Preseason 2015

Sam Smith

It was the first day of the rest of the Bulls lives Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Bulls closed the preseason with a 103-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the first game of their preseason.

Derrick Rose was back playing for the first time, flying down the lanes, and thus all seemed, if not perfect, much better for the Bulls and time to start again.

"Our pace was as good as it's been all preseason when Derrick got in there," said Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, who has essentially been pleading with the Bulls to push the action, run and shoot.

But these young men have not done much of that for five years, and it's been a series of stops and starts, the Bulls pace in the preseason even still near the bottom of the league. But that all changed Friday in a blur of 10 minutes with Rose out there for the first time after orbital surgery earlier this month. Rose played 10 minutes, all in the first half. But he blazed a path to the basket for three layups, inciting and exciting a Bulls offense that aims for greater heights.

"In turn," said Hoiberg, "the other guys were running with him. It was great to see him back in uniform. I think this will benefit him greatly, for him to go out there and have some success is huge for him leading into (opening night) Tuesday night.

"If we can get it down with pace and even swing it around the perimeter and then into Pau with time, even if he doesn't have a lane to the basket we still have time to make a play," said Hoiberg. "That's what Derrick can do by getting out. Our wings were better running, we threw ahead a couple of times, which was huge. Derrick with the ball in his hands, these guys better run with him because he' s coming."

And it looks very promising for Rose to open the season where the Bulls expected him to be, at point guard leading a dynamic attack.

"I don't want to say," Rose said with a smile about the opener against Cleveland Tuesday. "I don't want to jinx myself, but it's improving every day. It looks like it's a go for me."

Beep, beep; get ready for the road runners.

The game had a dramatic ending as home state favorite Doug McDermott from nearby Creighton U., suffering through a brutal shooting game in missing his first seven shots, came out of a timeout with five seconds left and the Bulls trailing by a point and made a 15 foot fadeaway to win the game.

It enabled the Bulls to square their post season record at 4-4 and send the more than 15,000 home happy for their favorite. Dallas ended 0-7.

"About time I made one," quipped McDermott, who had a few dozen family and friends in for the event.

McDermott finished two of 10 for five points. Taj Gibson with another exuberant effort led the Bulls with 16 points. Nikola Mirotic and Tony Snell each had 14 and Joakim Noah had 11 points and nine rebounds. Noah and Gibson again energized the team with their defense, especially in the second half as the regular season rotation seems set for now with Pau Gasol and Mirotic in the front court and Noah and Gibson backing them up. Bobby Portis played nine minutes and had five points and four rebounds as he makes things happen when he enters the game. Though it will be difficult to find much playing time for him, at least early in the season.

But the backcourt of Rose and Jimmy Butler finally is ready again, and Hoiberg is enthused even as Butler had four points on two of seven shooting and shot just 33 percent in the eight games and 13 percent on threes.

"I think once Tuesday night comes you are going to see the Jimmy Butler we saw in that first preseason game, that first week of  training camp, being more aggressive, looking for his own shot," said Hoiberg.  "I think Derrick being out there with him…,I think those two can be terrific all year long."

And it was a promising sign Friday as Rose stepped in as if he hadn't missed a day. He found driving lanes he said were like interstates with Hoiberg's spread offensive game, showed no hesitation and comfortably hit his first perimeter jumper. Rose was four of six, but one shot was a 75 footer to end the first half. Hoiberg initially planned to play Rose one stint in each half. But he decided he didn't want to put Rose out after a halftime break. So he played Rose in two first half rotations. Kirk Hinrich started and Rose came in with 7:30 remaining in the first quarter and the Bulls leading 12-8. They stretched that out to 28-19 when Rose left and led 32-28 after the first quarter.

Rose came in with 4:42 left in the second quarter after the Bulls had fallen behind 45-37 and finished the half with the Bulls trailing 53-49.

The second half was a tug and pull of runs with Dallas playing some rookies, though Wes Matthews made an impressive early comeback from Achilles surgery with seven points in 15 minutes. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 19 points.

The Bulls trailed most of the third quarter as Dwight Powell had 10 of his 14 points and the Bulls shot six of 24. But Gibson and Noah were dynamic in the fourth quarter. It looked over when Snell made a three with 1:03 left for a 105-99 lead. Snell was more aggressive seeking out his shot and going to the basket for the second straight game. He seems to have the starting small forward spot for now and has been defending point guards with some success in recent games. But Snell threw the ball away with 18.9 seconds left and John Jenkins made a three to set up McDermott's sentimental winner.

"Happy for Doug hitting the game winner," said Rose. "Even when he was missing shots the team kept encouraging him to take shots because they were good shots, his shots he usually takes. They just weren't going down; that's how basketball is sometimes."

Rose knows well the vagaries of the game.

"I felt good," Rose said. "I just wanted to come out, get a feel for the offense. I loved the way coach designed everything, the way the offense is run. They've got me running down hill every time I catch the ball and I'm catching the ball with a live dribble.

"He asked me to play yesterday," said Rose of Hoiberg. "For him to ask me it must mean he loved the way I was playing in practice. With this offense it's a lot of openings and gaps. With the way we shoot the ball and the freedom we have to shoot the ball, it's like you can't help off anyone; if someone has it going we're to keep feeding them. We're going to play off matchups. We've got to do that a little bit more and get people the ball a little more, like when Jimmy had a couple of post ups when he had (J.J.) Barea on him a couple of times and we missed him. That's all about reading the game and reading who is out there, giving the ball to the right person.

"There are a lot more (driving) lanes," enthused Rose. "It's so many opportunities to drive or so many opportunities to shoot my mid range even in transition; it's open. I've just got to get used to playing this way. I know that might sound crazy, but playing in a (deliberate) system for three or four years kind of got me out of my rhythm.

"Whenever I see lanes I'm driving," said Rose. "As soon as I step up, I'm hitting whoever is open and just trying to play basketball. I love the way the offense is. Coming down we're not thinking about what we are running. Coming down, start with a pick and roll and then that pick and roll opens up everything else.

"I thought I was just going to come out and facilitate the game," said Rose. "But I saw openings and I got all the way to the basket. So I can take this and put it in the bank. It's very encouraging. It's scary for my confidence right now. The last thing I need is any more confidence.
I'm going to take this and run with it."

