Jonathan Daniel - Getty Images
Despite torn ligaments in his left wrist, Luol Deng could return as early as Sunday, when the Bulls face the Heat in Miami, Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting.
With speculation of surgery after the season, there isn't cause for concern that Deng will now suck until he has surgery, as it's his non-shooting hand. But while the injury is so fresh, this injury is being taken lightly if such a swift return is seriously entertained.
That left wrist is needed to max out to do all of those things that Deng does to 'glue' the team together. It's needed to fight for rebounds, establish position off the ball, create space on the dribble drive, attack passing lanes, and set effective screens.
On top of that, how is anyone comfortable with Deng checking a 6'9", 275-pound freak of nature playing the most aggressive basketball of his career in LeBron James on Sunday afternoon?
LeBron is going to brutalize whoever the Bulls throw at him because he's unguardable by any team defense, let alone any individual. With or without Deng, the Heat can play a small lineup with LeBron at the four and still be longer than the Bulls with Shane Battier, Mike Miller, and Mario Chalmers on the floor, no matter who's in the middle. In that case, Joakim Noah's a better option to check LeBron with Omer Asik in the middle because, with Deng at the stretch-four, you're forcing him to box out more and fight for more rebounds.
Erik Spoelstra's a better coach than he's given credit. And though LeBron may not be the killer, he's the most talented basketball player we've ever seen. Add that he's bigger and more the opportunist than ever before. What you then have is that beast doing everything he can to force Deng to either use the left or tie it behind his back.
In that case, the Bulls likely lose anyway with Deng losing more weeks -- if not months -- so what's the friggin' point?
Deng will be able to play without surgery and be effective with painkilling substances and keep the wrist safe with splints, bandages, tape, etc. And that time could be within a couple of weeks. But that time isn't within days.
The Pacers ended up outscoring the Bulls 50-40 in the paint and outrebounding them 44-41.Rose is the 6'3" superstar, but the biggest reason the Bulls win is because they're bigger than everyone else and they play normally like it in a league where size still kills. The Bulls had a high 31.3% offensive rebounding rate, but also allowed a very high 29.7%, according to Hoopdata. The second half was just nauseating as the Pacers scored 32 in the paint on 16-for-26 (61.5%) to the Bulls' 16 on 8-for-19 (42.1%) in a game where Indy came back from a ten-point halftime deficit to win by five [.pdf]. Do the math.
Yes, Chicago shot poorly (40 percent) while Indy shot unusually well (47.5 versus their season average of 42.1), especially Danny Granger (9-for-16 despite shooting 37 percent on the season).
Yes, Carlos Boozer (5-for-14) and Rip Hamilton (6-for-20) were shooting with blinders on.
Yes, the absences of Luol Deng (wrist) and Taj Gibson (ankle) likely affected the outcome.
But the rebounds, the layups and dunks, all the effort and hustle plays that went the Pacers’ way…
…those are the reasons the Bulls lost.
Typically, home teams win by an average of somewhere between 3.0 and 3.5 points per game. Early this year, that mark is all the way up to 4.3. Home teams are winning slightly more often (61.8 percent, as compared to 60.4 percent in 2010-11) and they're winning blowouts a lot more frequently.
1 recs | 165 comments
I'm feeling meatball-ish
I want Deng to play Sunday. I wanna win that damned game.
your friendly BullsBlogger - January 26, 2012
Win one, or win ten.
I fear that will be the choice for that one game. I don’t know that much about his injury, but from what I’ve heard, the pain tolerance cannot possibly be manageable in such a short amount of time. And I fear that the injury can only get worse guarding such a beast of a player.
If Deng does play, he should be defending the Heat’s “other” forward, put JoNo on LBJ all day long, and let Asik crash the boards. I don’t want Deng checking down the biggest physical freakshow since Orlando Shaq.
Doshi - January 26, 2012
No way we play the Heat 3 more times after this Sunday.
Deng needs to sit out at least 4 weeks before he returns. Every report about his injury (limited info) says the injury needs about 4 weeks of rest if going the non-surgical route.
illwill - January 26, 2012 via iPhone app
What I've read is that it's a pain-tolerance issue.
