Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, Bulls Getting It Done Despite Injuries
Despite all the injuries the Chicago Bulls have suffered so far this season, the Bulls continue to win games, and in impressive fashion. Their 18-5 record is good enough for the best in the Eastern Conference, even though they have gone through recent stretches without key players. All-Star point guard Derrick Rose, Richard Hamilton and, most recently, Luol Deng have all missed significant time due to injuries.
Rose’s injury has most fans concerned since a turf toe injury is one that is known to linger for months. The injury sidelined the reigning MVP for five games, yet during that stretch, the Bulls managed to go 4-1 while going undefeated at home.
C.J. Watson deserves a lot of credit for the tremendous job he did filling in for Rose. Although Watson had suffered an elbow injury a few games prior, he played through the pain in order to help the Bulls’ already thin backcourt. In his four starts, Watson averaged 16.5 points and six assists per game, including a 23-point effort versus the Phoenix Suns.
Bulls fans were also relieved to see Carlos Boozer finally take initiative on the offensive end. In the five games Rose missed, Boozer averaged 21.5 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting an efficient 52 percent from the floor. Fans are hoping to see this kind of production and effort on a more regular basis.
Hamilton is another key player the Bulls will need to monitor over the next few weeks. Hamilton’s groin injury has the 14-year veteran a game-time decision almost every night and has forced the shooting guard to miss 12 of the 23 games so far this season.
After re-aggravating his groin in Sunday’s 97-93 loss to the Miami Heat, it is very possible the Bulls will sit him for an extended period of time to let the groin fully heal.
Deng is the most recent Bull to fall victim to the shortened, injury-heavy season. Deng tore a ligament in his left wrist in fourth quarter of a 95-89 win versus the Charlotte Bobcats and the severity has yet to be determined. Although there has been talk about Deng possibly having surgery, reports have indicated that Deng will avoid surgery at all costs.
Deng’s wrist injury has a lot of fans concerned since the Bulls cannot afford to lose him for a long period time. He is arguably the best defensive player on the roster and the most consistent scoring option behind Rose. The Bulls also desperately need Deng to guard LeBron James come playoffs, especially after Ronnie Brewer’s defensive performance against James in last Sunday’s loss.
With both Deng and Hamilton currently sidelined with their respective injuries, other players have been called on to step up in their absence.
Joakim Noah has played much better as of late and seems to have finally found his stride. In Monday’s win versus the New Jersey Nets, Noah recorded his fifth straight double-double and has also shot 64 percent from the field during that stretch.
Rose also looks to be feeling healthy and back to full speed. Since his return, the reigning MVP is averaging 29.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. It is clear that without Hamilton and Deng in the starting lineup, Rose will need to take an even greater offensive role, much like he did last season.
The shortened season has undoubtedly taken a toll on key players the Bulls simply cannot afford to be without come playoffs. Luckily for the Bulls, they have an extremely deep bench that has done a phenomenal job filling in when called on.
Their depth should help them not only cruise through the regular season, but should give other players the opportunity to fully heal. At full strength, there is no doubt the Bulls are one of the most dangerous teams in the league.
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Chicago Bulls Keep Winning Despite Slew of Injuries to Key Players
Even though a bunch of injuries have threatened to derail the Chicago Bulls lately, they just keep winning.
It helps that they have played some of the worst teams in the NBA over the last couple weeks, but players have stepped up immensely.
When Derrick Rose went down with a toe injury that ultimately kept him out of five games, John Lucas III and C.J. Watson filled in quite nicely.
In his first ever start against the Washington Wizards, Lucas had 25 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. Those were Rose-type numbers.
Since returning to the lineup five games ago after dislocating his elbow, Watson has been averaging 14.6 points per game on 51.1-percent shooting with 5.4 assists per game.
Shooting guard Rip Hamilton missed 10 games due to a sore groin, and Ronnie Brewer came in and played the best basketball of his career.
Big men Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson both suffered sprained ankles recently, and Omer Asik and Brian Scalabrine have stepped in and played extremely well.
Asik played a career-high 39 minutes and grabbed 15 rebounds in a recent win over the Charlotte Bobcats. Both Asik and Scalabrine contributed to a franchise record 16 blocked shots against the Bobcats.