Ready, set, go. It seems like the Bulls are prepared for the race.

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Bulls close preseason 4-4 with last second win over Dallas

That was the happy ending for a sellout crowd in Lincoln as Doug McDermott made a 14 foot fadeaway jumper with a second left to give the Bulls a 103-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Bulls thus finished the preseason 4-4. The Bulls will open the regular season Tuesday in the United Center against the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was a tough night for home state favorite McDermott from Creighton missing his first seven shots. But coach Fred Hoiberg ran a play for McDermott after the Mavericks took a 103-102 lead on a three pointer with five seconds left. McDermott finished with five points.

Taj Gibson was the leading scorer with 16, but the highlight was Derrick Rose’s first 2015-16 game appearance after orbital surgery. Rose had eight points in 10 minutes, all in the first half in accelerating the Bulls offense. Rose made three strong driving layups and then hit his first jumper on a pullup 16 footer. He was four of six, though the last shot was a 75 footer to end the first half.

Nikola Mirotic and Tony Snell each had 14 points, and it appeared the Bulls had the game when Snell made three with a minute left to give the Bulls a six-point lead. But the Mavs came back against a Bulls group before McDermott sent his nearly 20,000 friends home happy.

The story of the guys from the Land of Lincoln coming to the city named Lincoln in Nebraska for the final preseason game was the first 2015-16 game appearance of Rose. The Bulls star guard after surgery three weeks ago, wearing a specially designed mask to protect his face, made his much anticipated debut. It was impressive coming off the bench with 7:30 left in the first quarter. Rose played 5:37, the offense immediately kicking into higher gear as Rose accounted for three driving layups on his own and an assist on a Nikola Mirotic jumper before the Mavs defense could set. The Bulls got another aggressive start from Tony Snell, driving harder to the basket for seven early points, and Taj Gibson coming off the bench to power inside for six first quarter points and a 32-28 Bulls lead as the Bulls shot 60 percent. It was a tough second quarter for the Bulls, shooting six of 23 as they started with their defensive unit and stalled on offense. Coach Fred Hoiberg said Rose would be limited to one first half stint. But Rose returned late in the second quarter and with Bobby Portis’ shooting, the Bulls after falling behind by nine drew within 53-49 at halftime. Rose had eight points in 10 minutes. Rose would sit for the second half. The Bulls went to Mirotic early in the third quarter and he responded with eight points in the quarter. But the Bulls with some lazy defense fell behind 65-59 before Joakim Noah and Gibson returned to provide some defensive energy to get within 77-74 heading into the fourth quarter.

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Bulls finish preseason with exciting 103-102 win over Dallas

Derrick Rose makes his 2015-16 NBA debut Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska.

It’s never quite what you expect with Rose and the Bulls.

“I’m excited,” said Rose after Bulls practice Friday morning. “I don’t know how I’m going to play. But I’m just happy to be running around out there and just getting a groove for the game. I’m playing tonight. I don’t know the minutes. But I should be out there for a few minutes just to get a feel for the game and just to get used to the physicality and the NBA game.”

It’s just over three weeks since Rose had orbital eye surgery after taking an inadvertent elbow from Taj Gibson during the Bulls first training camp practice. That Rose will play Friday is an encouraging indication that he could play in Tuesday’s opening night game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the United Center.

“Every day my eye is improving,” said Rose. “For Tuesday, we’ll see how tonight goes. Everything I need to work on, it gives me a couple days to really work on it so I’m prepared for Tuesday’s game.”

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg remained cautious, if optimistic, with Rose playing after the team previously said Rose likely would miss all the preseason games.

The Bulls are 3-4 in preseason and host the Dallas Mavericks Friday in what is considered a home game for the Bulls. It is the third time since 1988 the Bulls are playing a preseason game in Lincoln. Because it is a Bulls “home” game, Bulls staff with the Luvabulls dancers and Benny the Bull will perform.

“Derrick is going to give it a go tonight,” said Hoiberg. “The plan going into is to give him a couple of four or five-minute stretches. I’ll bring him off the bench to start and then maybe put him in with the starting unit in the third quarter and give him a couple short stints to try to get him out there and get a little rhythm going. He’s going to be rusty. There’s no doubt about it. But it’s all part of the process to get him ready for the regular season.

“I wanted him to play with different combinations,” explained Hoiberg about the initial reserve role. “I talked to him about it. He seems to be very comfortable with the plan. He’ll get some reps out there with Jo (Noah) and Taj (Gibson), probably, in that first stint and then with Pau (Gasol) and Niko (Mirotic) in that second stint. He went almost the entire practice (Thursday). That was a good sign. The big thing was we wanted to see how he felt this morning and he didn’t have any setbacks.

“If he’s comfortable playing, that’s the big thing,” said Hoiberg. “If he was comfortable going out there we were going to play him. Talking to the trainers and doctors about it, they felt good about getting him out there. That was the big thing to make sure he was comfortable about there and he can give 100 percent. If he’s going to go out there and play 50, 75 percent, it wouldn’t be good. We’ll see how he does out there and make that determination (about playing next Tuesday) in the next few days.

“It’s a great first step to get Derrick out there,” said Hoiberg. “The big thing we’ve kind of had all along ever since he had the injury was to try to get him ready and see if we could get him prepared to play in the opener. This obviously is a very important step in that. For him, the big thing is to go out there and play with a rhythm, push the ball up the floor. The big thing is to get the pace, get us going up the floor. We should be a lot faster out there with Derrick with the ball in his hands.”

Hoiberg had talked after practice Thursday about holding Rose back if he was experiencing double vision, which Rose said he is to some extent. But Hoiberg said Rose took some blows in practice and didn’t flinch.

“The only one I noticed yesterday was when the ball went right through his hands and hit him in the forehead,” Hoiberg said about one play. “But he was wearing a mask so we’re in good shape. He also got hit in the face yesterday, so that was good as well. He got popped and he was able to fight through it. That was a great sign. It was good for him to take that first blow to the face and know he’s going to be OK. It’s great in a game setting (Friday) to get him out there and playing with different combinations, different lineups. It’s probably going to be seven to 10 minutes of game action. But I still think it’s important to get him out there. I told him, ‘I don’t care how you play. It’s just great for you to get out there.’ He obviously wants to go out and play well. But the big thing is to get the process, getting the ball rolling of getting out on the floor in a game-type setting.”

