“I’m going to play in that game.”

From the horse’s mouth.

“It’s sore a little bit, but I’m getting a lot of treatment.  Right now, I probably won’t do the Skills Challenge. But every day I’m getting better. This won’t be a long-time thing.”

I’ll take it.  Although I was looking forward to Derrick whooping Jennings in the Skills Challenge.  But I’ll take it.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Tyrus’s verbal tirade on Vinny got other GMs’ attention, and they’ve been calling Bulls Management non-stop since that night.  It obviously became clear that the Tyrus’s time in Chicago was essentially over.

“Everyone understood Chicago executives are now determined to move Thomas, and a clear price has been established for suitors: Expiring contracts and a future first-round draft pick, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Bulls are also exploring ways to package Thomas with guard Kirk Hinrich to free themselves of his contract.”

I would most definitely accept expirings with a future first-round pick for Tyrus if that’s the best you can get.  You have to move him for something…why not for cap space and a future first-rounder?  It’s not like he’s an All-Star.  According to Adrian, the Bobcats apparently offered Acie Law, Flip Murray, and a future first-rounder.  Decent offer for Tyrus alone.  The Blazers have offered either Steve Blake or Travis Outlaw, both expiring, with 2 future second round picks.  Adrian suggests this is not good enough and they will have to improve upon this to be taken seriously.  I agree.  As it stands right now, the Bobcats are pursuing aggressively and are likely the front-runner.

“Bulls management is telling teams they expect to take the bidding right to the Feb. 18 deadline. The Bulls want to avoid the possibility of Thomas accepting a $6.2 million qualifying offer on the eve of this summer’s free agency, which would deliver a major dent to their salary-cap space.”

Fair enough.  Obviously you want the best possible offer you can get for the guy, and teams become more and more desperate as the trade deadline approaches.  But it goes both ways.  And every team knows the Bulls are desperate to trade Tyrus (as well as Kirk).  So far, the Knicks, Kings, Spurs, Nuggets, and Hornets are the other teams who have called the Bulls about Tyrus.  That’s a large list, so surely the Bulls will get something done by the deadline.  Now, for us fans, the waiting game begins.

“In addition to peddling Kirk Hinrich, sources say the Bulls also are exploring interest in Luol Deng, who has four years and $51 million left after this season. Trading both of them – or packaging one of them with Thomas – would provide Chicago with enough cap space to score two max free agents this coming summer, effectively placing them on equal footing with the Heat in the 2010 chase.”

Hmmmm.  Interesting.  I have some problems with it though.  First of all, trading Kirk Hinrich AND Luol Deng effectively places us into the lottery.  No way Derrick Rose can carry this team offensively without Luol Deng’s 18 points a game.  We are where we are at because of Luol Deng.  The man is having an absolute stellar season, averaging 18 points a game and 8 boards.  People complain about him because his contract is a little heavy and he probably got slightly overpaid.  But with his numbers this season, did he really?  I mean maybe, but can you really complain that much?  I know he disappears after the 1st quarter sometimes, but 18 points a game is 18 points a game.  That’s 18 points you’re going to have to find somewhere else once he’s gone.  Plus he’s very active on defense and on the glass with his long arms, so perhaps, just maybe, he’s worth what we’re paying him.  Especially, if he’s one of the pieces that helps the Bulls become title contenders once we sign whoever we sign this offseason.  If we get a superstar (and all of them probably want to see Deng stay), paired with Rose and Deng, that’ll be quite the trio on offense.  And if that happens, can you really say anything about paying him?

I think trading Hinrich is enough to do the trick to get two superstars.  You have to be realistic, and please refer back to my cap space scenario for further analysis, but if they trade Hinrich they can sign two max contracts.  With the luxury tax threshold being estimated at $61.2 million, the Bulls currently have about $20 million to spend on free agents before the luxury tax (with Salmons opting in).  Trade away Hinrich, and you have $29 million.  Two max free agents will cost you about $31.5 million.  With a bit of maneuvering, the Bulls can get from $29 to $31.5 million.  Clearly, all they need to do is trade away Hinrich.  You have to remember the NBA has a soft cap, so the salary cap means pretty much nothing.  The real cap is the luxury tax threshold because no owner really wants to surpass it, especially Reinsdorf.

