The Bulls seemed poised to make a playoff run this spring when they finished the regular season tied with the Spurs for the best record in the NBA. Derrick Rose, who had missed 27 games over the course of the season, was finally healthy when the team drew a Sixers team that had collapsed in the second half of the season. What ensued continues to give the entire city of Chicago nightmares as the Bulls faithful remains hopeful Rose can regain the form that netted him MVP during the 2010/2011 season. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines out of Chicago as the franchise's future going forward remains unclear…
In six games against the 76ers, Carlos Boozer averaged a disappointing 13.5 PPG, 42.2 FG%, and 3.8 turnovers per game compared to his 15/ 53.2/ 1.7 averages during the regular season. His 1-for-11 performance in a do-or-die Game Six could only have added more frustration for Bulls fans, as some have reportedly called for Boozer to be amnestied this summer. Bulls general manager Gar Forman was quick to show his support (Sportando link via CBS Chicago) for his starting power forward, as he spoke on The Mully and Hanley Show: "Even in that last game, in 27 minutes, he had 13 boards. I anticipate Carlos being with us and having another productive year next season."
Here's more of what's buzzing in the Windy City:
- Derrick Rose is in good spirits and ready to start rehab, according to his former Simeon high school coach Robert Smith (Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago reports). Rose, who recently underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL and will likely miss eight to 12 months, hasn't spoken publicly since his injury.
- Joel Brigham and Mark Nugent of HoopsWorld wonder if the costly injuries that followed the team's regular season success are a sign to break up the team. Brigham appears to be a proponent of shopping Luol Deng and Joakim Noah in order to bring another star to Chicago. Nugent toys with some hypothetical scenarios, including the idea of trading Ronnie Brewer and Carlos Boozer to New York for Amare Stoudemire, or letting Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, and C.J. Watson walk after amnestying Boozer in order to fall $12-13 MM below the cap. However, Nugent advocates patience and doesn't feel that the risks that come along with either scenario (or in any case) are worth breaking up the team as currently constructed.
- David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune creates a parallel between Rose's injury and when Michael Jordan broke his left foot during the 1985-86 season, adding that Jordan was still able to return as a dynamic player post-injury.
The Bulls held a press conference today in Chicago to update the media on Derrick Rose's health and a number of other topics. Here are a few of the notable items from the news conference, courtesy of Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times (all links go to Twitter):
- Dr. Brian Cole, who performed Rose's ACL surgery, said the procedure went very well, but that recovery usually takes eight to 12 months. The best-case scenario for Rose is returning in January 2013, though he could miss the entire season, said Cole.
- It will likely take more than a year for Rose to return to his previous level of play, but there's no reason he shouldn't be that player again, Cole added.
- Bulls GM Gar Forman views Rose's absence as a short-term issue that won't affect the team's long-term plans. Forman said he won't make decisions based on short-term problems, since he doesn't feel the team's window of opportunity will close anytime soon.
- Coach Tom Thibodeau's contract option for 2012/13 will "obviously" be picked up, Garman said. The two sides will begin discussing an extension soon, according to the GM.
The Bulls announced that Derrick Rose underwent successful surgery to repair the torn ACL he suffered a few weeks ago and faces an eight-to-ten month recovery period, writes K.C. Johnson and Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune. In separate pieces, Johnson evaluates the performance of each player on Chicago's roster and talks about how the team's salary cap-restrtictions creates the need to be innovative in trying to improve the roster this summer. Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous links:
- The Knicks will be looking for another point guard to partner with Jeremy Lin, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Among Berman's list of targets are Kirk Hinrich, Gary Neal, Derek Fisher, A.J. Price, Jannero Pargo, and Jonny Flynn. He also mentions Ramon Sessions, Raymond Felton, Goran Dragic, Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, and Steve Nash, but I think that the names on this latter list would only be sought after if contract talks with Lin were to somehow fall apart.