The most recent Bull to suffer an injury is Luol Deng.
There hasn’t been an official announcement from the team, or Deng, as to the extent of the injury, but it could be a while before he is back on the court.
Losing Deng for a long period will no doubt hurt the Bulls, but it just means someone else will have to step up in his absence.
Even with all the injuries the Bulls have suffered, they are a league best 16-3 and at or near the top of every major defensive category.
Much of the credit should go to head coach Tom Thibodeau.
He has to be at the top of the list to win his second straight Coach of the Year award.
It hasn’t mattered which player the Bulls have lost; someone else steps up and fills the void.
Thibodeau has done a tremendous job of keeping every player on the roster focused on the current game and not looking elsewhere.
Each player knows he is one play away from being thrown into the mix in a significant way.
The defensive principles and attention to detail Thibodeau have instilled in his players is reflected every night they take the court.
Every player he’s sent into the game has contributed in some way for the Bulls this season. Each player knows his role and what’s expected of him.
Thibodeau has confidence in each of his players; he knows that if he needs to rely on them, they will succeed with flying colors.
The combination of team depth and coaching the Bulls have is why they’ve been able to survive the rash of injuries that have come their way in such a short period.
The Bulls have been lucky that none of the injuries suffered have been that serious, but with word coming soon on Deng, that could all change.
All it means is someone else will take his minutes, step up and keep the Bulls’ winning ways intact.
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NBA Power Rankings: 8 Best Players Dealing with Injuries
Injuries are common in the NBA, but an intensified schedule makes injuries more probable and devastating for the teams involved.
Key players, like the Chicago Bulls’ Richard Hamilton, have already missed many games and might have to deal with nagging injuries.
Here is a list power-ranking the most severe injuries to star players and how these aches and pains negatively affect their respective teams.
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NBA Power Rankings: 8 Best Players Dealing with Injuries
Injuries are common in the NBA, but an intensified schedule makes injuries more probable and devastating for the teams involved.
Key players, like the Chicago Bulls’ Richard Hamilton, have already missed many games and might have to deal with nagging injuries.
Here is a list power-ranking the most severe injuries to star players and how these aches and pains negatively affect their respective teams.
View full post on Bleacher Report – NBA
NBA Power Rankings: 8 Best Players Dealing with Injuries
Injuries are common in the NBA, but an intensified schedule makes injuries more probable and devastating for the teams involved.
Key players, like the Chicago Bulls’ Richard Hamilton, have already missed many games and might have to deal with nagging injuries.
Here is a list power-ranking the most severe injuries to star players and how these aches and pains negatively affect their respective teams.
View full post on Bleacher Report – NBA
Suns’ Nash, Hill miss Nets game with injuries
Phoenix Suns veteran starters Steve Nash and Grant Hill are sitting out Friday night against the New Jersey Nets because of injuries.
Suns coach Alvin Gentry says the 37-year-old Nash has a ”charley horse” type injury – technically a right quad contusion – and the 39-year-old Hill has a right quad tendon strain. Both injuries occurred in Phoenix’s home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. Nash also is bothered by a sore back, a condition that has flared up on him throughout his career.
Ronnie Price started at point guard in Nash’s place. Shannon Brown took Hill’s spot in the starting lineup.
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Despite injuries, Heat look to continue fast start
Tune into Sun Sports at 10 p.m. to watch the Miami Heat take on the Golden State Warriors. NBA Heat territory.
The Miami Heat have made it through the past three games without Dwyane Wade, maintaining their status as the NBA’s top team through the season’s opening weeks.
Though the Heat haven’t come out and said so, they might have to get used to the idea of playing without Wade.
Although he’s officially listed as questionable for Tuesday night’s road visit with the Golden State Warriors, Wade may have a case of plantar fasciitis in his bruised left foot that would potentially sideline him for much longer.
Both Wade and LeBron James have missed time with what initially appeared to be minor bumps and bruises as the Heat (8-1) have cruised to a fantastic start, but while James’ sprained left ankle appears to be improving, Wade’s foot may not be.
James returned after missing Thursday’s 116-109 triple-overtime win at Atlanta to score 32 points in Saturday’s 101-90 victory in New Jersey, but Wade missed his third straight contest.