Added Rose: “I’m only probably going to play a couple minutes here and there; while I’m out there just ball out.”

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Rose likely to make 2015-16 debut tonight in Lincoln, Nebraska

Derrick Rose Friday will play in his first preseason game for the 2015-16 season.

But it is now looking—even if Rose's rose colored glasses still are showing two of everything—as if Rose will at least play for a few minutes when the Bulls close the preseason in Lincoln, Neb.

"Every day I'm improving," Rose said Thursday following practice in which Rose scrimmaged. "The eye itself, the swelling, is going down. Practice has been going well. Been practicing pretty hard. If everything is all right tomorrow, I'm going to play a little bit.

"They said they just want me out there," Rose added of the coaches. "As long as I'm out there and just moving around I'm not worried about attacking or being aggressive; that's going to come. I just need to be out there. If I wake up and this is worse (then he won't be able to play); if it stays the same (he should be fine). I'm improving every day."

Which sounded a lot like Rose would play at least a few minutes Friday in perhaps an optimistic indication he could be ready for opening night Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said they'll discuss Rose's situation after shootaround Friday.

"If he does play it probably will not be anything more than a five to 10 minute stint," Hoiberg said. "If he's going to play in the opener, it would be nice to see him out there in a little bit of game action. It certainly would help for him to go out there and get some game speed. It will be a matter of him feeling good, comfortable with everything. Anything would be good; even if he gets out there for a two to three minute stretch, just to get out there in game type action.

"Not many guys can take that amount of time (away) and come back and look like an All Star right away," said Hoiberg. "It would be great for him if he can do it. But if he has double vision we obviously won't play him."

Asked if he had double vision, Rose laughed and said through a still badly swollen face, "Right now, I see two of you."

So that page that gets referred to so much in sports about everyone having to get on still isn't quite clear.

Yet, to read between the lines on that unfocused page—I am in early season cliché mania form here—it does appear as if there will be a Rose sighting Friday, albeit brief.

As for the opener, Rose said he wanted to play but also is being asked not to rush for one game.

"For anybody, opening night you want to showcase, show people what you've been doing the entire summer," said Rose. "It's a big night. But at same time if I feel I can't go there's no point rushing it or pushing (so soon)."

Rose did say the mask he'll wear to protect his eye hasn't been an issue.

"I got hit in the face today, actually, but the mask protected it," said Rose about scrimmaging for the first time. "I was scared at first; I didn't feel it that much. The impact wasn't that much. While I'm playing I'm too focused on the game to even notice it. So it shouldn't be a problem."

But Rose admitted there's still an issue with depth perception.

"Just catching the ball, sometimes it's hard to get perception on the ball and how fast it's going," he admitted.

Meanwhile, it also sounded as if Hoiberg has settled, at least for opening night, on his starting lineup of Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, Tony Snell, Jimmy Butler and Rose (or Kirk Hinrich temporarily).

"We'll start same way tomorrow and see how that looks," Hoiberg said of that lineup that opened Tuesday against Indiana. "If it looks good, there's a pretty good chance that's the way we'll go opening night.

"Whatever we decide to do the 27th," Hoiberg emphasized of opening night, "is not necessarily what we do Nov 1. It's not an easy one. It's not an absolute. We'll continue to play different lineups and combinations and see what we like best. There are a lot of guys capable of getting going. We'll make that decision in the flow of the game.

"It's a unique group because of (so many) different players we have and some of the firepower coming off the bench," noted Hoiberg. "It's tough when you've got this many guys who can go in there and make an impact. It's all about getting prepared and getting ready for that opener. We have a lot of guys capable of finishing off an NBA game."

It also appears Doug McDermott is set in a reserve role.

Hoiberg said he planned to start McDermott Friday because McDermott attended Creighton in nearby Omaha. But McDermott told the coach he preferred to come off the bench because that would be his role in the regular season. Hoiberg also said he liked Tony Snell starting with Gasol and Mirotic.

That seemed to suggest, as Hoiberg said he would coming into the final preseason game, a template for the start of the season. If Hoiberg is starting Gasol and Mirotic, who are not strong defenders, it makes sense to start Snell with them since Snell is a versatile defender. Butler will guard the best offensive player as long as he's not a center and then there's the point guard.

The obvious question from media was to Noah about not starting for the first time in several years. Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau started former All-Star center Noah at power forward to accommodate Gasol at center. But that lineup doesn't fit Hoiberg's vision of a court more spread out with shooting.

Hoiberg said he spoke with Noah, and Noah Thursday said, as expected, he's about team first.

"I'm down with whatever coach says is best for the team," said Noah. "I'm a worker, never going to stop working. I'm excited for this team. We have a lot of talent and we just got to keep grinding and keep getting better. I've always been about the team and it's not going to change now. I played well with Taj (Gibson) in the past. It's not about me or Taj. It's about what we can do to make this team better. It's definitely an adjustment but at the end of the day it's basketball. I've got to go out there and bring energy and do what I do."

Hoiberg also said Bobby Portis will play Friday after sitting out Tuesday. And that only further complicates a team strength of capable interior players since Portis has been one of the best players in preseason.

Though all eyes, as usual, will be on Rose even if his eyes aren't as focused yet as they will be.

It's also a process for the team, as Rose noted, echoing comments by players through preseason with the differing lineups and rotations. Players have said it's slow with a new coach regarding terminology and philosophy.

"We have to get organized a little more and learn the offense a little more," said Rose. "Offense wins games; defense wins championships. We are just trying to get on the same page defensively, learn the terminology.

"When you lose a coach like Thibs (Tom Thibodeau), of course, it's going to hurt," said Rose. "All his years as a coach in the NBA his specialty was defense. But at the same time we've got great coaches here we believe in. We just have to follow his rules."

Rose said he'll have more freedom as a result.

