Derrick Rose might miss the start of the season

When Derrick Rose tore his ACL in Game 1 of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers the Chicago Bulls’ championship hopes took a big hit. The final result was a six game series loss to the Sixers and an off-season wondering what if.

Today Rose underwent surgery to repair his ACL and will possibly miss the start of next season.

Of course this isn’t what the Bulls had in mind when they locked up the best record and homecourt advantage for  the duration of the playoffs. The front office will have some work to do, namely trying to improve via trade or fee agency.

Hopefully Rose can come back stronger and have the same explosiveness he had before injuries took their toll this season.

Scottie Pippen writes the Bulls a motivational letter

It was around this time last year that former NBA and Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen called out Carlos Boozer and the rest of the team for their lack of toughness. This year Pippen has taken on the role of motivator after the Bulls lost point guard Derrick Rose for the rest of the playoffs.

Pippen wrote an open letter to the team on Bulls.com to rally the troops and circle the wagons in the wake of Rose’s injury.

An open letter to the 2011-12 Chicago Bulls:


With what happened to Derrick in Game 1, it would be easy to hang your heads right now. You could lose sight of the ultimate goal and give up before the rest of the games have even been played. But I know that’s not even a consideration for this group. And that’s exactly why you’ll make me, Derrick, the organization, and the city of Chicago so proud.


To a man, it’s time for each of you to take a look in the mirror. Decide who you really are and what you represent as a basketball player. Reflect on what you have brought to the table for your team all season long and why you’re a valuable member of the Bulls. Because all of you have contributed to this team’s incredible success. Ask yourself what you can do for the team moving forward. Whether it’s through your verbal leadership or diving on the floor after a loose ball, it’s going to be all about grinding it out moving forward. If there is one piece of advice I can offer you, it’s to put every last ounce of effort you have out there to make everyone proud—Derrick, the fans, and first and foremost, yourself.


Your team has come a long way in terms of what it has been able to achieve this season. And that was done collectively, as a group. It has never been about any one individual. Yes, Derrick was the reigning NBA MVP, but he epitomizes the team concept and you all followed his lead. So it’s been the effort of the group, as well as a tremendous job by the coaching staff, which has gotten us to this point. And it’s exactly why I feel good about this team right now. You’re a group that remains together. You’ve repeatedly lifted each other up when a teammate has fallen. Now, it comes down to continuing to give your best effort every time you step on to the basketball court. It’s easy to say you’re doing that, but are you really dedicating yourself to another two months of basketball? As a player, that’s what I always wanted out of my teammates. Just make sure you arrive on gameday focused and full of energy. If guys want to just show up and take on the 76ers or whoever, well, that might not be enough to get the job done. It takes locking in on the task at hand and honing in on what you need to do in order to be successful in the NBA postseason.


While I dealt with my share of injuries throughout my career, I was fortunate to have been healthy for the majority of our run in the 1990’s. The same can be said about Michael Jordan. But, when Michael retired for the first time to play baseball in 1993, we were faced with a similar challenge to what you’re up against—playing without your best player and leader. Granted, Michael chose to step away from the game and Derrick is sidelined because of his injury, but it comes down to the players who are still out there coming together to collectively rise up as a group and win games. We exceeded a lot of expectations in the regular season, finishing 55-27. But as we entered the postseason, a lot of people had written us off and said we didn’t have a chance without Michael. There was a lot of talk about how we wouldn’t make it out of the first round and might even get swept. But we didn’t listen to any of that. We believed in ourselves and we went out to play the type of basketball that we knew we were capable of playing. We swept Cleveland in the first round and it was a great feeling. Even though we ultimately fell short and lost to New York in a second round Game 7, we all believed we could have—and should have—done better. My point is that there was never a moment where we felt sorry for ourselves or let anyone push us into any self-doubt. We stayed positive and believed that if we stuck together and played good, hard defense, we could beat any team out there. That’s what I believe you can do as well.