Wade still hasn’t returned to practice and is officially questionable for the remaining three contests of a five-game road trip, but a bigger issue arose Tuesday. Neither coach Erik Spoelstra nor the former finals MVP himself would deny that Wade was suffering from plantar fasciitis, a painful injury that can require weeks of rest to heal.
Golden State (2-6) had better hope Wade’s injury requires at least one more day of rest. Wade has averaged 33.0 points and 9.5 assists while leading the Heat to six straight victories in the series, including 34 points during a 106-84 rout in Oakland on Dec. 10, 2010.
James, who added 25 in that victory, hasn’t seemed fazed by Wade’s absence or his ankle. He had 33 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in a 118-83 rout of Indiana on Wednesday before scoring 22 first-quarter points against the Nets.
“If I feel like I’m good to go, then I’m going to go out and play my game,” James said. “I’m not going to give no restriction, just try to do the things I do out on the court and I was able to get a couple of breakaways, some easy points, get to the free throw line and I was able to test the ankle out in the first quarter.”
While James’ left ankle appears to be OK, the Warriors have plenty of reason to be concerned about Stephen Curry’s surgically repaired right ankle. The third-year guard has missed the team’s past two games with a sprain and will miss at least two more as he’s currently on the East Coast undergoing further evaluation.
Golden State could certainly use him. After averaging 103.4 points last season, the Warriors are scoring just 89.9 per game thus far and have lost six in a row after falling 88-87 to Utah on Saturday.
“The great teams think, What’s going to happen now to win this game?’” first-year coach Mark Jackson said. “The teams that have a history of losing think, What’s going to happen that’s been happening that’s going to cause us to lose?’”
Monta Ellis has averaged 29.3 points in his last three games, but he’s averaged just 19.3 in six career starts against Miami.
Center Andris Biedrins, dealing with a right ankle injury that’s kept him out of the past two games, didn’t practice Monday and is listed as day to day.
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Less prep times, more fallout from injuries
The National Basketball Association (motto: “Our 2012 schedule isn’t FAN-tastic, but it’s not the end of the world!”) actually may be doing more than we thought to keep its players out of harm’s way.
Come again? Isn’t that compressed schedule nothing more than a money-clutching exercise of evil? Well, not so much. But before getting into that, let’s take a look at how the league is looking out for its uniformed partners.
OK, for defenders stranded under the rim when Dwight Howard rises to slam, it has a new concussion policy. There’s also a popular embargo on leaving the bench during an altercation, which helps prevent glory-seeking peacemakers from getting socked in the eye.
There are rules to prevent defenders from roughing up guys with the ball (OK, that’s probably more about generating offense and making the NBA easier to watch for those who didn’t like the game in the first place). We even recall the hasty retreat from using a brand-new, finger-scuffing microfiber ball.
And don’t forget the wardrobe code which helps citizens avoid mistaking the rank-and-file for ordinary, casually-dressed people.
Yeah, the NBA sort of cares. And it isn’t even that awful when it comes to rehabilitating a bottom line previously harpooned by the lockout.
The league may not be fully protecting its players from its desire to make as much loot as possible.
But we’ve all been whining about a compact season that’s not as compact as some of the caterwauling would have you believe. As an example, let’s look at this month’s schedule for the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns, who are the post-graduate version of old school, have 16 games in January. Wow. Brutal. They played a measly 15 in January of 2011. Hmm. Next month, they’re required to suit up 14 times, one more than last February. And they have a back-breaking one more game this March than they had in March of 2011.
One more game per month sort of adds up over several months, but isn’t exactly grueling, right?
Overall, they’ll play 66 games in 123 days this season after putting in 82 over 171 last season. A little tight, but hardly something to scream about. Sure, the three-in-three-nights deal could be tricky, but players are attempting to recover some lost loot, too. The only legitimate excuse for crabbing over the post-lockout sprint is a lack of conditioning and on-court chemistry-building to open the season.
So, predictably, offense has been rough. The league average in scoring is down a significant five points per game, although the pace is close to what it was last season. Maybe the defense is that much better? Or some of the sideways shooting can be attributed to the existence of a few players who thought owner-player negotiations were beyond grim and started slacking in their preparation.