"It will take me a little bit to get adjusted to that way of playing (again)," Rose said. "But that's the way I normally play, go out there and make something happen. The sky's the limit for me. If you don't believe in yourself who will. I have a lot of confidence in my game, myself and what I put into my game.

"We (he and Butler) can be really good," Rose added. "It's not a problem working with him. I know his game and where he wants the ball; it's all about our offense and getting in the open court, letting him post up here and there. I think this year we are gong to play through matchups more. So whoever has the matchup that's who we probably will go through to open things up for the offense."

"It's all about proving yourself," said Rose. "If we go out and play things might change. All these experts, it's just their opinion. You can't get mad about their opinions. The way we ended (last season), we did not end things right. This is a new beginning for us and usually in the NBA when have a new beginning and are focused something good comes from it."

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Rose hopeful about playing final preseason game

There was much discussion about size and speed and lineups and rotations last week when the Bulls lost in preseason to the Detroit Pistons. Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah started together and the Bulls fell behind, later doing better when Gasol began the second half with Nikola Mirotic. Hoiberg said the Bulls this week as they play the Charlotte Hornets Monday will begin to close in on a regular rotation and starters in the fourth quarter after considerable experimentation in the 2-3 start.

Obviously, the lineup will remain somewhat uncertain with Derrick Rose still recovering from orbital fracture surgery and not yet scrimmaging in practice. Lineup decisions have to be made soon, and Hoiberg has made clear in comments and playing style he prefers a faster, more open, shooting game.

Joakim Noah is not one to focus on individual achievements or accomplishments. He always has been consistent in his outspoken beliefs that team first is the best measure of success.

&lt;pBut as the competitor, Noah also understands what is going on with the Bulls, that decisions have to be made, that change is inevitable.

Noah was chatting with reporters long after the Bulls loss to the Pistons. Noah generally is the last Bulls players to leave the locker room after games, sometimes working out, often with a long shower, his natural intensity often lost in the nuances of the result.

Small ball, transition play, quicker and longer shots have been the topics of much preseason conversation. Noah raised a question.

“It’s funny,” Noah said with more wry smile than belly laugh. “Golden State won this year and a lot of people are moving toward small ball. But Memphis really had a shot to win. If they win are we talking about this?”

Perhaps not, and the Grizzlies did give the Warriors perhaps their most difficult series, the Warriors trailing 2-1. And that even with Mike Conley out early and limited in the series after facial surgery.

The world, especially in sports, often takes the copycat route. If they won, they must have been doing it correctly.

The Warriors triumphed in the Finals often behind a lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green.

That probably would not be Noah’s first choice, and perhaps not for the Bulls, who appear to have maybe the best big man depth in the NBA with Gasol, Noah, Taj Gibson, Mirotic and rookie Bobby Portis.

But is that passé now in the NBA? Has the game’s evolution left the Bulls monkeying around with a fundamental roster in modernist times?

That will be much debated as the season progresses, and the test case as much as anywhere may be with the Bulls: Will they play big and use their advantage? Can they afford to? Can they match the smaller lineups elsewhere? Should they?

Noah, for one, wasn’t saying. But, you know in his observations about the Grizzlies, he was just sayin’.

Playing faster, fast breaking, scoring in transition, getting easy baskets generally are the talking points of preseason. Then the regular season begins, defenses begin getting back more quickly, coaches become even more insecure and controlling, the game slows down and then the running grinds to a halt.

That has begun to change to some extent, and the Warriors’ success - though last season they had capable big guys with Andrew Bogut, David Lee and Festus Ezeli — has been the template.

And now, heavens to Murgatroyd, the often languorous Eastern Conference seems ready to get in the left lane.

The bruising Pacers have done the biggest 180, which they’d like to be their speed. Paul George is their power forward with a team filled with guards. Washington has waved goodbye to the Gortat/Nene combo to turn Kris Humphries into a three-point shooter at power forward. Other small ball aficionados this season will be the Bucks, Hawks, Raptors, Celtics and the Cavs as LeBron plays plenty of power forward.

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy discussed the phenomenon last week when his Pistons were in the United Center.

“People are focused on everyone going small,” Van Gundy agreed.  “To me watching it is more the need for versatility and the need to play a lot of different ways. Can you play Memphis with (their) two big guys? Indiana with Paul George at the four? More versatility. I don’t think it’s that everyone is doing small.

“They’re trying to play fast here (Chicago),” noted Van Gundy. “Playing Joakim and Pau will they play fast? Will that slow them down? All I know is you have to be prepared for how everyone is going to play. You have to have the personnel and defensive schemes and coverage to play against all of it. I think that’s where the game has gone, so many styles of play and you have to be adaptable. Memphis is not downsizing to play against you. You have to be ready for all of them.”

Small ball is hardly new in the NBA. Mike D’Antoni is often credited with the sea change in the NBA with his high scoring Phoenix Suns with Amar’e Stoudemire their big man. D’Antoni was much condemned and laughed at in the early 2000s, supposedly playing a game that couldn’t win. Until it did as Miami won titles with LeBron and Chris Bosh their big men and now the Warriors. Now D’Antoni is a guru.

Playing small, however, has been a gimmick for many years, usually for less talented teams. If you didn’t have Kareem, then you tried to make him guard you outside. Same with Wilt. Opponents tried it all the time against them, Doug Moe in the 1980s, the Knicks with Jerry Lucas in the early 1970s.  Don Nelson preferred it and even when he had a tall guy like Manute Bol, he told him to shoot threes.

But Van Gundy is correct about the versatility, which is the answer to true greatness.

It’s not so much the matchups of whether your smalls can outshoot their bigs or their bigs can outrebound your smalls. It’s whether your players can counter  whatever the opponent presents.

That’s why the answer is the Bulls of 1995-96, though it’s almost impossible to repeat.

Can you put five guys on the floor who basically can play every position? It’s what Miami talked about so much with LeBron in their supposed positionless basketball. It wasn’t. Dwyane Wade didn’t play centers. Chris Bosh didn’t play point guards. Though he often was condemned for it, I recall then Atlanta general manager Billy Knight espousing the notion when he passed on Chris Paul and Deron Williams to select Marvin Williams in the 2005 draft. The idea was to get five players all about 6-7 or 6-8 to switch everything and play everyone. Williams wasn’t it, and Knight was replaced.