It’s probably better to go out and see if he can actually tolerate the pain and then if he can, fine, play him regularly. If he can’t go and get surgery and maybe he’ll be back for the playoffs. I don’t see the logic in waiting a month to see if he can tolerate the pain and then if he can’t, you have the surgery and miss him in the playoffs.
dakoose - January 26, 2012
the swelling has to go down and it's a chance the ligament will heal itself.
illwill - January 26, 2012 via iPhone app
This is pretty important.
Swelling dictates how the staff can properly immobilize the wrist.
Alex Sonty - January 26, 2012
yeah, i thought i had read
his swelling had gone down considerably. not sure where i saw that.
Jaina - January 26, 2012
Yeah, I read that too and had that in mind when I posted my comment.
dakoose - January 26, 2012
After about 7-10 days, yes...
While ligaments are still tender.
What’s risky is the amount of force LeBron applies to defenders. Deng’s ligaments have to be worse than still-tender by then. If surgery is a question, MRI’s usually show bone-on-bone.
Alex Sonty - January 26, 2012
avg for treatment is 2-6 weeks, surgery would knock him out two months
Geo4MVP - January 26, 2012
and i think deng is particularly hesitant to consider surgery
given i read an article that said his recovery time from the last one was 4 months. if it was 2, maybe he would actually consider it…
Jaina - January 26, 2012
I've read that it's more like 3-4 months recovery after surgery...
grabmesomeBOOZ - January 26, 2012
I'm pretty up-front in saying it's not a logical stance
your friendly BullsBlogger - January 26, 2012
i believe, in my heart of hearts, they can win without deng on sunday
….thats my illogical stance
piccolomair - January 26, 2012
Gotta have faith!
illwill - January 26, 2012 via iPhone app
I don't see how
Unless Boozer goes back in time 2 years
tuluse - January 26, 2012
I know lol
illwill - January 26, 2012 via iPhone app
meh, we beat them in the regular season last year
and still got our ass kicked in the playoffs. Might as well rest Deng. Beside beating them with a full roster and no Wade leaves too many what ifs
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
If Joakim Noah tries to guard LBJ
we will lose… badly.
Not saying Deng should play but I don’t think that’s the right strategy.
dp8292 - January 26, 2012
Noah?
It will be Ronnie.
dakoose - January 26, 2012
On the wings and at the point, without Deng, yes.
Alex Sonty - January 26, 2012
In the post, it's the only option...
Few players with two good hands can take him down there. This is only in that case where Battier and Miller are on the wings with Chalmers at the point. That lineup moves LeBron inside. On the dribble drive, he’ll get around a one-handed Deng and it’s absolutely all on Noah and Asik to help.
Alex Sonty - January 26, 2012
I don't get what you're saying.
It’s not like the Bulls know where Lebron will be generating his offense, so if he starts on the wing and then goes down to the post, it’s not like Noah will be able to just switch onto Lebron.
dakoose - January 26, 2012
Zone hybrids.
The way Noah floats, this is more possible than you’d think.
Alex Sonty - January 26, 2012
Then you're basically calling for double teams,
because in the second it takes Brew to leave and for Noah to step over, Lebron’s gonna already be walking the other way after wetting a mid-range J.
dakoose - January 26, 2012
what the hell are you talking about
its not like we dont have recent footage of the bulls playing miami. Its exactly as Alex put it, lebron would get past deng or brewer or whoever was on him, then noah or asik would pick him up and stick with him and keep him from getting inside. Noah is certainly one of the few big men who can actually play MAN defense on lebron for a short period of time, and asik turned out to be one of those as well. Lebron really killed us with his long range jumpers last year, not his drives inside.
piccolomair - January 26, 2012
Lebron killed the bulls in every way in the playoffs.