The only reason I can see the Bulls entertaining offers for Deng is if they absolutely cannot trade away Hinrich.  I’m fairly confident it’s their fallback option for not being able to trade away Hinrich/Salmons and Thomas.  Assuming they can get a deal done for Kirk/Salmons, Deng isn’t going anywhere (More on Tyrus in the next post).  Plus, if you trade away Deng, you basically MUST go out and get two max guys this offseason instead of just one, or else you traded away a very solid player and got one max guy after all, when you could have had that max guy anyway without trading Deng.  It’s a risky move, and it has to be a calculated risk.  I don’t think you can trade away this type of player without an absolute guarantee you will be getting talent in his place.  I can understand them listening to offers just because you never know (as they say), but I highly doubt they are really entertaining the idea of trading him.

So if you saw this and got excited…don’t be.  Unless the Bulls are getting long term All-Star talent in return, Deng isn’t going anywhere.

“The Chicago Bulls say All-Star point guard Derrick Rose suffered “no significant injury” to his hip or lower back after a hard foul by Orlando’s Dwight Howard.

The team said Thursday that X-rays and an MRI revealed no major damage, one day after Rose left the game with a bruised right hip.

Rose will be re-examined by team physician Dr. Brian Cole in Dallas on Saturday. Rose still hopes to defend his Skills Challenge title that night and participate in his first All-Star game on Sunday.

Rose was injured about 2 1/2 minutes into Wednesday’s 107-87 loss when he got knocked to the floor by Howard on a driving layup. He clutched his lower back and was slow to get to his feet.”

The man is on his way to Dallas and maybe will even defend his Skills Challenge title.  Great news to say the least.

Derrick Rose's face says it all as he reacts to his injury before he left the court last night. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast via espn.com)

I knew they needed a miracle last night.  Instead they got the opposite.  D-Rose went down a minute and a half into the game with a bruised right hip.  He took it to the hole on a powerful drive, but ran into the brick wall known as Dwight Howard on his way up and fell straight back.  He landed on his tail-bone.  Worst case scenario…it was going to be a fractured tail-bone or hip.  Best case scenario…a bruise.  The initial diagnosis by the Bulls’ trainer Fred Tedeschi is bruised right hip.  K.C. Johnson of the Tribune spoke to Fred Tedeschi last night.

“The X-rays so far were negative. I’m not saying we’ve completely ruled out a fracture. It looks unlikely.  I’ve seen these contusions go both ways.  If there isn’t much inflammation, we can be optimistic. If there are things going on in the MRI, we’ll deal with them.”

At least we know it looks unlikely.  Let’s put this injury in perspective.  The Bulls were going to lose this game with or without Rose last night.  They were raining threes all night, and they made 12 of them.  Joakim Noah wasn’t out there to contend for rebounds against Dwight Howard, which meant Howard was pretty much doing whatever he wanted.  Now, we have the All-Star game coming up.  I know, I know.  Look, no one was more excited than I was to watch Derrick participate in the All-Star game.  I also wanted him to go out there and defend his skills challenge title against a cocky Brandon Jennings who I pray doesn’t win.  I’m hopeful that Derrick’s hip won’t be as tender by Sunday night, and maybe he can go out there and play for 5 minutes.  But in reality, I care much more about regular season games.  Many view this season as a place-holder season that will set the tone for the summer of 2010 and free agency.  I don’t.  To me it looks like the Bulls can put on another show in the playoffs if everyone is healthy.  No one, and I mean no one, wants to play 7 games against the trio of Rose, Noah, and Deng.  Plus, there are some interesting story lines brewing, such as a potential sequel to last season’s epic series against the Celtics.  So if Derrick absolutely 100% had to get injured at any point in the season, don’t you want it to be right at the All-Star break?  Of course you do.