Unfortunately, a quality-of-play upgrade — assumed to occur through better timing, etc. — may be postponed due to another expected consequence of the season’s abbreviated walk up.
Right, players are getting injured at what seems to be an alarming rate. Well, I’m not sure what the rate is compared to the norm, because wagging an accusing finger at the NBA (even if the schedule doesn’t seem so bad) only happens to be a bonus for an attempt to make an even more important point.
What could be more important than shame-shaming the league for providing a smidgen less of the ol’ fatigueinjury fighting recuperation time between games?
That’s easy. How about embracing the greater impact these injuries may have on which teams end up in the 2012 NBA Finals?
A friendly reminder: the schedule may be slightly compressed, but the recovery time from injuries is the same … or it should be.
This means the 4-to-6-week rehab period will span two or three more games than it used to. That could be tricky in a tight race.
So … the knee injury separating Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzlies will require the Grizz to rally much like they did when Rudy Gay was injured (without any lockout assistance whatsoever) last season. Although Memphis did acquire Marreese Speights last week, they may have felt a bit less challenged at power forward in Z-Bo’s absence had Darrell Arthur not been lost for the season (torn ACL) before the season began.
It also should be noted that Coach Erik Spoelstra and the redemption-craving Miami Heat have embraced the attack philosophy of the Oregon Ducks football team. The concept goes like so: spread the floor and, instead of shooting 3s (the equivalent of passing on the gridiron), attack the rim (run the football).
As a result, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have taken about as many 3s as that typical fan ripped from the audience for a chance to win a million bucks. Also as a result, LeBron and D-Wade are going to the hoop like two-year-olds on a sugar rush. This creates more contact — meaning more crash-landings for Wade and more pain for those getting in LBJ’s way — and a tiny bit less recuperation time.
With Spoelstra eyeballing the big picture, a sprained ankle (James) and foot contusion (Wade) conspired to keep these superstars out of a recent game with the Atlanta Hawks. At post time, the Hawks had slapped Miami with it’s only defeat. Without LeBron and D-Wade … well, the Heat won in about 11 overtimes. But it could have gone really wrong or something.
Anyway, we’ve also witnessed a stress fracture in the right foot of New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez. Did this have anything to do with attempting to get ready for the season in a shorter period of time? Aw, who really knows?But Lopez may not return in time to play well enough to inspire the Orlando Magic into dealing with the Nets just in case they decide to trade Howard.
With Lopez out (and even after he returns), New Jersey appears to be lousy enough to have a great chance at drafting Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond or whoever emerges as the guy to grab in the draft.
Eric Gordon was healthy long enough to help the New Orleans Hornets knock off the Phoenix Suns on opening night. But his absence (knee) may be enough to assist David Stern’s team in ending up with two pretty sweet draft picks this June.
The San Antonio Spurs made the prognosticators look silly for writing them off, but the promise offered by an early run of triumph has been downgraded through Manu Ginobili’s broken left hand. And although it’s too bad we can’t blame the schedule for Manu’s broken hand, it does make the Spurs’ seeding a little more precarious.
What about those pesky Los Angeles Lakers? If Andrew Bynum has his semi-annual tumble, there could be slightly less schedule left than usual by the time his recovery is over. The Lakers also have to deal with the wrist injury to Kobe Bryant, who … nah, if it gets bad enough, Kobe’ll just start firin’ with his left hand.
The Golden State Warriors were expected to rise behind the genius of Mark Jackson, but Steph Curry — seemingly feeling obligated to not miss games after a long layoff — may have absorbed enough ankle pain to keep his team solidly out of the playoffs.
So, with less prep time, there seems to be a greater need for cold-tub ice and an oil change for the team gurney. Coaches will crow about lack of practice time, which is true, but they never have enough practice time.
According to one NBA assistant coach, there’s grave concern over rookies being misled by post-lockout circumstance into thinking the scaled-back practices (glorified walk-throughs, really) are typical of life in the NBA.
“They see veterans taking it easy because of the schedule, trying to save their legs,” he said, “and they think they can do the same thing.”
Yeah, that could be a problem.
But even though we’ll spend the rest of the season tacking certain tribulations on the lockout, look on the bright side.