You lost a very important piece to the puzzle, there is no denying that. But having dealt with Derrick’s injuries during the regular season, as well as those as some of the others, gave members of the bench an opportunity to step forward as you did all season long. And every single individual on this roster has shown that they can make positive contributions to winning. Obviously the other starters in Richard, Luol, Carlos and Joakim—all All-Star caliber players in their own right—need to raise their level of game across the board to compensate for missing Derrick. But it’s the bench too that will be as important as ever in answering the call. And as we’ve seen these last two seasons, the Bench Mob is up for that challenge. You all believe in yourselves and the coaching staff believes in you too. You’ve already demonstrated you can have success without Derrick in the lineup. Now it’s time to do it when it matters the most.


As you all know, this is when it pays extra dividends to have a coach like Thibs. To me, his preparation is what separates him as one of the league’s very best coaches. It’s got to be his greatest strength. Having watched him coach night in and night out these last two seasons, this team comes ready to play, whether it’s a back-to-back or three games in four nights. He’s always ready and the job that you as players do reflects that. It’s an underrated asset to have a group that truly knows its personnel and the intricate schemes of a gameplan. Thibodeau has you ready to go every night and battle and that’s because of his attention to detail. He’s also kept you focused and prevented you from looking ahead. That’s the mentality you need as the playoffs continue—one game at a time. Execute. Play good, hard defense. Protect the ball. Even without a great player like Derrick, you are still capable of doing those things.


For the fans who don’t know, Derrick was at practice on Monday and I got a chance to catch up with him as well. Just being able to see him with our own eyes, it lifted everyone’s spirits. I could see that in each and every one of you. I could see that it was reassuring to you to know that your teammate is going to be OK, first and foremost. You become so close to a teammate like that and when you’re hearing all sorts of things through the media, it’s discomforting. But I’m glad Derrick made it to Berto and showed everyone he is hanging in there. As we look ahead to Game 2 and beyond, though, now you can realize exactly what you have to play for. With or without Derrick, the ship has to continue to sail. And as he told many of you, it’s time to re-dedicate yourselves to staying on track. I know none of you are ready to stop working and you want more than anything to win for Derrick. That’s the best tribute you could make for him. And in a way, it would very much make him a part of it. He’ll be with you the rest of the way whether he’s in the gym or not, watching and supporting. While you hate to see what happened happen, adversity often brings a team together even more than they were before. It’s all about how you react to that adversity.


As for Derrick, I truly believe he will come out of this better and stronger. If anything, it will be an eye opening experience for him. Remember, he’s still a very young player in this league. Now he knows that injuries are a part of the game. As a young player, I always thought I was doing everything I could. But the longer you play, the more you learn, and the better you’re prepared for what this game throws at you.


Just go out there and play hard. Play your best. Leave everything you’ve got on the floor. Yes, you lost one of your brothers—a warrior in every sense of the word—but I know and you know you’ve still got a lot of fight left. You’re still the best team in the NBA until an opponent proves otherwise. So go out there and play like it. You’ve earned that much with Derrick along the way, but you also won a lot of games without him. It’s time to meet the challenge.


Wishing you all the best of luck on a long postseason run.  

Just like I said last year Pippen might be the last one to talk about rallying the troops. Remember he sat out the last play in a playoff win against the Knicks in 1994 because the last play wasn’t called for him. It’s noble that he wants to see his former team do well but when it comes to some subjects Pippen might want to keep his mouth shut.

Evan Turner says Bulls are a better matchup for the Sixers

The NBA playoffs are right around the corner and we’ve already had our first brush with controversy. Philadelphia 76ers guard Evan Turner basically admitted that the Sixers are trying to dodge the Miami Heat so that they’ll get a first round matchup with the Chicago Bulls because Turner says Miami is the tougher team. Turner feels that if they get Chicago in the first round they have a better chance of winning.

In a story that appeared in the Delaware County Daily Times, Chicago native and Sixers’ guard Evan Turner thinks the Sixers would rather play the Bulls because, “It means we’re dodging the tougher team. That’s what I think.” The better team, of course, being the Heat?


“We will be able to compete well against Chicago and have an opportunity to win the series,” he said.


“We probably match up better against them even though they are, by far, the best team in the East,” Turner said. “We match up better with them with our personnel, so you never know.”


The Bulls didn’t seem to bite at the comments but Kyle Korver did call the comments “flammatory”.

“Well, all right,” he said. “I’m not going to get into a war of words with Evan Turner.