From distance, on fast breaks, in the half court, mid-range, paint. He made threes and got to the line like crazy(44 attempts in 5 games). And don’t say I didn’t warn you; if Lebron gets picked up by Joakim or Omer in the post, or anywhere else for that matter, its a basket or a free throw most of the time. This fallacy that Noah can guard Lebron, even in a mediocre fashion, needs to end. Noah couldn’t even d-up Hibbert last night. The Bulls best bet against Lebron is Ronnie or Lebron on him and maybe a big rotating once he gets near the rim. Lebron typically posts 10-14 feet out, if you bring out Noah or Omer that far, they’re finished.
dakoose - January 26, 2012
i dont think me nor alex are saying
that noah is a freakin lebron stopper, big men on quick athletic wings usually puts the bigs at the disadvantage. However your utter dismissal of noah or asiks defense on lebron is absurd. The bulls defense literally hangs on the fact that noah and asik and taj are capable of not just impeding incoming guards but then chasing them out of the paint and contesting their jumpers.
Lebrons post up isnt going to work any many centers in this league, and its definetly not gonna work on noah or asik, im not sure how this fact can ever be disputed. His post up isnt even all that refined, he still has trouble against guards when posting up.
I think you are for some reason assuming alex is saying that lebron will pick up lebron james right off the bat. I dont think that is what alex is saying at all. he is just saying that more than usual noah and asik are gonna have to be attentive because the guy who can keep lebron at bay the most, deng, will not be in the game and so lebron will constantly find ways to get near the rim and it will be up to those two to keep lebron from getting into effective space.
piccolomair - January 26, 2012
I'm saying that I disagree.
I don’t particularly for Noah’s man to man defense; I think he’s a solid help defender, but nothing special there either(the luster is off of Noah altogether, for me).
I like our chances of guarding Lebron with either Brewer or Deng over anyone else in any situation, whether it be in the post or on the perimeter. Honestly, all I want from Omer and noah against Bron is to contest his shots at the rim. I don’t want them switching onto him in any other scenario. To me, Brewer and Deng each have the right combo of thickness, height, length and quickness to stay with him.
dakoose - January 26, 2012
jimmy would lock lebron down
sin - January 26, 2012
::flashbacks::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWpGp8XXAGw
your friendly BullsBlogger - January 26, 2012
gotta respect jj's bounce/hop/run fast after getting dunked on/it-aint-a-big-deal attitude
Belize - January 26, 2012
we sure could use him now
He’s ripping it up in toronto
sin - January 26, 2012
Who doesn't rip up in toronto...
T.Moore - January 26, 2012
no, and no
where do you get that?
your friendly BullsBlogger - January 26, 2012
he's playing more than 0 minutes dude!!
sin - January 26, 2012
He's had a few decent games.
Nothing spectacular and obviously he was motivated to prove himself playing against us. These are not the droids you are looking for. Move on.
Sandberg's evil twin - January 27, 2012
gibson will def be important too
hes a solid interior defender. Him and deng are gonna have to double team him if lebron starts to go apeshit.
Geo4MVP - January 26, 2012
He won't
You don’t have to double team Lebron. The Cavs didn’t even double him even though Lebron complained about being double teamed during the game.
Rebound and limit their threes.
NBA Observer - January 26, 2012
Anybody have a Gibson injury/status update?
Bill Cartwright's Elbow - January 26, 2012
i believe tomorrow or sunday
Jaina - January 26, 2012
"But the rebounds, the layups and dunks, all the effort and hustle plays that went the Pacers’ way…"
I concur, that and the refs are basically why we lost the game. The bulls came out with low energy in the third quarter as well and the bulls took too many jump shots in certain stretches which allowed the pacer to come back into the game.
Slick Ric - January 26, 2012
that rose quote is awesome
but shut up and just kick there ass next time
Belize - January 26, 2012
Like when he remembered the GSW game...
Rudey - January 26, 2012
More like when he remembered those clippers and kings games.
Slick Ric - January 26, 2012
The number of easy tips and dunks Boozer, Noah and Asik
are missing is starting to drive me crazy. I think we should hire Shaq to teach our big men how to dunk the ball. There must be some secret, because they don’t get it. If I had any long term worries about this team, its the continued diminishment of our paint dominance.
Basketball Smurf - January 26, 2012
i think the secret is being a man
sin - January 26, 2012
Are you saying Jo's sister has taken his place on the Bulls?
