Taj Gibson to Return to Bulls Soon

If you are a Chicago Bulls fan, you need to take the good news with the bits of bad news.  And, Chicago does need some good news. Taj Gibson, the versatile forward is practicing with the team and is hopeful to return to action soon, according to media reports out of Chicago.

Joakim Noah has a 32 minute restriction placed on his playing time and this will impact the team. However, if Gibson is healthy enough to play, the impact won't be as great.

The Bulls have been stretched like an un-inflated balloon. Jimmy Butler is still out with a hyper-extended left elbow and Derrick Rose may not see action until the end of the season. The question is, what kind of season will it be, with the Bulls losing 5 out of 6 games?

So far in this recent stretch, the Bulls victory in the waning moments vs. OKC at home was a highlight. In that game, E'twaun Moore made the big 3 point basket. Tony Snell had the hot hand. However, one can't expect these players to do their Derrick Rose impersonation night after night.

Starting forward Mike Dunleavy, who himself has missed weeks of the schedule with a bad ankle, is back but has not been a consistent scorer.  One game he scored 21 points. Lately, it's been in the single digits. The Bulls need offense and you can't look to Pau Gasol, who is averaging a double-double at 18.4 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game, to score every night.

Can someone lure MJ out of retirement?  He'd have to get League permission because he owns the Charlotte Hornets.

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Bullish On The Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are currently 0-2 during the NBA's exhibition season.  They fell in the last game, in OT,  111-109 against the Detroit Pistons. One fact stands out, nobody got hurt.  Guard Derrick Rose had a good first outing, a loss to the Washington Wizards.  That game cost Joakim Noah $15,000 for a skirmish.  It was a rough game.  Rose scored on some layups and hit some outside shots.  The Detroit game saw Rose in limited minutes as he still is working on adjusting to the physicality of the NBA.

One thing is for sure, this team has offensive talent.  Last year, when Forward Luol Deng was traded to Cleveland, the team's focus shifted to Noah, who became a bona-fide star in the League. Noah functioned as a point-center, like a hub around which players passed in and moved with the ball on a return from Noah.

One of those players, D.J. Augustin, a mid-season pick-up became an weapon and often lead the team in scoring during March and April.  Ironically, Augustin now plays for the Pistons.  The Bulls got quicker and bigger with the addition of Aaron Brooks, Pau Gasol, and the European big Nikola Mirotic.

The analogy is building a race car.  It takes many parts to get a highly polished, powerful roadster. Once it is built you have to take it out and test race it, giving it all kinds of situations to see how the car responds.

That is kind of where the Bulls are at now.  The team is learning to play together.  Coach Tom Thibodeau, who loves practices, said his team needed to get in the gym to practice. Now is the time.  He has to find a way to use the new players as well as a returning former MVP, with Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, and Mike Dunleavy.  Last season the Bulls often used 7 maybe 8 players in a game.  This year, the team could use 10 players.

It will be a battle for minutes as training camp winds down. The end result, is hopefully, the Bulls will be a better team. Let's say this: The Bulls second Unit, whomever that is, will be a pretty good one.

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Chicago Bulls: Enough Trading, Stay The Course

The Chicago Bulls have re-molded their roster and yet they may not be finished.  Rumors are running rampant that the Bulls might deal Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Kevin Love, the All-Star forward who averages 26 points and 13 rebounds per game.
Yes, Kevin Love is great, and his contract expires at the end of next season but he doesn't want to re-sign with the Timberwolves. 

Lebron James' move back to Cleveland shifted the power to the Central Division of the NBA, the same one that Chicago plays in.  Soon, Cavs vs. Bulls games will be must see TV.  This is all predicated on a healthy or relatively efficient Derrick Rose coming back to the Bulls after two knee operations.  Rose is poised to return a roster that features players who can score more so than in the past. Taj Gibson was runner-up to Jamal Crawford for 6th Man of the Year Award last season.  In my book, he deserved it.  He did so much for Chicago.  He played great whenever the situation called for him to do so and also played well in the 8 games that featured him as a starter.  Last season he averaged 13 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for the Bulls.  He played tough in the low post  -- was tenacious on defense when it mattered.  Simply put, I'd hate to see him go.  

Doug McDermott is a scoring Dude, pure and simple.  He has more moves than a model on a fashion shoot.  He can score in a variety of ways, and can create his own shot.  He was named the winner of the John R. Wooden Award last year, which is one of the highest awards a senior can earn.  Slouches don't win that Award. 

I think the Bulls should take a breath and let this roster of new players including Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, and Aaron Brooks, breathe and get the feel for each other. Last year, the Bulls as a team, were better than the sum of their parts.  This season, the "parts" are better, so Coach Tom Thibodeau has mixing and matching to do.  Keep Mike Dunleavy, Tony Snell, and the returning vets, and let's see what McDermott can add. 

Derrick Rose is set to return however it might take some time for him to get used to playing at the NBA level once more.  One thing is certain, it will take some time for the team to get used to Rose.  Last year Joakim Noah virtually re-made the center position with his great passing skills.  Now, Chicago has added Gasol, who can assist with the best of big men.

The roster looks good....Let's give it a chance.

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