The Bulls next six games go a little something like this: Knicks (home), Knicks (road), Wolves (road), Sixers (home), Wizards (road), Pacers (home).  So even if Derrick has to miss pretty much the rest of February (which I’m not saying is going to happen), this injury really could not have come at a better time.  I think the Bulls can handle those 6 games without him if they had to and still come out around .500, especially if Noah is back after the break.  And to be honest, I say they couldn’t win tonight without him, but that’s only because the 1st quarter totally did them in.  The Magic scored 41 points to the Bulls 17.  Clearly, the news of Rose’s injury absolutely took the air and life out of that basketball team.  They stopped playing defense, couldn’t concentrate on making jumpshots, and pretty much gave up.  I can’t say I totally blame them considering the circumstances with the All-Star break coming up and the excitement surrounding Rose’s appearance.  But the team actually got it together in the 2nd and 3rd quarter and were able to keep up with the Magic the rest of the way.  So I think they’re at least capable of being competitive against crappy teams without Rose, which should bode well for the rest of the month.  Plus, it’s a bruised right hip, he’ll be back in no time–probably in a week.

Other than that, there isn’t much to say about last night’s game.  The 1st quarter did them in.  Everyone on the Magic was making it rain.  And by everyone, I mean everyone.  Howard had 18 points and 14 rebounds in 25 minutes.  Surely, he would have had 25 board as I predicted if he played 40 minutes.  Hopefully, the Bulls put this one behind them, focus on getting healthy over the break, and come back stronger than ever.  I will be updating on Derrick’s status sporadically.  Stay tuned…

I expect Vince Carter to pretty much  have his way with Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng to dominate Matt Barnes.  So those two positions cancel each other out.  Dwight Howard should absolutely dominate on both ends of the court regardless of who the Bulls throw at him.  I’m calling it right now.  25 boards for Dwight tonight.  I say this because the Bulls shoot more jumpshots than any other team in the league, and not very well.  There are going to be a lot of opportunities for rebounds, moreso than on any other night.  Dwight’s primed for a big big night.

The keys for the Bulls to keep this close is for Derrick Rose to outplay Jameer Nelson and not let him drain to many threes.  If Derrick can do what he does on the offensive end of the court, yet stay in front of Jameer Nelson and Jason Williams, then that should bode well for the Bulls.  This team shoots a ton of threes.  And they make a ton of them, while for the Bulls it’s the opposite.  If Reddick and Jason Williams are draining threes on top of Carter and Rashard Lewis, then this game is pretty much over before it’s begun.  Rashard Lewis doesn’t like to play in the post and he doesn’t rebound as well as he should, so his game is reliant on his shooting, specifically from the arc.  If he’s on tonight at the UC, it’s over.  If the Bulls can contain Lewis, then I think they will at least keep it close.

Prediction:  Magic win 108-98.  The Magic will come out shooting hot tonight and the combination of Vinsanity, Rashard, and Dwight will be too much to handle.  I also think the Bulls will get out-rebounded about 1000 to 11.  Praying for a miracle here…go Bulls.

Luol Deng led his team to victory tonight with an impressive shooting performance. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images via espn.com)

Fairly boring game., but very good all-around effort by the Bullies.  The Bulls outlasted a Pacers team that actually should be much better than it is.  I for the most part blame the coach.  I’ll get to that in a minute.

People love to give all the credit in the world to Derrick Rose when things are going well.  A lot of people also attribute it to Joakim Noah’s growth as a player as well.  But one guy who never really gets enough credit is Luol Deng.  I want you to close your eyes and imagine that Luol Deng was healthy last season and suited up against the Celtics in the first round.  Imagine him guarding Paul Pierce.  Try to figure out who exactly would be able to match up against him and guard him.  Sure, some will say well the same can be said for a healthy Garnett.  But that’s a whole other story.  Deng would have made all the difference in the world in the playoffs last year…and maybe…just maybe…the Celtics don’t win some of those games that go into overtime with Deng guarding Pierce and scoring an extra 15 points a game with 8 boards.  But anyway….

He’s probably been the most consistent Bulls player all season.  Averaging 18 points a game and 7.5 boards,  those are pretty much All-Star caliber numbers.  People knock him for taking those 19 and 20 foot jumpshots.  But come on people, that’s his bread and butter.  He’s not shooting 40% from the field like one Danny Granger.  He’s shooting 47% from the field on the season…he’s making those jumpers.  And by doing it, he’s helping the Bulls win.