- After recently having his interim tag removed, Knicks GM Glen Grunwald has a lot of work cut out for him in the upcoming months, says Al Iannazzone of Newsday. He also adds that with the mid-level likely committed to Lin and no first-round pick, Grunwald will have to be creative with trades and free agency in order to address their back court needs. In another article, Iannazzone goes over the five biggest questions facing the team moving forward.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News speculates that Jason Terry could be on his way out if Deron Williams lands with the Mavericks (subscribers only).
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly NBA chat with fans. Here are some of his notable thoughts: the Magic may try to package their #19 pick along with Jason Richardson or Chris Duhon to create cap relief, Austin Rivers' game is comparable to Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford, and predicts that Dwight Howard will wind up signing with the Nets eventually.
- Bob Young of the Arizona Republic offers his input on the chances of reportedly interested teams in their pursuit of Steve Nash. Phoenix, Toronto, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Portland are given consideration.
- John Rohde of NewsOK explores how the support of his Thunder teammates has played a pivotal role in Eric Maynor's road to recovery from a torn ACL.
We've got two games on the docket tonight, as the Sixers and Celtics kick off their second round series while the Lakers and Nuggets battle it out in Game 7. Here's a look at today's links..
- Derrick Rose underwent surgery on his left knee today, but projections for his return are varied, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune rounds up. Though Rose's brother insists Derrick will not miss the entire season, the Bulls released a statement today saying more details on his prognosis are coming next week.
- Though there has been speculation that Mike D'Antoni could be interested in the Magic if Stan Van Gundy doesn't return as the team's coach, he is just as likely to sit out the 2012/13 season, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Speaking of Knicks coaches, Mike Woodson is considering agent Steve Kauffman as well as CAA as he looks for new representation, according to Berman. Owner James Dolan never demanded Woodson part with former agent Joe Glass, but filled him in on the troubled history between the team and the agent. After hearing that, Woodson felt negotiations would be smoother without Glass.
- If the Nets do in fact plan to sign Andrei Kirilenko, they won't have much rebounding in their starting lineup with him alongside Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Reports that the team had a verbal agreement in place for a three-year deal were shot down last week.
- Andrew Bynum could find himself playing elsewhere if the Lakers get bounced tonight and he doesn't have a strong performance, opines Stephen A. Smith of ESPN Radio (via Twitter).
- Meanwhile, Magic Johnson believes that Bynum, head coach Mike Brown, and Pau Gasol will all be run out of town if the Lakers lose, writes Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops.
It's difficult to think of another team this year that has faced much more misfortune at such an inopportune time than the Bulls. After losing Derrick Rose in Game One to an injury that will sideline him beyond the start of next season, the team now lists Joakim Noah as doubtful for Game Four after badly spraining his ankle during Game Three. Here are a few more links out of Chicago:
- Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago examines Chicago's failure to find offensive rhythm without Rose in the lineup.
- The Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson writes that guard C.J. Watson is experiencing some pain in his elbow and ankle, but coach Thibodeau is confident that he'll be able to come through and play well tomorrow.
- Johnson wonders if the decision to let Noah continue playing after spraining his ankle caused the injury to become worse.
Here are this evening's miscellaneous stories:
- Lang Greene of HoopsWorld had his weekly chat with fans tonight. Among the more significant things he talked about were the chances that Tyreke Evans gets shopped this summer, the Nets pursuing Kevin Garnett if Deron Williams leaves, the Hornets matching any offer for Eric Gordon, and Portland being the realistic destination for Goran Dragic.
- With $12MM in cap space before the draft, Bryan Colangelo talked about the Raptors' approach going into the offseason: "If there was going to be a year to make a bigger splash, whether in free agency or utilizing the space to acquire players by trade, I felt that would be better served in a subsequent season and that’s probably this summer" (Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld reports). Colangelo also told Brotherston that he and Ed Stefanski will be very active in terms of placing and entertaining calls with other GMs in the upcoming weeks and months.
- Scoop Jackson, Melissa Isaacson, and Jon Greenberg of ESPN cover a few topics on the Bulls, including how Derrick Rose's injury will affect Chicago's title hopes over the next two years, whether Luol Deng should immediately get surgery and skip the Olympics, and Carlos Boozer's reliability in the playoffs.
