shooting should be a disadvantage, but instead it seems to opens up his game because guards ease the defensive pressure. With Watson playing five feet back, Rondo can make any pass he wants. And when they run the pick and roll, they run it from 17-19 feet away instead of by the three point line. I know that Rondo did a lot of his damage in transition, but put some pressure on that guy when he's in a half court set. Yuriy Fomin
I'm concerned about Rose, hoping that he and the Bulls management will not allow him to accept surgery to correct his back. The reason why I'm writing is not to give my expert opinion but to suggest treatment from a chiropractor that helped me through the years when I played handball and tennis when my back got out of line. Edward Miller
My suggestion is bikram yoga, a 90 minute class in a room heated to 105 degrees. The heat promotes increased flexibility and the class is designed to increase blood flow to all parts of the low back, spine, and legs. I have never had a back problem, but I have been taking the class for 10 years. It struck me as odd that Derrick said he has always been inflexible. I assume world class athletes are that way because of their amazing bodies. Feel free to pass this along to the training staff. Ron Goldberg
Please say Rose isn't going to play in the stupid All-Star game! We want a championship, not him goofballing on the court with Howard, James and co. Andrew Brown
I saw the recent announcement by the NBA that Houston was awarded the 2013 All-Star Game. As a season ticket holder, this got me thinking about when we might see another All-Star Game in Chicago. The Bulls have not hosted the ASG since 1988 and it is frustrating to see other cities get multiple All-Star Games before the Bulls get another chance to host. How do teams bid on hosting the NBA All-Star Game? Have the Bulls attempted to get the All-Star Game? What do you think is the likelihood of us season ticket holders seeing an ASG in Chicago in the near future. Mike Reicher
Which teams are currently in position (regarding the salary cap) without making a major trade to sign Dwight Howard to a maximum contract next season? I keep reading that Dallas would be looking to sign him, but even with Terry & Kidd's contracts expiring, would they be able to give him a max deal? Would any of the teams on his wish list be able to sign him to a max deal without trading away big salaries for almost nothing? Chris Duignan
The conversation this past week after Michael Jordan's comments regarding Kobe was interesting. I believe you can absolutely compare them on an equal basis at this point in terms of competitive drive and offensive capabilities. The thing that still separates Jordan in my mind, though, is his one-on-one defense. Kobe has been a very solid defender throughout his career but I am not sure you would call him a lock-down guard on the other end of the court. Some of my best memories of Jordan are actually of when a guy would be going off, he would switch to them, and they virtually disappeared from the stat sheet for a quarter or so. Having watched Kobe for 10+ years pretty closely, I'm not sure I remember a game where this was the case. Romanticized view of MJ or not giving Kobe enough credit? Alan Curlee
So Kevin Love (I know he isn't your favorite, but he would be an excellent compliment to Rose) signed for 3 years. Isn't that about when Boozer's contract is up? Your thoughts on how fun it would be to have Love and Rose on the same team for headline writers and how they would play together. Any chance he's on the Bulls long term radar already? Rob Lininger
I have a question about professional basketball players' diets. I often read articles on players eating at burger places or other fast food restaurants, or Pooh beeing so crazy about skittles and sweets in general. That sounds a bit odd to me as I always thought those athletes have to keep a strict diet in order to stay fit. (It's NBA FIT week isn't it?) I also was suprised to read that Wade just "discovered" salads and healthy food; for a guy with about 3% body fat. I thought that was everthing he was eating for the past twenty years. Do you know how the Bulls' players handle that? Do they have a cook that travels with them on road games? Or does Rose have a Skittles machine installed in the airplane everytime they take off? Do they drink alcohol during the season? Moritz Becker
Is Chris Paul to the Clippers what Jason Kidd was to the Nets? I feel a similar turnaround taking place. I'm not saying he'll take them to the Finals immediately, but do you think he is having a similar affect on the team or is it a Clippers team where the pieces are just starting to fall into place? Jatin Patel
I've been thinking about point guards lately, and I would love to hear your thoughts on point guards as well. It seems that there are a ton of very good PG's in the league these days. Rose, Nash, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Rondo, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Rubio, Irving, perhaps we'll include Wall, and some up-and-comers in Kyle Lowry, Raymond Felton, and Ty Lawson. I'm not sure if we include Steph Curry or not. Anyway, I'm sure you can think of at least a couple seasons past that had really good point guard groups in the league. How does this year's group stack up, historically? Jim Mladic
Why does Boozer always have to handle/hold the ball before and between every free throw? He is like the only player that I see do this as he will just ask for it from the refs before they give it to the shooter. Jake Montoya