“Come play us. Our goal’s to win a championship. We don’t care who we play—first round, second round, third round—we want to go through everybody. That’s our mindset. We don’t want to go around anybody. We’ve got the one seed and we’re ready for whoever’s eighth.”


Center Joakim Noah didn’t put much stock in Turner’s comments.

“That’s cool,” Joakim Noah told reporters in Indianapolis.


“Why doesn’t it bother me? At the end of the day you’ve got to go out there and play the game, so we’re only worried about us right now and we’ll worry about Evan Turner when we need to worry about Evan Turner, if … God willing.”

The way the Sixers played after their quick start (20-8), they shouldn’t be worrying about seeing who they match up with better. They should concentrate on playing better basketball to be in a position to beat the Bulls. 

Derrick Rose asks Isiah Thomas for some winning advice

Say what you want about Isiah Thomas, but he was one of the all time greats of the NBA. In my opinion, he gets overlooked during the “golden years” of the 80s. They always mention Magic, Bird, and Jordan, but fail to mention Thomas. He was one of the fiercest competitors that ever played. For a little guy, he had a lot of heart and was one of the toughest players in the league.

Current Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose wants to win. He wants to win some championships and wants to be one of the greatest to play the game. He just doesn’t go around beating his chest saying it.

After losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals last summer, Rose sought out Chicago legend Thomas for some counsel and advice.  

Isiah Thomas said he met Rose last year after a game in Detroit and that Rose contacted him after the Bulls’ season had ended.


“He was pretty down,” Thomas told ESPNChicago.com by phone on Wednesday. “He asked me ‘How did you do it? How did you win back-to-back championships at this size?’ And my response to him was that once you understand your opponent and know your opponent better than you know yourself, you’ll win.”


Translation: Study film like your life depends on it.

Rose looks up to Thomas and despite his front office troubles, he knows that Thomas knows what it takes to win.

“… He’s somebody where in Chicago, you definitely got to look up to, especially being a guard, winning championships in this league,” Rose said. “[I] try to take things out of his game and put them into mine. But [he’s] a cool dude. I played against his son in AAU. And he’s from Chicago so I got to look up to him.”


“It’s hard to pattern your game after somebody that’s great like that,” Rose said. “If anything, he was a winner. His will to win, no matter how big he was on the floor, he was a small guy, but his passion for the game and how dedicated he was to playing the game.”


Rose, like Thomas, is enduring his share of bumps and bruises in pursuit of an NBA championship. But like Thomas he is more than willing to pay the price. Growing up in a tough Chicago environment will give you that  kind of attitude. That means being tough and doing whatever it takes to win.  

Kobe: Paul,Rose Have That "Killer Edge"

The Los Angeles Clippers may have upstaged the Lakers last night, but as far as this season and beyond remains to be seen. Chris Paul had a good game against their co-tenants, scoring the 33 on 12-for-22 shooting from the field and six assists. Not bad in his first game against his L.A. counterparts.

You can count Kobe Bryant impressed with his performance.

“He’s a dog,” Kobe told reporters. “He’s going to fight to win, and not too many teams can deal with him.



“Chris Paul is really the only other guy in the league, other than Derrick Rose, who has also that competitive edge,” he continued.

A high compliment from someone who has that competitive fire in him at all times. The only player that had that edge like Kobe was Michael Jordan. There are others that like to win (Dwayne Wade, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Kevin Durant). But Kobe loathes losing.

I really haven’t paid attention to Paul in that vain, but you see it in Rose, albeit in a quiet way.

Horace Grant Chips In About The LeBron/Jordan Debate

When Scottie Pippen came out and offered his opinion about the greatest NBA player of all time and said LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan, that ignited a firestorm of criticism. Much like Pippen has hit the current edition of the Chicago Bulls with.

LeBron came out and basically told Pippen thanks but no thanks. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote an open letter to the L.A. times and said don’t forget about the old school. And now former teammate, Horace Grant is letting Pippen know that he’s wrong. 

In an interview on Sportsradiointerviews.com, Grant let his feelings be known about this debate. 

“WOW! Pip is my man and you know we will always be close, but I totally disagree. LeBron is gonna be one of the top players to ever play the game but Michael Jeffrey Jordan, who we bump heads at times is I think in my era the best basketball player to ever play the game.”

