Jimmy Butler and Nate Robinson dominated the Knicks game, not surprisingly they are the best athletes on the team. If the Bulls get more athletes, they beat the Heat. Obviously that's a gross generalization and oversimplification of the Bulls' needs, but you get the point. They need to resign Nate, he's their best offensive player (w/o DRose) and I have a feeling Thibs wouldn't mind throwing a few towels as long as Nate wins them 4-5 games every year. And they need to target more athletic players in the draft (as long as their names aren't Tyrus Thomas).
Al Mirza
I live in Connecticut and I think I've lost a few brain cells hearing all the Knicks championship talk during this streak. Rooting for Jordan and Rose I've always been in the habit of defending guys that were volume shooters out of responsibility to the team, but watching Melo I just couldn't believe how much he shot.
Rory Butterly
What do you think would be the Bulls record if they didn't have Nate Robinson who has come up huge for the Bulls in several games? Can you imagine any scenario in which you would get rid of him at the end of the season and get value in return?
Phillip Murray
So we've now only got a few games left in the season, and the bulls still have several key players out due to injuries. This is now 3 years running that the bulls have been consistently playing without their starting lineup intact, so it seems like this pattern is not a fluke. I haven't followed other teams too closely, but it seems like the Bulls have had more injury problems than other teams over the last few years (even if you don't consider the injury to D. Rose this year). As with most Bulls fans I think Thibs is an excellent coach, but I'm starting to wonder if perhaps he overplays people, leaving them susceptible to injury down the stretch.
Mike Logan
I wrote you 3 times during the February All-Star break about Noah's Plantar Fasciitis. I was dumbfounded the Bulls let him play in the All-Star Game and then play him heavy minutes in games post All-Star Game. It was known Noah was with Plantar Fasciitis. Noah was highly likely to exacerbate this struggling and be compromised come Playoff time. The All-Star break was an ideal time to begin an extended rest. Plantar Fasciitis is such a common problem and the only solution is extended rest. I know the Rush physicians the Bulls use have an excellent reputation. I assume they advised the Bulls to rest Noah. I understand Noah really wanted to play in the All-Star game but there was such a high risk of compromising him come playoff time. I do not understand how the Bulls could have allowed this to happen. Can you provide any insight into how Noah's condition has been so miss-managed?
Bruce Roberts
I read on NBA.com that JJ Hickson is not coming back to Portland and is going to test free agency this summer. Is it at all possible with the likelihood that Nazr, Vlad, Marcus, and possibly Nate are not coming back, is it at all possible/does it make any sense to try for him? He had a monster season and looks like he could compliment Taj and Jimmy quite well off the bench, and even starting once Carlos goes.
Harrison Elliott
Who do you think is having a better season (overall), Kobe or Melo?
Gorav Raheja
Is Jimmy Butler the next Michael Jordan or merely the next Scottie Pippen?
Craig Lavoie
What are your thoughts on what a back court of Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose might play like. Having two amazingly fast and athletic guys who also happen be terrific defenders looks really promising.
Adam Natali
Eric Gordon is not working out in NO. Obviously he's a health issue and he's a non expiring max contract. However, you have Jimmy Butler coming into his own as a young decent 2 way player (great on one decent on other) with a developing jumper and a great slashing game. This makes Deng expendable (only somewhat). Can Deng alone get us Eric Gordon? Deng and Booz used to be labeled as injury riddled fodder. Now they're all star caliber. Gordon is 22. Should the Bulls take a chance on Gordon? A young core of Rose, Gordon, Butler, Noah, and Taj sounds pretty sweet. Plus Teague can start playing more and hopefully develop into a solid back up. Plus win-win, the Hornets would get an expiring contract but also an All Star veteran with a winning mentality to mentor guys like Al Aminu, Rivers, and Davis as well as solidify a defensive front line of Lopez and Davis.
Brian Logsdon
I see yet again in your Monday column that you have beaten up on Eric Gordon. Now you maybe right, you maybe being a bit too harsh I'm not quite sure. But he had it pretty good early on in that he was playing with a big city club in the clippers. They then traded him to New Orleans a small 'known as a poor man's city' isn't? for Chris Paul and others. Now if I were Eric I too would be a little disappointed that the club he played for just all of a sudden became a contender and I was shipped out to a lottery team in a struggling city that they thought might be dumped from the NBA about 2 years ago. But hey that's the NBA business I know! So then when he has a chance to better his situation, of all the teams that showed interest and he really did want to move himself and his family to a city of his choice. Deal was about to be done but then gets squashed by the team that already owns him and there is nothing he can do about it. Is that correct in that he just had to sign with the team who held him or could he have still signed with Phoenix for less money? This is the part I'm not sure on how it works.
Andrew Brown
With the emergence of Jimmy Butler shouldn't this definitely be the off-season the bulls see what they can get for Luol Deng. I think they'd be in a win-win situation because they don't need to trade him, so if a deal isn't in their favor then they can just shoot it down, but if they can nab a lottery pick out of it with a decent player attached to it then wouldn't they have to consider it. Two teams come to mind that could be trade partners: How about Luol Deng to Minnesota for Derrick Williams and Minnesota's 1st round pick. Maybe Minnesota finally wants a divorce with Kevin Love and we can see about a Deng for Love swap. That could be very interesting. Another team could be the Phoenix suns: Luol Deng for Michael Beasley + lottery pick+ top 2nd round pick
Rocky Rosado
How do you think the bulls will play when Derrick Rose returns? Will they again depend on Derrick? Or will they step up their game like this season? And if this happens will it affect Derrick's stats?
Pawan Biswas
How did the Chicago Bulls get the name Bulls?