I’ll allow that…
Basketball Smurf - January 26, 2012
depends
Belize - January 26, 2012
You're so wise.
jpx7 - January 27, 2012
I hear you
they miss too many bunnies around the rim. Especially boozer, he’s an offensive player, so its no excuse for him.
Slick Ric - January 26, 2012
noah is becoming a disaster.
he cant shoot or finish. he cant defend his own position and he is overrated as a help defender because he lacks length and doesnt seem to be as mobile as he used to.
its amazing how crappy his scoring skills are. i remember in the 4th quarter naoh sealed off his guy about 5 feet from the basket and derrick hit him in the chest with a pass. noah catches the ball, looks panicky, does a fadeaway lefty hook which does not come close to going in. awful stuff.
“but his numbers were good.” it doesnt matter. after the 09’ playoffs wayne winston derided noah by calling him a “stat stuffer”. i think thats right, and i know id rather have kurt thomas of last year than noah.
TheMoon - January 27, 2012
"i know id rather have kurt thomas of last year than noah."
You’re crazy.
jpx7 - January 27, 2012
lol
Completely insane
MartyMondays - January 27, 2012 via mobile
Omer's gotta start hitting free throws too..He seems worse this year than last year.
And just a side note… Funk’s getting worse; for me at least. He was painstakingly unbearable yesterday, to the point I was almost happy Hibbert was hitting in the post….
Yibs - January 26, 2012
Omer "seemed" worse
I dont think he airballed last year lol…I hope someone stops caring how they look and just do the granny shot damn…
T.Moore - January 26, 2012
I would rather Deng sit the Miami game if the swelling on the wrist hasn't come down completely yet.
There’s no reason for him to push it. If it’s a pain tolerance thing, and he’s not in too much pain, I guess it’s okay. But part of me thinks because of his past injuries and the knock on him not being able to tough it out at times, not being there for his team, might make him come back earlier than what would be ideal. Maybe the injury prone label is still in the back of his mind and he wants to prove to everyone wrong. It’s all conjecture on my part. Obviously I don’t know what goes on in his mind, I’m just trying to find reasons as to why he’s in such a hurry to get back.
BlackStar - January 26, 2012
because deng, like everyone else, hates miami with a passion
piccolomair - January 26, 2012
That, and they're obviously still upset about how they played in that series. But just like
how the Pacers were all giddy and celebrating after defeating the bulls last night, the Bulls shouldn’t take a win or a loss for this particular game to heart. It’s how they play them during the playoffs, if they end up matching up with each other again.
BlackStar - January 26, 2012
He really seems to get up for playing Lebron
This got mentioned the past two years (I really remember people commenting on it in the 2010 playoffs). He seems to have this attitude like “I don’t see what the big deal is about this guy.” Then he really brings it. Like that sick behind the back move he put on Lebron.
tuluse - January 26, 2012
I wish I could say I recorded it
owned
SidM - January 26, 2012
Luol Deng: Making Lebron Look the fool since 2005,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc83b_LBdSw
piccolomair - January 26, 2012
seriously though this deng thing is so dumb.
Always struck me as the smartest player on our team for some reason but this rushing back just sounds dumb.
sin - January 26, 2012
agreed
its pretty dumb….
piccolomair - January 26, 2012
There's different kinds of smart
Knowing how to play defense doesn’t mean you make good life choices.
Just ask Scottie Pippen.
tuluse - January 26, 2012
I think we need to stop pretending like we know the exactly what's going on in his wrist
We’re all just guessing at this point.
If he says he can go on Sunday, sure that sounds kinda silly to me, but I’ll just trust in the fact that him and the team doctors know a lot more than I do, and hope for the best. Kobe has a ligament tear in his wrist and hasn’t missed a game. And that’s not to say that Kobe’s a tough guy or whatever, just that everyone is different.
Juiceboxjerry - January 26, 2012
yeah, at this pt i have trust deng knows what hes talking bout.
dont get me wrong, i would want him to rest for couple of weeks and come back later, but there is no pt to keep guessing how bad his injury is or the current state his wrist is in.