And when he was asked if Scottie was holding a grudge against Jordan he had this to say.

“(Laughing) I hope not, I don’t think so, but you know to say that somebody, I mean listen, I’m mean I’m kinda at a loss of words cause Michael Jordan I mean when you win numerous MVPs and you’ve taken the team to six championships and probably could have been eight if he didn’t retire those two years. You know MVP’s and the playoffs and the championships I mean man he made us better, he made believe me, he, myself, Scottie, BJ, even Bill Cartwright who I still love, he made us better players. He gave us that confidence, but first we had to earn his trust and once we earned his trust man you know you saw championship after championship and as far as talent wise, that’s no man. Who do you want to take that last shot when three seconds are left in the game? Who do you want the ball in their hands the last 3 seconds? He proved that he can score the last few seconds of a ball game or if he gets double teamed that Steve Kerr or John Paxson are right there so you know I love Scottie, but I totally disagree.”

“You know this is a great country we live in. You’re entitled to your opinions but your uhh uhh…[Waddle: YOURE WRONG!] Yeah, yeah he’s wrong on this one.”

I gotta agree with Horace on this one. And he said it best when he said Jordan was the best in his era. Which is what i say all the time since it’s so tough to compare different eras. Jordan was a truly great player, but there were many before him, so you really can’t crown him or anyone for that matter as the greatest of all time.

Pippen Calls Carlos Boozer A Liability

Scottie Pippen has a lot of time on his hands. I guess that’s what happens in retirement and not having a job after being let go by the worldwide leader. In his idle time Pippen has found time to analyze the NBA from afar and have a forum to speak on his observations. He seems to still love his former team, the Chicago Bulls, but seems to take issue with the team when he thinks that certain players aren’t carrying their weight.

Of course we know that the Bulls never won until Pippen matured as a player and became a solid number two behind Michael Jordan. But he never won after he left Chicago, so trying to paint himself as the ultimate winner kind of puzzles me. If he was the Portland Trailblazers and Houston Rockets would have a few more Larry O’Brien trophies.

Pippen, the king of idle time and criticism, found more time to bash Bulls forward Carlos Boozer . First during the playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, Pippen called out Boozer specifically and his teammates for a lack of toughness and not standing up for star player Derrick Rose.  Now he called Boozer a liability. This after igniting a firestorm for saying that LeBron James is the greatest player of all time and Jordan was the greatest scorer. 

Pippen said that Boozer is the key reason the Bulls didn’t advance to the Finals.

“When you’re playing at this stage of the playoffs, the best of the best are still there and you have to have guys stepping up,” Pippen told ESPNChicago.com. “And I just felt like it finally caught up with the Bulls, who didn’t have consistent play from guys who needed to play big down the stretch. When those pieces are not falling into place, you’re going to fall out of it.

“You can’t have two of your top high-paid players sitting on the bench in the fourth quarter,” Pippen said. “And that isn’t just last night’s game. We have seen this the whole season. So for us to think the Bulls are going to go farther when your high-priced players are not going to carry you and finish games for you … you’re not talking about a championship team.



“You can’t hide at this stage of the season. At this point, you have to be able to play through everything because if you’re trying to hide a guy or a guy is not performing for you, it’s going to show offensively in the playoffs and it’s going to be magnified … We all know Carlos did not play at the level the team needed him to and that that hurt them more than anything because they couldn’t rely on him.


“The flagrant foul, the pushing calls, the inability to finish strong around the basket. Now you’re a liability. We can’t hide you and now we have to take you out of the game.”

Here some things I bet you didn’t know about the so-called great Scottie Pippen.

Game 6, at home against the Pistons in 1989: Scottie leaves the game after a run in with Bill Laimbeer. He did not return. Bulls lost. Pistons swept the Lakers for the championship.

Game 7 against the Pistons in 1990: Scottie claims to have a migraine. He goes 1-10. Bulls lose. Pistons go on to annihilate Portland for the championship.

1992- Knicks get into Pippen’s head for the entire series. MJ comes to his rescue against Oakley, Starks and Xavier McDaniel.

