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CHICAGO -- Twenty-three point eight seconds left, a one-point game, Vladimir Radmanovic's in, the Friday night United Center crowd is on their collective feet, where else would you rather be?

Yes, another night in paradise, which for Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau means another ugly victory, this time an inartful 87-86 win over the Orlando Magic.

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CHICAGO -- Nate Robinson summed up perfectly his entire mindset on the game of basketball and the way he plays it Friday night after he keyed the Chicago Bulls' 87-86 win over the Orlando Magic. As Robinson described why he has so much confidence in his game when it matters most, he was asked when he last felt afraid to take a shot.

"Probably the last time I've been to the doctor," he said.

The truth, as Robinson knows, is that he's never afraid to take shots. Robinson could miss a hundred shots and still believe the next one he takes is going in. It's the blessing and the curse of having him on your team, and over the past week it's been more of a blessing for the Bulls. Signed as an afterthought in the summer to a contract that wasn't even guaranteed until the new year, Robinson has become a staple of the emotional roller coaster that is Bulls basketball in a season without Derrick Rose. Robinson has provided more of a stabilizing spark than the Bulls' front office could have hoped. Sure, there are still times when Tom Thibodeau is ready to pull the rest of his hair out over the way Robinson runs the offense at times. But there are also times when Robinson takes over the game with his offensive confidence. Without Rose on the floor, Robinson is the guy who can create and make important shots, a trait that is still a valuable commodity in the league.

"He's one of the great scorers in the league," Bulls center Nazr Mohammed said. "He can get you points in bunches. Nothing's changed. He's been doing it since day one he stepped into this league and he's continuing to do it."

For his part, Robinson just tries to take it all in stride. He enjoys the moment and relishes the chance to be the difference-maker for this beleaguered team.

"I just play," Robinson said. "You guys are the ones that write all the stuff you want to write about me. I don't care. I just play as hard as I can. How I play just helps me out more playing, I guess, helter-skelter. That's the way I've been playing my whole life so it won't change."

That's just the way his teammates want it. Like Thibodeau, sometimes they are driven nuts by Robinson's shot selection. But, like Thibodeau, his teammates have come to respect the way Robinson plays. They feed off the energy he brings and they love the fact that he plays with so much swagger all the time. Robinson is like that guy at the bar whom his buddies love to have around to meet girls. Sometimes he'll swing and miss but he'll never be intimidated by anyone. He believes in himself and his game for better or worse.

"Exciting," Jimmy Butler said while trying to describe Robinson's game. "I think that's the word. When you need a basket he can go get you one. If you need a stop he can do that. If you need a yelling, overemotional short guy, he can do that too. But man, Nate's key to this team. The offense that he brings and the way he can easily shift the momentum of the game. I think that's big on every part of any team and Nate's that for us."

Some nights Robinson will drive you nuts, but there are others, like Friday, when he will do what he needs to in order to help his teammates pull out a win when they appear to be completely out of gas after playing their fifth game in seven nights. Enjoy the ride with Robinson because you never know what you'll get.

"I'm not afraid to fail," Robinson said. "You're going to have to fail a lot to succeed in this game. So for me, you just can't be afraid to take that shot. You can't be afraid to miss it or make it."

CHICAGO -- Let's take a quick look at how the Chicago Bulls pulled out an 87-86 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night at the United Center.

How it happened: Nate Robinson had another big night for the Bulls, scoring 19 points and dishing out five assists. Luol Deng bounced back from a tough start and knocked down several big shots down the stretch. He finished the game with 19 points and four rebounds. Kirk Hinrich added 13 points as the Bulls capped off a five-games-in-seven-nights stretch.