Basically, only the 1995-96 Bulls did it with Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc and Dennis Rodman.

“Toni and Dennis played center,” then Bulls coach Phil Jackson recalled in a recent interview. “We had a mobile, manipulative ball handling group of guys. People had a very hard time against that lineup. It was that lineup, the mobility of that lineup that could be implemented in end game. It had guys 6-8, 6-8, 6-9 6-10, all capable of pushing the ball, rebounding the ball, organizing and playing any position in the offense.”

It was a group as magical as it was rare.

Yet don’t be fooled. Basketball still is a big man’s game. Though the big men have become more versatile.

The Bulls have the advantage once Rose returns of potentially having the kind of versatility on their roster that can match up with various teams. But how will the Bulls choose to play? We should get a better idea this week with the last three preseason games. Joakim Noah likely wonders as well.

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Versatility key to success for Bulls

You can imagine that Derrick Rose is more weary of this than anyone.

But here we go again with the latest Rose series of injury/return updates, which Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, taking the explanation baton from predecessor Tom Thibodeau, Tuesday put in perspective after Bulls practice.

“It’s a long season, 82 games, and, hopefully, playoffs,” Hoiberg observed in showing how quickly he has adjusted to the difference between the college and pro schedules. “You want to have Derrick there for the majority of that. We will take a cautious approach with it. But if he’s ready, he feels good, and our trainers and doctors feel good, then we’ll throw him out there.’’

For now, Hoiberg said it means Rose following orbital fracture surgery last week won’t play in any of the four remaining preseason games and it still remains uncertain whether Rose will be ready for the Oct. 27 opening game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the United Center.

“They (team doctors) still want him to be a little bit careful with the swelling, make sure that his vision is back to where it’s supposed to be, to where it was before he got hit, before they want him to get anything going on with his blood pressure spiking is how I understand it,” said Hoiberg. “So he’s probably at least a week away from (running in practice), to where he’s able to get out and work up a sweat. And then, hopefully, it’s full go from there to where we can get him out into some contact drills, get him back out there running our offense, and hopefully get him ready to play. I think it’s still yet to be determined if we’re going to have him for the opener. But the good news is he’s progressing, he’s getting better. His vision is getting better, and hopefully we’ll get him back soon.’’

Hoiberg has made it clear in sitting out Pau Gasol the first two preseason games, Joakim Noah two games after he bruised his knee last week and now it looks like Tony Snell for a few games after an ankle sprain in Monday’s loss to New Orleans that he is viewing this season more as an evolution than a November finished product.

So if Rose is ready to play Nov. 1 instead of Oct. 27, well, Hoiberg says the priority remains full health over full court.

It doesn’t mean Rose won’t be ready for the opener. But if he doesn’t begin working out with teammates until later next week, would it look like an unnecessary rush once again to start that first game? After all, Rose did play the opener last season. He got hurt in the second game, the home opener against Cleveland, and then missed eight of the next 11 games. The Bulls were 8-5 in that period, and this season seem even better prepared to sustain with more depth than last season.

“We’ve got to make sure (he’s ready),” said Hoiberg. “He really hasn’t done anything and that will be a good two or three weeks where he has total inactivity. So just to throw him back out there going 100 percent with his speed and everything, you just don’t want to take any risks, chances, where it could be a lingering issue.”

Rose was hurt two weeks ago in the first day of preseason practice, Sept. 29. He required surgery for the orbital bone below his eye. The surgery was without complications, but there has been swelling, which is not unusual. Rose will need to play initially with a mask to guard the affected area. The Bulls were hopeful Rose could get a mask fitting early this week, but with swelling in the area that has been postponed.

Still, Hoiberg said the reports of progress have been positive. Yes, pleas for patience regarding Rose has, at times, tried the patience of fans. Still, Rose, by all accounts, had a strong summer of workouts and came into training camp in good shape. The injury is to his eye area and not involving his knees, which have troubled him for almost four years. Much of that seems past for now. So the Bulls are encouraged about what they have seen with Rose. It’s not about taking a risk at this early point.

Similarly, the Bulls have kept Taj Gibson out in the 2-2 preseason start. Gibson had ankle surgery in early June. But, again, the Bulls have held back Gibson to avoid any complications. It seems the same path being followed with Mike Dunleavy after back surgery before training camp. Dunleavy declined to put any return date on his recovery.

Rose did start to get back with the team. Rose was at Monday’s game against the Pelicans and Hoiberg said Rose shot around some on the floor without contact in Tuesday’s practice.

Hoiberg said Gibson and Noah participated in Tuesday’s practice and could play Wednesday in the home game against the Detroit Pistons. After Wednesday, the Bulls won’t play again until Monday in Charlotte.

“Derrick actually took a couple free throws today, so that was good to see him do that,” said Hoiberg. “Tony’s got some swelling in his ankle. I think they kind of labeled it as a mild sprain. So, hopefully, he won’t miss much time. Going to figure out overnight (if Noah or Pau Gasol will start at center Wednesday). We played a couple of different lineups in practice today. We’ll go back and watch film on it and see what we think.

“I think they might wait for that (eye) swelling to go down a little more before they fit him,” Hoiberg added about Rose regarding his mask.

One of the big questions coming into the season was the starting lineup, which has mostly been overlooked with, alas, the injuries to Rose, Dunleavy, Gibson, Noah and now Snell.

So Gasol and Noah have alternated starting with Nikola Mirotic.

“They’ve been good,” Hoiberg said of Gasol starting with Mirotic. “That’s two games in a row we’ve gotten off to very good starts with those two guys on the floor together. Then Pau and Bobby, I thought, played well together (Monday). There are a lot of combinations. You still haven’t seen Jo and Pau out there together and obviously Taj; so we’ll get a good opportunity these next few games to continue to experiment.

With Snell likely out, Doug McDermott probably will get his first start of the preseason.

McDermott is averaging a team best 17.8 points per game in the preseason. He’s also shooting 45 percent on threes in about 31 minutes per game. The Bulls will continue to watch the progress of rookie Bobby Portis, who is opening eyes around the NBA already, averaging 12.5 points and 12.3 rebounds in about 26 minutes per game.