Geo4MVP - January 26, 2012
and wouldn't it be great if kc breaks a story about thibs forcing deng to come back early later in the year?
That’d be fun.
sin - January 26, 2012
pfft
it’d be buried in a mailbag 6 months after Thibs is fired
your friendly BullsBlogger - January 26, 2012
Does he even do those anymore? Haven't seen one in forever
Juiceboxjerry - January 26, 2012
taste some Thibs love
KC
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
Deng vs. Heat
why is everyone so flustered about Deng possibly playing Sunday vs. Miami? Kobe has the same injury, actually worse, because it’s his shooting hand and he is logging 38 minutes a game and nobody’s fussing about that. Deng is a warrior, and should be praised for opting out of surgery and sacrifice his body for his team. True baller right there.
thewindyapple - January 26, 2012
Kobe needs to play so the Lakers even have a chance to make the playoffs
Deng needs to be healthy so we can have a chance at winning a championship. Totally different situations.
Basketball Smurf - January 26, 2012
both are torn ligament injuries
but are they even the same ligament? Kobe has a torn lunotriquetral ligament…unless I missed something, it hasn’t been reported which liagment Lu has torn.
NormVanBeer - January 26, 2012
it was reported that it WASN'T
the same injury as kobe actually. one of the guys in the other thread speculated as to which ligament it was but it hasn’t been officially reported.
Jaina - January 26, 2012
sources said
doctors said he can’t damage it any more by playing on it. If pain and swelling is down Sunday, I don’t see why he shouldn’t be out there playing.
thewindyapple - January 26, 2012
Chris?
chicity773 - January 26, 2012
Thibs?
NormVanBeer - January 26, 2012
KC was on 670 this morning
and said that the actual tear is worse than Kobe’s
your friendly BullsBlogger - January 26, 2012
ahh, though at least it's not on his shooting hand
but looking back on it, kobe got injured in the first preseason game – monday the 19 – played against the bulls the 25th. so i mean… i dunno. if the swelling has gone down and the injury has stabilized enough for them to be able to wrap it up sufficiently, it’s not unheard of i guess? not that what kobe’s doing is necessarily the right thing.
but yeah, looking back to articles about kobe, compared to the ones about deng, def seems like kobe’s injury is less severe.
Jaina - January 26, 2012
agreed
I’m surprised Sam has yet to say anything about Lu’s brittle ligaments yet
NormVanBeer - January 26, 2012
I'd love he followed up on that and explained "why" it's worse
Juiceboxjerry - January 26, 2012
Kobe actually had a paper cut and that was followed by... drama
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
waiting for Sam to talk about sudanese ligaments....
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
i mean i hope he's not rushing for the sake of rushing
but he’ll have been out for a full week on sunday and hope he will use his best judgment as to whether he can actually handle it. if he’s been told he can’t injure it further, and can wear a guard or something, if it’s just a matter of pain tolerance then… why not.
Jaina - January 26, 2012
agreed!
thewindyapple - January 26, 2012
Lets go beat up on Miami
Rose I love you kid but don’t worry about Indiana. This is the reason a lot of people have said that we are not going to win as many games as last season (except for the lockout) is that teams know we are a great team so teams are going to play us harder every night.
I said it here first: If the Bulls have the best record in the league at the end of the season we will win the NBA championship GURANTEED.
lshaffer_69 - January 26, 2012
And you can take that GURANTEEE to the bank! Amurrica! Fuck yeah!
Dogfishhead - January 26, 2012
Neither of you spelled "guaranteed" correctly, btw.
But yea: fuck yea!
jpx7 - January 27, 2012
didn't spell 'merica right neither
boyonthedock - January 27, 2012
At least that was phonetically "correct."
I would have accepted “GARUNTEEED” as a purposeful misspelling, but there’s just no excuse for “GURANTEED.”
jpx7 - January 27, 2012
guaran
SHEED!