Sara Trent
I do not want to sound like I am not a supporter of Derrick but maybe you can clarify what the big difference is in full contact practice that is pretty much a scrimmage game and a 20 min limit cap on a season game. I would love to see Derrick back on the court in whatever capacity, I want him to feel comfortable and take his time but I wonder what is holding him back?
Fernando Vega
What's the back-story with B.J Armstrong not liking the Bulls organization? What happened, wasn't he once the Assistant GM?
Jared Shafer
With it being so late in the season already why doesn't the Bulls brass just choose to shut him down for the season? I believe that since he won't come back with 15-20 games to play in the season (we currently have six games left) he won't be able to play himself back into game shape nor have the chemistry needed with his team mates this late in the season. If he does return now I believe it would be more detrimental to the team so why doesn't Jerry Reinsdorf just squash any idea of Rose coming back this year? or have Gar Forman come out and say for the future of the team it would be better for Rose to continue sitting for this season?
Rik Riess
My impression from interviews on television and reports from your columns is that the organization has assembled a roster full of high-character, hardworking players, which I feel is under-appreciated. It makes the team likeable and easy to root for, and it's good for the NBA's image as well as that of the Bulls organization. I'm always a bit hurt on Rose's behalf when ESPN or impatient fans call into question his desire to play. With regards to his knee, I'd like to voice my support of Rose's rehabilitation. I think the majority of Bulls fans are still very much in his favor, and it's only the vocal minority that have tried to make a stir out of his "delay." I just wanted to make sure that you weren't only getting emails from bitter or disappointed fans in moments of temporary insanity. Throughout his recovery, I have not seen any reason to doubt his integrity, and I'm sure his teammates appreciate his dedication to his rehab even more than me. If Rose is feeling ready to play games without much of a minutes restriction, I'm in favor of his return to the team, even if it's halfway through the playoffs. I know the return of a star player usually involves a period of readjustment with the team, but given how much the Bulls' roster has been in flux lately, I think it'll be more help than harm. Even a rusty Rose gives the team another athletic player on the floor, regardless of his scoring and playmaking impact. And with Rose back, why not take a run at Miami? They might be heavy underdogs, but the Bulls seem to be one of the few teams that have the focus, teamwork, and depth to make Miami work for their wins consistently. Before dreams of Miami, though, the Bulls have to win a playoff series or two. To that end, what do you think the Bulls' chances of (winning a round)?
Paul Jerger
I guess I am getting a little tired of all the back and forth on Rose. He has been a great basketball player and will be again soon I hope. I don’t see the Bulls going very far in play-offs this year with or without him. So I would rather wait until next year, make sure he is comfortable, hope everyone can get healthy and then try to go deep in the play-offs. Does that make sense?
Colin Baenziger
I traveled to Detroit to catch the Bulls-Pistons game this past Sunday and arrived early to catch Rose working. I'm not a scout or anything, but overall he looked good especially his mid and long range jumper. Then again it's tough to look bad shooting jumpers over a trainer pre-game. Anyhow at one point Derek started working on floaters and fancy layups and ended up missing at least 5 in row during one stretch. He was visibly getting upset with this and even began talking to himself. Again I'm no Jerry Krause when it comes to player evaluation, but it sure didn't seem like that explosion to the rim was there. I don't want to read too much into a pregame shoot around, yet was hoping to hear what your take is
John Vlangos
Can you provide insight with regards to Marquis Teague's lack of playing time? With Rose out, I would have expected him to get more playing time this season. Sunday night’s 99-85 loss to the Pistons should have been an opportunity to rest Hinrich, 38 minutes, and Robinson, 34 minutes. Is he just not fitting in with this team? Would the Bulls be happy to trade him or are they just bringing him along slowly like they did with Jimmy Butler last year?
John O’Connor
I keep hearing a lot about how the 2014 NBA draft is going to be a good one. I was thinking about the assets that the bulls have now like the Bobcats draft pick and Nikola Mirotic and I couldn’t help but wonder what the chances were that the Bulls could possibly trade one or both of those assets so that we could receive a top pick in 2014. I’m not big about Mirotic and I think that the Bobcats will be good enough to get in the playoffs in the near future if they continue to get good draft picks. I do believe that the Bulls could get a future star in the draft that would be able to impact the team instantly and help take a lot of pressure off of Rose.
Richard Alston
I know it's only speculation but how do you feel about the latest report on Doug Collins' contract extension. I personally feel he's a great coach but how many games did Philadelphia's front office expect to win with that roster? The front office gambled on that Bynum trade and lost.
Erik Fenton
The percentage of Derrick Rose coming back this season is getting smaller, and smaller. Fine. So why not try to ink Allen Iverson to a 10 day contract. [1] He has the resume [2] The Bulls could use an extra tool in their tool box come playoff time if things go well e.g. chemistry. It is a win-win situation with low risk if they could come to an agreement.
Charles Kittay
This is regarding the Hall of Fame. Given what we know of them now and can reasonably expect from them in the future, who on the Bulls' current roster would you guess has a chance of making the HOF? I assume Hamilton is the most obvious choice, with Rose close to a lock assuming he keeps competing at or near the level we know him for. But what about Boozer, Noah, Deng, or even Hinrich? Do they need championships on their resume for serious consideration? Or can they keep playing the ball we know them for and get in based on a strong career, even if they don't reach that trophy?
Tim White
I know this is not Bulls related, but Roger Ebert left a lasting imprint on Chicago. Although he worked for the Sun-Times and you for the Tribune, did you get to meet or know him? Just curious what your thoughts are on the man.
Marcus Casas