- Magic GM Otis Smith traveled to Los Angeles to check on Dwight Howard as he recuperates from surgery, according to Illiana Limón and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. While there had been speculation that Howard is estranged from the franchise, Smith and Magic CEO Alex Martins say that he hasn't asked for a trade.
- Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times provides a "to-do list" for the Nuggets if they are to have any chance at beating the Lakers.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas wonders if the Mavericks should make strategic defensive adjustments on Russell Westbrook or just hope that he starts missing mid-range jumpshots.
- An article posted on Suns.com reports that Channing Frye underwent successful surgery on his right shoulder today.
The Bulls have announced that Derrick Rose will be out for the remainder of the season with a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his left knee. The star guard suffered the injury with just over a minute to go in the Bulls' 103-91 victory over the 76ers.
The reigning MVP missed a great deal of time this season and was sidelined for 26 games with a total of five injuries. Rose showed some signs of rust early as he shot 1-for-7 from the floor but rebounded from that point forward and nailed 8-of-16 shots. Rose's near triple-double (23 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) looked to be the start of another promising postseason for the 23-year-old, but the guard will now have to watch from the end of the bench.
One interesting note about NCAA championship as it relates to the upcoming draft: The last time the winner had a player that would subsequently go on to become that year's number one pick was in 1988, when Danny Manning of the Kansas Jayhawks was selected first overall by the Clippers. With a win tomorrow, Kentucky's Anthony Davis (currently projected to go first among several draft boards) could have a chance at ending the 23-year streak.
Should Kentucky lose, Davis could join Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, Elton Brand, and Chris Webber as number one picks who had been on the runner-up team that season. With less than 24 hours until tip-off, here are a few interesting notes to think about from the basketball news wire:
- As per Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times, Derrick Rose's injury could be worse than initially thought.
- Kendrick Perkins' has had a profound impact on Russell Westbrook this season and can be credited for the young guard's further emergence as a special player, writes Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.
- In an exclusive interview with Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype.com, Kenny Smith indicated that he feels he'll "inevitably be coaching someday."
- Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer provides a more in-depth look at Donald Sloan, the Cavaliers reserve guard who has begun to find minutes under Byron Scott.
- According to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel, Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. believes that teammates' trust in each other will be key in Milwaukee's pursuit of New York for the eight and final playoff spot.
- Mavericks guard Jason Terry is alarmed by Dallas' habit of falling behind in the third quarter, only to rally in the fourth but come up short, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.
- The Toronto Sun's Richard Zussman gives a primer for tomorrow's NCAA Title game and what to expect.
The Bulls are doing battle with the Thunder today in another possible Finals match-up. Chicago is once again without their best player, Derrick Rose. In an Insider piece on ESPN.com, Basketball-Reference's Neil Paine explains that despite the team experiencing recent success without Rose, they have no chance at winning a title if he doesn't play.
- Tim Griffin from Spurs Nation has a piece on San Antonio's probable decision to change their lineups as the playoffs grow near.
- ESPNNY.com's Ian Begley writes about the importance of Baron Davis now that Jeremy Lin will have knee surgery.
- Vincent Goodwill from The Detroit News thinks Joe Dumars needs to take the Pistons in a new direction.
- Since Ray Allen went down with an ankle injury, and Mickael Pietrus suffered a concussion, Avery Bradley's insertion in Boston's starting lineup has been a revelation for the team's playoff chances, writes The Sporting News' Sean Deveney.
- CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes poses an interesting question regarding a difficult decision Portland might have this offseason. With both J.J. Hickson and Nicolas Batum being restricted free agents, which one should the team set as a priority for keeping? For reference, here's a look at our list of 2012/13 free agents.
- The Sacramento Bee's Stephen Magagnini wrote a piece about the impact rookie Isaiah Thomas has had both on the court and in the community.
- The Indianapolis Star's Mike Wells writes about the relationship Pacers guard George Hill still shares with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Also, Indiana head coach Frank Vogel talks about why he's decided it isn't worth it to rest his veterans despite the season's hectic schedule.