While those players have excelled—and it’s been incumbent upon them to show something special to break into the rotation—it’s been an uncertain preseason for Jimmy Butler. Though the young veteran has been concentrating on helping develop Hoiberg’s more open and flowing system of play. As a result, Butler is averaging 10.5 points in about 24 minutes while shooting 30 percent overall, 29 percent on threes and under 70 percent on free throws.

“Just got to continue to take the right shots,” said Butler. “Keep taking the shots; they’ll fall. Keep getting to the paint. More than anything, I have to continue to make the right play, get the ball to the open guy. The offense we have it’s so spread there’s a lot of space. It will happen. I’m not worried about scoring the ball at all. Everybody is confident in our offense; that’s for sure. They know their strengths and go to it. We share the ball extremely well. We rebound the ball extremely well. The only thing is we let down on our defense at times. We recklessly foul; they got a lot of free throws (Monday). I like the way we are moving. Now just get this defense thing under way.”

The next act is Wednesday in the United Center.

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Bulls take cautious approach to preseason injuries

The Bulls don't have a chance at beating Lebron James Cavaliers.  Our team isn't tough enough or good enough.  Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol should each be traded before both players come off of the rails again.   Rose has been an epic failure due to his injuries and ridiculous way of communicating to the fan base. We were spoiled by Jordan.  These guys will never be champions.  They just aren't good enough to beat Lebron let alone the Warriors. It's time to reboot when the computer still runs. I recommend the Bulls go after the best available talent. Maybe not right now but, when these two guys peak early in the season before they come off the tracks.  Because definitely Gasol will get injured because he used all his gas in he offseason playing for Spain.

Sam: Well, that was a short season.  The last time I witnessed that plan the Bulls drafted Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. No, the Bulls window isn’t long, but it’s not closed. The Cavaliers are favored and should be since they went to the Finals. But while the East is better and I don’t see any sub-.500 teams in the playoffs this season, it’s not great.

And the Cavs have a lot of issues. There’s the Tristan Thompson holdout, Kyrie Irving out for maybe a few more months and having been injured every year of his basketball career including back into high school, Kevin Love having major injuries two of the last three seasons and missing at least 20 games more than half his NBA seasons and a questionable backcourt. So we’re not talking monolith quite yet.

The Bulls will have some decisions to make after this season with Joakim Noah a free agent and Pau Gasol having an option. So eventually they may get to rebuilding or retooling or whatever it’s called. But it seems way too soon to cash in for picks. If they were to do it now they’d also have to dump Jimmy Butler. Having Butler makes them too good to be really bad but not good enough to compete at a high level. So they’d be stuck around the edge of the playoffs, the worst spot in the league. The problem in the NBA is what the 76ers have experienced: There’s no guarantee of top talent with the lottery. And the talent given they are mostly freshmen not only drops off quickly, but is more prone to injury coming to play pro ball as a teenager. So you want to be the 76ers? No, then how about the Celtics with loads of draft picks they couldn’t even trade five for one last spring to move up?

Yes, you can fall into a James Harden as the Rockets did. But that’s rare and more doubtful now the way the Thunder has been condemned for the trade. Then if you are bad you find out free agents don’t want to play for you. Greg Monroe passed on the Lakers for the Bucks because all the Lakers have is a few young players and picks. I’m running it out as long as I can if I’m the Bulls because the East is winnable even if you are not the favorite—after all who knows what J.R. Smith can do next time before you play them in the playoffs—and the alternatives are most unattractive.

I saw another report claiming that Butler doesn't respect Rose's work ethic. Is this more of people endlessly wanting to drag Rose's name through the mud? It seems like there's a lot of media that love to report negative rumors about him. Have you ever seen any indication of friction between the two? It seems like DRose's work ethic is the last thing there'd be any conflict about.

Sam: I agree; that one has to be the most laughable. There’s an old newspaper joke that 95 percent of what you read is true; except the five percent you have personal knowledge about. It’s a week into the preseason and they’re feuding? Who comes to work the first week with enemies? And that angry? C’mon. There’s an old media trick that’s not much different than the devil’s advocate type person at the bar. If you don’t take the other side, it’s tough to have an argument.

There’s this image for players being all about team and about media being all about accuracy. I’m sure we believe both universally. Just like there are people where you work who hate the boss or the company, there always are media people who want the team to lose, or someone to get fired or there be a feud. It’s a better story than a happy team with a lot of feel good clichés.

Jay Mariotti when he wrote in Chicago was the best at it, raising questions, mostly inaccurate, about internal friction, who hates whom and the team about to self destruct unless everyone was fired. It’s like reading about basketball wives or the Kardashians or hoarders. Everyone is appalled, but then they watch. So it’s a much better story if Jimmy hates Derrick and Derrick hates Jimmy than how about that footwork by Tony Snell. So media can keep this one alive: You know, don’t believe what you see; believe what I tell you from anonymous sources. I listed earlier this week the players who have returned from ACL surgery. Rose among every one is the closest athletically to the player he was before the surgery. So after three surgeries and coming back to average 20 points in the playoffs with his share of wow drives you believe that this guy doesn’t work hard?

And does it make sense that someone who has successfully come back from three major surgeries and more than a half dozen other injuries is lazy? That’s the story? It supposedly was said about P.T. Barnum’s hucksterism a century ago there’s a sucker born every minute. The phrase supposedly actually originated in Chicago in the 1860s about all the gambling establishments and has variously been used to describe so many gullible consumers. Modern day readers, as well, it seems.

I read an article recently about LeBron inviting his teammates to train with him in Miami and wondered why more athletes don’t do the same. It seems to me that this would be highly beneficial for both the players and the organization. I know D Rose trains with Russell in LA and Jimmy does too but at a different venue. I’m of the opinion that team chemistry off the court is just as crucial as it is on the court. The more you know about someone’s style of play to better you can adjust yourself to them and vice versa. There have been a lot of questions lately about some D Rose vs Jimmy feud and you’ve mentioned before that they’re not really close friends, but wouldn’t it be something if these two could figure out how to get into each other’s heads for the benefit of having more control and chemistry on the court not to mention the rest of the team.