What it means: The Bulls were exhausted and still found a way to win. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau shouldn't worry about the statistics from this game … only the fact that his players found a way to win after an emotional victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night. The key for the Bulls over the last few games has been the energy Robinson is providing. When the rest of his teammates appear to be flat, Robinson injects life into a group that sorely needs it as they continue to play without Joakim Noah, Marco Belinelli, Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and Rip Hamilton. Robinson can give Thibodeau fits but he has been a solid surprise for the veteran coach and provided a more consistent approach than expected.

Hits: Vladimir Radmanovic had a solid night off the bench, scoring seven points and pulling down four rebounds.

Misses: Carlos Boozer, Nazr Mohammed and Deng combined to go 12-for-40 from the field.

Stat of the night: The Bulls shot just 21.7 percent from the field … and still found a way to win.

What's next: The Bulls have a day off Saturday before facing off against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bulls will be undermanned once again Friday night against the Orlando Magic as Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis), Marco Belinelli (ab strain), Taj Gibson (knee), Derrick Rose (knee) and Rip Hamilton (lower back) will all be sitting out.

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said the players were 'improving,' but he did acknowledge that Hamilton is probably the least likely to return at any point in the near future.

"He's coming along," Thibodeau said. "He's still ... he has a ways to go. He's the one guy that's not real close right now."

As for Rose, status quo remains the norm.

"The same," Thibodeau said of Rose's status. "Just steady progress."

BROOKLYN -- Minutes after draining the game-winning basket that would ultimately give the Chicago Bulls an impressive 92-90 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Nate Robinson summed up well the state of the depleted Bulls roster.

"It's like old-school wrestling, man," Robinson said. "Tag team. One guy goes in, tag him, the other guy goes out -- back and forth. We just got to keep playing and keep doing that and I think we'll be OK."

The Bulls were more than just OK Thursday night after a first quarter in which they shot a putrid 26.3 percent from the field. Playing without Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis), Marco Belinelli (ab strain), Taj Gibson (knee), Richard Hamilton (lower back) and Derrick Rose (knee), the Bulls managed to find a way to claw back and win a game against a team they may see two weeks from now in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Bulls have more talent in street clothes than most teams have on the floor -- yet they still managed to find a way. Robinson hit big shots, Jimmy Butler provided a major spark, Luol Deng played his usual solid game, and Carlos Boozer played one of the best games of his Bulls' career, recording 29 points and 18 rebounds. It was the type of effort that has become the norm for a team that has gotten used to playing without so many major parts.

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BROOKLYN -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Bulls' impressive 92-90 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night at the Barclays Center.

How it happened: Carlos Boozer had a monster night for the Bulls, scoring 29 points with 19 rebounds. Luol Deng added 18 points and seven rebounds as the Bulls earned one of their better wins of the season playing without Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Richard Hamilton, Marco Belinelli and Taj Gibson.

What it means: The Bulls have to be ecstatic with this win. Boozer played one of the best games of his Bulls career and was active on both ends. More importantly, the Bulls showed heart to claw their way back into this one after a poor first half. They played with the type of toughness that coach Tom Thibodeau always preaches. The Bulls always have to feel energized that if they see the Nets in the first round of the playoffs they can knock them off -- especially if they get some of their key pieces back. Given how poorly the Bulls played down the stretch in Tuesday's loss to the Washington Wizards, the Bulls will be riding high off this victory for the next few days.

Hits: Nazr Mohammed made several huge defensive plays in the final minute. He also chipped in with nine rebounds as the Bulls played without Noah and Gibson.

Misses: Kirk Hinrich was just 4-for-11 from the field and fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter.

Stat of the night: The Bulls shot 26.3 percent from the field in the first quarter ... and still found a way to win.

What's next: The Bulls are right back at it Friday night when they take on the Orlando Magic.

NEW YORK -- With just eight regular-season games remaining after Thursday, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is running out of time to make his return this season. That fact hasn't stopped Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau from maintaining optimism that Rose still may play this season.