1994- MJ is playing baseball (well, trying to). The Bulls are down 0-2 to the Knicks. In Game 3: 1.8 seconds left, Bulls losing by 2. Pippen refuses to go back into the game after Phil Jackson calls Toni Kukoc’s number to take the last shot. Kukoc made the shot and went on to win in OT, keeping the Bulls from going down 0-3. Yet it is Pippen who gets credit for taking the Knicks to 7 games.

Pippen shot 34% in the 1996 Finals

Pippen shot 38% in the 1997 Finals

Pippen shot 36% in the 1998 Finals.

Some sidekick. I could argue that the Bulls won those championships in spite of Pippen rather than because of him. Did Pippen help MJ win. Of course. Because no player wins without help.

Although Pippen was one of the greatest sidekicks of all time, he had moments where he went into “hiding”.

From a personal opinion I think Pippen should keep his mouth shut with the rap sheet I just listed above.

The Bulls need another creator on the perimeter ( O.J. Mayo?) to team with Derrick Rose and I think they would be able to keep pace with Miami’s big three.

Carlos Boozer Throws The First Stone

Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer should pay attention to that old adage.

Boozer, who has been called out for his subpar playoff performance has started the war of words between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. In a tweet to Shandel Richardson from the Sun Sentinel , Boozer said the Heat had two great players. Boozer doesn’t see Miami’s big three as a big three. He clearly sees it as a big two and a third wheel.

Now Bosh wasn’t having the greatest playoff against Boston, but stepped it up when he had to. Bosh will have to continue his high level of play if Miami is to beat Chicago. On the other hand Boozer will have to be big in this series, especially since he let off the first verbal shot in the series.   

Scottie Pippen Calls Out Boozer, Bulls For Lack Of Toughness

Isn’t this a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Remember back in the late 80s/early 90s when the Chicago Bulls were trying to make the leap to championship contender and couldn’t overcome the rough stuff being doled out by the Detroit Pistons. Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson said it was bad for basketball and the Bulls ascended to six championships.

Now with Derrick Rose hobbled by a sprained ankle, Scottie Pippen says it’s time for the Bulls to start dishing out some rough stuff of their own. Yes, the same Pippen that claimed a migraine headache in a Game 7 against Detroit. The same Pippen that sat on the bench in the 1994 playoffs because a play wasn’t called for him at the end of the game. The same Pippen that was told “get up bitch” by a young Kobe Bryant. Hey pot this is kettle, you’re black.

Pippen had the nerve to call out the young Bulls, more specifically Carlos Boozer, about stepping it up in the toughness category and protect Derrick Rose.

‘‘You don’t give up layups in the playoffs,’’ Pippen said. ‘‘You knock a guy down and you make them go to the foul line and earn it. That’s what Derrick’s doing for the Bulls. And to me, it’s an eye for an eye.’’

‘‘They’ve all got two legs and two arms,’’ the six-time NBA champion said. ‘‘You’ve got Carlos Boozer out there who’s spending fouls and a lot of his fouls are not needed at the time that he’s giving them. Those could be hard fouls. Those could be fouls that you knock a [Darren] Collison to the floor, you knock a [Jeff] Foster to the floor.



‘‘Utilize your fouls and make them more valuable for you and your team.’’

That’s some sound advice Scott. That’s why you’re not coaching or analyzing games on the network anymore. Good thing coach Tom Thibodeau has kept their heads straight instead of listening to ‘the Pip’.

‘‘It’s playoff basketball,’’ the coach said. ‘‘You have to play hard all the time. You have to have great urgency. And we have to be ready at the start of the game. That’s the big thing. We have to do a better job of starting the game.’’

The Boston Celtics are tough without resorting to thuggery and Thibodeau is patterning the Bulls the same way. You have to be mentally tough in the playoffs, not gooning it up trying to protect teammates and not allowing a layup. Make your presence known, but do it where you’re not racking up technicals and fines.  

    

Quote Of The Week: Bill Simmons

Bill Simmons is one of my favorite columnists to keep up with. He always has a good movie/tv reference for a sports moment.

Here he is on Twitter with a reference about the Chicago Bulls.

 I watch the 2011 Bulls with the same “Uh oh, they’re hungry” look that Mickey had during Clubber Lang’s fights.