Sam: Jimmy and Derrick did train together two years ago, and McDermott joined Jimmy for awhile this summer. But, really, do you vacation with your coworkers? Wouldn’t your office run more smoothly if you knew your coworkers’ habits, likes and dislikes and if you were together 12 months a year instead of just seven? Or maybe not.

The LeBron thing is overhyped since he talks about it. The Bulls didn’t have much to say, but everyone but the two guys playing for Spain was together this summer for several weeks working at Advocate Center. On their own. Teams cannot direct workouts until training camp starts. But players can use team facilities to put together things, and the Bulls had a  lot of players together in September. But guys also need not only time away from one another, but they have differing needs. Like Noah who went to a specialty camp in Santa Barbara. There are big man camps and there are guys who need more fitness. There are also guys with lives and families whose kids may not think the ideal is for dad to spend summer training with LeBron. And after all, LeBron couldn’t even get Tristan Thompson to start the season with him.

Recently, Jimmy Butler has been tooting his horn way too much. He wanted the ball during the playoffs against Cleveland too much last year to prove he is the man, he's selfishly begging for playing time at the point guard position, and now he says he will be the leader of the team since there isn't one (which is a stupid comment when Noah is still on the roster). Is Butler trying to make it hard for Bulls fans to love him? It sure seems that way.

Sam: It seems like an angry fan base these days, and they’re a solid 1-1 in preseason. Jimmy is, from my mail, the favorite these days as reflecting the virtues of hard work fans like to see in their teams even if he has to mention it. I’m OK with his comments. Like the Cubs pitcher who actually went on Twitter to challenge fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a little cockiness is OK. Remember, you don’t get where these guys are without the ego and the bravado (why do you think they always give that check your ego at the door speech at USA Basketball?).

The coaches have urged Jimmy to be more vocal, which I think is a big part of what’s going on. Plus, he’s obviously way more relaxed having signed his contract. He didn’t mention it much, but it was obvious watching him last season that at times he was overly distracted and distraught by having passed on a $45 million deal and watching at least two teammates have meniscus surgery. You can see the relief on his face and hear it in his voice.

I’ve always felt the so called leadership thing is overrated. It’s basically been Noah the last five years because it’s an intangible. If you produce they call you an All-Star and a winner, so leader isn’t that important. This is a Bulls team of guys who are decent people, though mostly quiet and remote off the court, including Butler, who always basically stayed with friends and family on the road.

So he’s trying to change, and to do so he has to be more vocal about it. It’s like trying out for the debate team in school. You still can’t be afraid to ask someone for a date.  I think at this point Jimmy is the most popular player on the team as he reflects what fans like to think about themselves, that they’d be tough and not complain on the court and as Thibodeau famously said, do your job. But in the end it’s always about results, and we don’t get to see that until there actually are games.

As I watch this Bulls team and think about where they've been, I see a team in transition.  The team leaders and most productive players of years past were Noah and Rose but going forward it seems likely that both of those roles will be filled by Butler and Gasol.  Knowing what you know about Noah and Rose as people, do you feel they could be comfortable being supporting players or would one or both have to be moved to maintain team cohesiveness? I look at (Rose) the same way I look at the later part of Allen Iverson's career.  If Iverson, as his physical skills faded, could have focused on being more of a pure point guard and less about being the number one scoring option on his team, he might have had a longer career with some rings.  I'd like to be wrong about Rose but I don't think I am.  I believe his ego will make him a distraction on the Butler led Bulls.

Sam: I obviously believe it’s a bit premature to write off Rose and Noah. Mostly because if they are reduced to being role players the Bulls really don’t have a chance to compete seriously in the Eastern Conference and may not be a top four team. I don’t believe they are at that stage as I expect Rose to still average 20 points. I don’t see enough scoring without him, especially with Pau being 35 and being asked to play less this season for potential health concerns. That would be asking an awful lot of Mirotic and McDermott, especially with Dunleavy out.

I understand the implication of your anti-Rose sentiment that he is selfish and wants to be a scorer. I’m sure he loved averaging 25 per game a few years back. Who wouldn’t? But Rose’s history always has been as a team player. He famously held off in high school and college to help teammates either get college scholarships or drafted by NBA teams as it was obvious he could average many more points. He was asked by the Bulls to score as much as he did as any fair look at those rosters—yes, Keith Bogans as the scoring guard for 82 games—demonstrated if Rose didn’t score there might not be 41 wins.

Can Jimmy score enough? He’s still a shaky three point shooter (33 percent career to 30 percent for Rose). Can Pau at 35? Dunleavy and Gibson are coming off surgeries. Noah? We know that answer. The kids? No, Rose still has to be a scorer along with Jimmy. That Jimmy has impressively made himself a better passer gives the Bulls two players to run pick and roll (Rose used to be the only one). But both have to score and probably need to be the leading scorers, especially the way coach Hoiberg wants to play.

And remember Rose in last season’s playoffs averaged double the assists of anyone else on the team. So I’m not quite sure about this notion of being shoot first. Jimmy has said they could be the top backcourt. Though not if one is a role playing facilitator. Sure, Rose has had multiple injuries. But he’s still just 27 and everyone including Hoiberg says he seems as explosive as ever. Iverson still averaged 26 a game at 33 years old. The Butler/Rose backcourt is just getting started.

I can already picture you rolling your eyes and responding to this question with something like, "How about we see what happens this year before speculating about next year."  Noah is a free agent after this season.  If he wants big money over five years it's not hard to imagine the Bulls passing on that option and letting him go to another team willing to give him four years of big money. I'm not saying whether I think they should or shouldn't, but I could see them allowing him to move on.

Gasol will be 36 next year, and has the option of opting out of his contract which you'd assume he would now that he's reestablished his value around the league.  I know a lot of teams are playing small ball now, but Gibson and Portis don't seem big enough to play center full-time.  Hard to see it as a fit for Mirotic on defense.  You don't find a lot of starting centers late in the first round.  How do you think the Bulls might address the position should Noah not be on the team next year?

Sam: How about we see what happens….Yes, we agree on that. But that’s also why you don’t want to move away from big men too quickly. It’s not much discussed or credited, but one of the great strengths of the Warriors last season was their size with Bogut, Ezeli and a bit of David Lee here and there. They’ll tell you for all the flash and dash of Curry and Thompson, they would not have won without their bigs.