THIS MEANS WE NEED SHEED
Prevenge - January 27, 2012
Lol, what happened to the best regular season teams from last season?
dakoose - January 26, 2012
Last year was different
We kind of came up from the middle of the pack. Shit I had us at 4 or 5 in the east and ready to play Orlando. But they surpassed that goal. This year everybody know who the bulls are. DRose with the MVP. Now when team play us they have it marked on there calendar. So if we have the best record at the end of the year that means we have played every team with there best ability.
lshaffer_69 - January 26, 2012
No foul here...but seriously, where's that hand coming from?
jrobulls - January 26, 2012
Hibbert....
T.Moore - January 26, 2012
That't not his hand
Stacey_Is_King - January 26, 2012
its like that boston orlando game
when j-rich just jumped off the bench (in mid game) to play defense….
piccolomair - January 26, 2012
And the refs i think
Didn’t T him up for that…smdh
T.Moore - January 26, 2012
Yes it is
He’s the black Mr Fantasic!
T.Moore - January 26, 2012
Thing?
Belize - January 26, 2012
lol
blackoutsox - January 26, 2012
It's not hibbert
Idk who it is, but there’s someone directly behind Noah. if u look by his waist, on the right of the pic, u can see fingers and the yellow stripe of The pacers jersey and if you look at the hand of the mysterious person that’s all across Noah’s face, you can kind of see an ear (I think) that’s not his obviously.
Timtation - January 26, 2012
its probably collison
its someone short
piccolomair - January 26, 2012
Might be David West,
that arm has a band on the elbow and I think West wears one of those.
dakoose - January 26, 2012
It is.
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/photos?gameId=320125004&photoId=1813917#photo_1814484
chicity773 - January 26, 2012
we have to solve this mystery before we die
Who the fuck hand is that?
Slick Ric - January 26, 2012
"Those aren't pillows!"
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
inkybreath - January 26, 2012
One thing that has changed ovver the years is how physical the NBA and College level are
For one example is now a lot of the player wear mouth guards and some elbow and need pads. in 20 years the game will be played with shoulder pads
lshaffer_69 - January 26, 2012
probaly had a 6th Pacers on the floor
the refs wouldn’t call it anyway
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
Why not get him to play against the bucks 1st?
He could kinda feel out the pain and see if it’s possible to play through.. I wouldn’t want to risk him against LeBum for his first game back
chibully_85 - January 26, 2012
wow, how quickly i forget that commenting on ESPN...
is like shopping on Black Friday…
inkybreath - January 26, 2012
yes, pointless.
obnoxious american - January 27, 2012
It's somehow less casually racist than your average youtube comment, somehow.
boyonthedock - January 27, 2012
Little update from Gar:
Nick Friedell
Juiceboxjerry - January 26, 2012
good to hear that. I hope it doesnt effect his performance significantly on offense. The good news is also hell have fresh legs against the heat this sunday (knock on wood)
Geo4MVP - January 26, 2012
I read all of that and all I fucking got out of it was that once again this shit is "a process"
sin - January 26, 2012
Learning that it's a process is, itself, a process.
jpx7 - January 27, 2012
interesting
that Gar makes it more than clear that it’s not just Lu’s decision to come back…contrary to how Thibs made it sound like it was strictly up to Rose when he wanted to return.
NormVanBeer - January 26, 2012
One of the finer politicians of the world
So vague and yet so well spoken
Option27 - January 26, 2012 via mobile
thats why they made gar the GM
First off his blood pressure doesnt spiral out of control and he always knows how to evade tough questions and smooth things over with a silky line of BS that the media will eat up. Boring, noncontroversial and looks like bert. I wouldnt have him any other way and someday I hope to meet him again.
anorexorcist - January 27, 2012 via mobile
its not a process anymore
Its a great process!
Belize - January 26, 2012 via mobile
Who needs pain tolerance when you have superhuman healing like freaking Wolverine?
paxson43 - January 27, 2012
i forgot gar exists.
obnoxious american - January 27, 2012
On the Scal play
KC
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
Lol.
In practice.
dakoose - January 27, 2012
I was fine with it
losing to the pacers is a necessary risk when the reward is SCALABRINE GAMEWINNER SPORTSCENTER HIGHLIGHT OF THE CENTURY
boyonthedock - January 27, 2012
Still MJ...