Of course, I have my gripes with him.  He goes crazy in the 1st quarter, and then he disappears.  I really don’t understand why, but it’s almost like he comes in in the 1st quarter, goes off, and then says to himself, “Okay, I’ve filled up the box score enough for the first half…I can take a breather till about late in the third or early in the fourth.”  No, Luol.  You cannot pick and choose when to shoot the ball and when to be aggressive.  You have to do it the entire game—every minute you play—every time you see an opening.  You cannot mentally shut out your opportunities and just wait till you think it’s your turn to start shooting again.  That’s not how an offensive weapon operates.  And he is capable of being an offensive weapon.

Luol had another hot start tonight, and kind of fell off like he usually does.  He, of course, turned it on again late in the 3rd and early in the 4th, and it turned out to be enough.  He finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds.  Another impressive double-double for Luol.  I have to say, he is playing tremendous.  He also shot 50% from the field.

Derrick Rose also had a nice night, scoring 21 points and shooting 9-18 from the field…identical to Luol.  This is the second night in a row that the two have had almost identical shooting nights.  And let’s face it, if both are shooting well, this team is flat out tough to beat, regardless of who they’re playing.  Derrick also added 7 assists and pretty much dominated Earl Watson and T.J. Ford on the offensive end.

Another big story tonight was John Salmons.  John added 21 points of his own on a very efficient 7-10 shooting night.  He also shot 7-10 from the free-throw line.  He still can’t make a three, but I’ll take 21 points from John off the bench.  Kirk Hinrich made up for John’s clanking of the threes by going 3-6 from the arc.  In fact, he also had a nice scoring night going off for 17 points.  Kirk goes from going 0 for the century from three to having night’s like tonight.  No player is more unpredictable when it comes to shooting.  Often times it’s frustrating, but when he has nice nights like tonight, you feel like you’re going to miss him when he’s inevitably traded for expirings.

The Bulls looked like they were going to drop this game early in the third quarter.  They were down by as much as 11, but came back strong with a huge 4th quarter, outscoring the Pacers 28-15.  It was an impressive swing and kind of showed that the Bulls are at the point where they can relax for much of a game and turn it on when they want to.  I don’t recommend it, because most times they’ll get burned, but tonight…they got away with it.  They got away with it mostly as a result of Danny Granger’s inefficient shooting and possession-killing jumpshots.  He had a typical Granger night, scoring 27 points but on 9-23 shooting.  That’s not good, but pretty much exactly what I expected.  The Pacers also lost because Troy Murphy, who was killing the Bulls in the first half, didn’t play most of the 4th quarter.  I believe Murphy had something like 18 points and 13 rebounds in the first half.  He finished with 18 points and 16 boards.  One of my keys was for the Bulls to keep Murphy off the offensive glass, and they obviously couldn’t do that in the first half, which is why they gave up 60 points and were losing.  So it’s beyond me why Jim O’Brien decided to sit Troy Murphy for pretty much the entire 4th quarter, which I believe allowed the Bulls to go on that run and dominate the glass with nobody in there to rebound except Granger.  Also, T.J. Ford came off the bench and was quite the spark-plug in the third quarter, so I also can’t really explain why Earl Watson and his 5 turnovers ended up playin the entire 4th while T.J. sat dumbfounded.  Thanks for giving us the W, Jim.

Let me add that Tyrus Thomas had a nice night.  He went 4-5 from the field and actually made his jumpshots tonight, even though he shouldn’t be taking them.  He still doesn’t realize that teams are leaving him open on purpose because they want him taking those shots.  But hey, he was draining them tonight.  He also had a pretty pass to Taj Gibson for an easy dunk in the 4th quarter.  Tyrus played the most minutes he’s played, about 28 minutes, since early January.  It’s mostly due to Taj Gibson being in severe foul trouble early, but it could also be VDN sending a message that he isn’t holding a grudge against Tyrus and will use him when he’s effective.  Tyrus finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds with a block and a steal.  Solid.

Nice mini-win streak for the Bulls right now.  They came in and won this game…barely…but they got it done like they needed to.  One more game before the All-Star break against Orlando, which will be a huge upset if they win without Joakim Noah going up against Dwight Howard.  I see that one being a loss and the Bulls being one game under .500 at the break, but I’ll take it.