So if Noah isn’t always aesthetically appealing, don’t give up on him too soon. Same with Pau. Big guys are tough to replace, and for all the skills and hustle of guys like Portis and Gibson, as the saying goes and you suggest, you can’t teach size. Small ball is in fashion, but basketball will always be a game for big men. When you have them you don’t give them up without a fight. It is the one thing the 76ers have going for themselves now with, assuming Joel Embiid can recover, enough big men to start motivating someone to deal.

Why do the Pacers want Paul George to play power forward?

Sam: Because they don’t have one. It also seems apparent George is not exactly on board with the plan. Not everyone plays shooting forwards and it hurts to defend inside. What really is most interesting about the walk it up, physical Eastern Conference is the number of teams who, like the Bulls, are saying at least for now they are going to run (everyone says that before the season), shoot threes and open the floor. The Pacers for sure losing West and trading Roy Hibbert and trying to persuade George to switch positions. But the Wizards also say they’ll abandon their two big guys line and are trying to make Kris Humphries a stretch four. The Pistons want to run, the Bucks as we have seen even with Greg Monroe. The Heat isn’t going to beat you up and not the Hawks. It’s the wide open East?

Heard anything about Carlos Boozer? Always liked him. People always expected more from him but he was what he was. He actually was a better pro than anyone thought he would have been. Anyone who the bulls signed after striking out in 2010 on LBJ//Wade/Bosh would have been hated by Bulls fans.

Sam: Ah, the good old days with C-Booz. And one! Boozer is probably the biggest name that’s slipped by with the start of the preseason. He’s obviously made enough money with two longterm, eight figure contracts. He’s gone back to Miami to live and my guess is he hooks on with the Heat for a minimum sometime later this season if they seem in contention. He probably can still make a shot.

The truth is there wasn’t much choice that summer if you didn’t get LeBron. It’s not like getting Bosh was going to make that much difference without LeBron and Wade. David Lee, the next in line, basically fell out in Golden State as Boozer did with the Bulls, and the rest of that supposedly great free agent class were mostly overpaid busts. Which is the fallacy of free agency. It doesn’t much turn your team around unless you get the star of stars. Get Durant next summer and you’re talking.

But was there one single free agent from this past summer who is going to make an incredible difference? Sure, Aldridge was the big pickup for the Spurs. Though David West may do as much. Aldridge is the ideal addition for the Spurs to eventually transition away from Tim Duncan. And the Spurs have been pretty good. Free agency has mostly been about spending a lot of money you have. Teams have to spend it, and there’s always hope. And you don’t give up anything but money. So it’s worth the effort, but expectations need to be tempered. Boozer was a solid contributor on teams that had the league’s best record in consecutive seasons. The Bulls could have done worse.

Thanks for introducing some rational thought into the arcane discussion about Derrick Rose's capitalistic greed. I can't believe we're having this discussion. Even Bernie Sanders would encourage Derrick to get whatever he's worth. To get back to basketball, how about you only publish money comments from people who can honestly say they never pursued a new job for more money. That should at least limit the hare-brained comments to self-made millionaires and liars, with the liars maybe a little more interesting.

After that, maybe you could get the players and coaches to sit around a campfire and roast marshmallows and sing solemn songs together so we can get past the disharmony theme.

Sam: This feud story and internal rivalries is amazing in a sense. The players themselves have denied it multiple times; then there are anonymous sources from media people, some of whom have never even spoken to one or both of the players. So this is what the logic suggests: Better to believe the anonymous sources than what the players say.

Of course, if that’s the logic, then you have to consider the players frauds and liars and the media reports and those disseminating them the true avatars of truth and justice. Thanks, meanwhile, for my first reference to Bernie, who attended the same high school I did in Brooklyn, James Madison. So did Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Though I always identified more with the guy who became publisher of Mad magazine. Yes, by the way, America does seem ready for a self proclaimed Jewish socialist. Actually, good thing we have this Rose/Butler hysterics going on. Or we might have to pay attention to some of the presidential candidates.

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Ask Sam | Sam Smith opens his mailbag | 10.9.2015

It’s going to be more difficult to get that preseason championship now.

The Bulls, though again playing without Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, Mike Dunleavy and Taj Gibson and then resting Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah in the second half, Thursday were outplayed, outhustled and out run by the Denver Nuggets in a 112-94 loss.

It wasn’t close after a 26-3 Nuggets second quarter run that left the Bulls trailing by more than 20 points for most of the remainder of the game played in Boulder, CO.

The Bulls were led by Nikola Mirotic with 18 points, Doug McDermott with 15 and rookie Bobby Portis with 10 points and 16 rebounds, though with 10 of those rebounds in a detritus-time fourth quarter.

“We had one little stretch (early) where good things were happening,” said coach Fred Hoiberg. “That’s when we had good pace flowing into it. It just wasn’t a very long stretch. When things weren’t going well, they’d hit a shot and we’d come back and try to get it back without making a pass or taking a tough, contested shot. That’s not what this is about. It’s about working the ball around, making quick decisions and getting good looks. Whether they go in or not, you want to get an uncontested shot. I think we took too many contested ones tonight.”

The Bulls shot just 34 percent while allowing the Nuggets to shoot 47 percent. Unlike the Bulls preseason win at home Tuesday, this game for the Bulls was marked by more individual play, 22 turnovers that the Nuggets turned into 28 points and a more stagnant game. But Butler and Noah, the latter after a hard fall in the first half, sat out the second half in Hoiberg’s plan to ease the team through the early part of preseason.

The Bulls, 1-1, play Saturday against Minnesota in Winnipeg, Canada.

“We take (out of the game) that we don’t guard anyone, including me,” said Butler, who had a rocky effort with six points in 19 minutes and two of 10 shooting. “We worry too much about offense, including me. Everyone is adjusting to the new offense, everyone is learning their role. We started off slow. As the starters we need to set the pace. I don’t think we were playing at a very high level to start the game. It went that way the rest of the game. We kept shooting the ball, trying to outscore the opponents. Obviously that didn’t work. We need to count on our defense to win the game.”