The games are being played. Maybe we should attempt to compress our irritation into that tasty morsel.
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Howard vs. Bynum: Injuries and Super Factor Are All That Separates Star Centers
I have always been a fan and supporter of Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum and will remain so as long as Bynum is with the team. But if the opportunity to acquire Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard presents itself I would still pounce.
And I will not be swayed by delusional Lakers fans who suggest Bynum has somehow proved himself after a paltry four games.
It’s true that Bynum has been playing phenomenal basketball as of late, and his 22.3 points per game, 15.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 60 percent shooting from the field are certainly impressive.
Bynum’s return from suspension has re-energized forward Pau Gasol and cemented the tandem as one of the league’s top interior duos.
And after eight games the Lakers are still only 4-4.
The Lakers may or may not be as mediocre as their record suggests, but Bynum’s glowing numbers have yet to really reflect in the win-loss column.
Bynum’s first career 20 point, 20 rebound game against a small Houston Rockets team has been pointed to as a sign of Bynum’s arrival as a legitimate NBA superstar, but his feat pales in comparison to Howard.
Howard has been credited with 33 20-20 games in his career, but his dominance on the court goes much deeper than any numbers can measure.
Some people argue that Bynum is a more fundamentally skilled player than Howard, and I would even go a step further and say that Bynum possess natural instincts in the paint that Howard never will.
However Bynum’s skill and natural instincts cannot match Howard’s brute strength, athleticism and uncanny ability to impact a game without scoring a point.
In the Lakers recent 107-96 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers guard Raymond Felton and forward Gerald Wallace constantly challenged the bigger Lakers at the rim, and Bynum altered many of their shots.
But the same shots Bynum altered Howard would have blocked.
Wallace and Felton hit enough of those shots to win the game, but Howard’s presence would have made them think twice about venturing into the lane in the first place.
Howard has averaged 19.1 points per game, 16 rebounds and 2.7 blocks this season, but his ability to change the course of a game with his defense is what makes him a superstar.
Bynum is a great player with the potential to be special. Howard is already special, and he has the ability to be legendary.
I’m not sure Bynum can ever make that claim, even if he does manage to stay healthy for the duration of a 66 game season.
Injuries have always been the elephant in the room when it comes to Bynum, and regardless of how many points he scores or rebounds he grabs the cloud of another setback will continue to hover over his career.
Ironically, Bynum’s strong play may have given the Lakers an advantage in negotiations with Orlando, since every dominant game he plays tips the scales a little more in the Lakers favor.
In fact if Bynum does continue on this torrid pace the Lakers may be able to deal him and retain Gasol in the process.
And make no mistake, if Howard does become available the Lakers should thank Bynum for his service and bid him adieu.
Players like Howard only come around once in a lifetime, and while Bynum does have the potential to be a great NBA center, his ceiling will never be as high as Howard’s.
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Miami Heat: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to Miss Hawks Game with Injuries
The Miami Heat will have to settle for the big one as two of their best players take a night off against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN tweets both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will be sidelined with injuries in the TNT televised game.
The Heat will have to get continue their hot start without their two leaders in what will be a very tough game against the 4-2 Hawks.
The Heat stomped on the Pacers without Wade on Wednesday night, but James poured in 33 points in that affair. A bulk of the points will now have to come from the accomplished Chris Bosh and the rest of the lesser ballyhooed Heat players.
The biggest item of note is that the Heat already lost to the Hawks earlier this week in a 100-92 contest in Miami. That was with a less-than-perfect Wade and healthy James.
Now the Heat have to contend without both of the stars. We are about to see how deep this contender runs. It may be time to worry as the Heat have shown little confidence in running this team without James or Wade.
As The Sun-Sentinel reports, Wade was hurt in Charlotte but played in the next three games before sitting out Wednesday night against the visiting Indiana Pacers.
For James, the report issues, “twisted his left ankle while passing to teammate Udonis Haslem for a fastbreak layup during the third quarter of Wednesday’s victory over the Pacers, continuing on for seven more minutes.”
It’s clear that head coach Erik Spoelstra wants to get the most minutes he can out of his two stars. Now the question has to be has he milked it too much?
The answer may lie in some of the immediate returns we see in tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
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