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
damn, do these people have retrograde amnesia? I would put Larry Bird as a more talented player than LeBron.
Geo4MVP - January 27, 2012
i think people classify talent as physical ability.
i find it vague.
obnoxious american - January 27, 2012
yeah, then people dont know the definition of talent then
Geo4MVP - January 27, 2012
yup
in that case, James Johnson is also one of the most talented players ever
ThorCo - January 27, 2012
Don't sleep on Jimmy Johns....he never got a chance!!!
Trey23 - January 27, 2012
damn he was fat, no weight room in Wake Forest?
Trey23 - January 27, 2012
the great player and his mentor
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
he got too many chances
to be traded
Belize - January 27, 2012
That shirt on Vinny
amazing, it accentuates his hair, however, the buttons should be unbuttoned to let the hamburger meat hang out his chest, and for a guy named Vinny, that shirt is far too loose fitting
ThorCo - January 27, 2012
Vinny: “Alright James, I promise I’ll play you in tonight’s game if you protect me from this Paxson fella. Deal?”
James: “Deal.”
Vinny: “Alright, follow me”
Juiceboxjerry - January 27, 2012
I think it's a combination of athleticism and skill
However, what about Oscar Robinson?
tuluse - January 27, 2012
Part of me thinks
“When is he gonna stfu” Just “ruin” your team….
T.Moore - January 27, 2012
Bad move by Rose. He should have kept this thoughts to himself
now the Pacers will play even harder on him and if he doesn’t play very well ESPN douches will burn him
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
not really, he has done this before couple of times before
Geo4MVP - January 27, 2012
not with a turf toe and other players injured as well...
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
well jus have to see...
i like that rose said…
Geo4MVP - January 27, 2012
There's surprise that Deng's thinking about playing?
I’m half expecting Bob Love to suit up and a zombified Norm Van Lier (RIP) to be ready to stagger out there. Seems like everybody wants in on this action and who could blame them.
Locust_Inferno_666 - January 27, 2012
sam's fuckin lost it.
obnoxious american - January 27, 2012
lol, my dad actually was talking about this too
but i think he was convinced after i told him no way.
but honestly… if the playoffs started today, they’d have to go through miami to get to us anyway. we could very well not even have to face them anyway.
Jaina - January 27, 2012
"It" has been lost for Sam for a while now.
jpx7 - January 27, 2012
this one seemed really through the looking glass to me.
obnoxious american - January 27, 2012
The Pacers remind me of the baby Bulls
they have a lot of energy, a lot of will and some talent. But when playoff time comes they will face the hard truth
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
"You have fun now, Granger but try shooting > 50% over me"
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
(true story)
doesn’t happen
JustAnotherFan - January 27, 2012
taj is set to return tonight!
never thought i’d be that excited, lol.
Jaina - January 27, 2012
Bust out the hard-hats!
And fresh lunch-pails all around!
jpx7 - January 27, 2012
Ol' man gibson is dragging his creaky bones out onto the floor, eh?
boyonthedock - January 27, 2012
creaky old bones.
old.
obnoxious american - January 27, 2012
already had Ol' man gibson
can’t have 2 olds in the same sentence.
boyonthedock - January 27, 2012
Might not need surgery at all? Dr Sam is at it again
Sam Smith
Option27 - January 27, 2012
I enjoy how precious little real information is contained in that response.
Sam should just rename his blog Musings.
jpx7 - January 27, 2012
The sheer number of injuries worries me.
Mostly because it starts being a shell shocked situation. Like Deng the medical staff might very well allow a player to play far too soon when so many others are out on any given day. No one wants to see the Bulls embarrassed against the Heat but if it means we are better off come playoff time I’d rather us lose this game. Thibs can’t seem to stop himself from playing Rose or Deng a ton of minutes when they are available.
Sandberg's evil twin - January 27, 2012
Taj plays Sunday. Luol sits.
I don’t want to hear another word about it!
El Toro de Goro - January 27, 2012
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Blog a Bull to post a comment.