"He's close," Thibodeau said before Thursday night's game against the Brooklyn Nets. "But he's not going to come back until he's ready. He feels a lot better but he's still not there. You guys have seen him play; his skill set is power, speed, stop, go, change of direction. So he has to make sure he's completely comfortable with that. He's close but he's not quite there yet."

Thibodeau was asked how he would define "close" considering he's been around Rose for the last three years.

"To have the ability to do it every day," he said. "Like right now, we're not doing a lot of scrimmaging because of where we are (in the schedule) so it's hard to gauge. But when we did scrimmage, I thought he looked very good. But the most important thing is him being comfortable, so we got to let him work through it."

The veteran coach can tell that Rose is still making progress and is not thinking as much about his injured left knee as before.

"I think it's instinctive," Thibodeau said. "Part of that, though, is just going to come when you get out in a game. He's gotten more comfortable, he's moving along, he just has to keep doing the things that he's doing."

How will Rose find out what he needs to know unless he starts playing in games, though? Thibodeau knows that ultimately Rose has to make the decision on his status.

"It's on him and only he knows," Thibodeau said. "So we have to trust him. And as I've said many times, I trust him implicitly. He'll know when he's ready, and when he is, he'll go."

Thibodeau said that he and Rose continue to speak all the time about how the former MVP is feeling.

"We talk every day," Thibodeau said. "We'll know when he's ready and he'll communicate that. He's very strong-willed. He's not going to be swayed by anybody. He'll know when he's ready."

Nick Friedell enters the Bulls' chat room at 1 CT Thursday.

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NEW YORK -- Tom Thibodeau said Thursday that before any decision is made on whether to shut down Taj Gibson for the rest of the season, Gibson will be evaluated by team doctors.

Gibson will miss Thursday's game in Brooklyn after re-injuring his left knee on Tuesday in Washington. Gibson, who previously missed three weeks with the injury, confirmed that an MRI taken Wednesday revealed no significant tear and that he merely aggravated the MCL in his left knee that he sprained in a Feb. 24 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"It's good news," Gibson said. "I felt like it would be good news depending on how everything [looked]. There was a little bit of swelling but it was mostly like scar tissue. The only thing about it was it was just painful.

"It shows that I still have a long way to go as far as my rehabilitation, just getting the leg strong. Because the way it buckled on me I was just on a lateral slide and it just buckled on me. It was real painful. We'll have to see how it's going to go this morning in practice, but just keep pushing."

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NEW YORK -- Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said Thursday he has finally signed the four-year contract extension he agreed to when training camp began earlier this season.

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NEW YORK -- An MRI on the left knee of Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson showed no tear of the same sprained MCL that caused him to miss 10 games earlier this season, and he will be re-evaluated on Thursday, a source said.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As Taj Gibson hobbled back towards the Chicago Bulls locker room midway through the second quarter Tuesday night, there's a very good chance he bumped into a man who was reminded yet again how dangerous the rehab from a knee injury can be.

Derrick Rose's decision not to return yet from May 12 ACL surgery has been well documented. Some fans are growing increasingly frustrated that after nearly 11 months of rehab Rose still hasn't returned to the floor. Especially since he has been medically cleared to do so and his team doctor, Brian Cole, said after the surgery that the final stage in the recovery process is playing in games.

Rose has admitted that he is struggling with the mental aspect of the process and still isn't comfortable with different parts of his game. Seeing Gibson, his good friend, hobble around on the same knee he's already injured once this year isn't going to help that process. But it's what Gibson said afterward that could give Rose pause.

"That's what happens when you rush back and try to help your team win," Gibson said after the Bulls' loss to the Wizards.

Ever since Rose said in February that he 'wouldn't mind' sitting out the whole season if his leg were still hurting, I got the sense that he wouldn't return this season. Seeing Gibson go down the way he did Tuesday night and hearing what he said after the game only reinforced that feeling for me.

Rose told ESPN's Chris Broussard recently that he would be open to returning to action during the playoffs, a feeling shared by Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau. While the idea is nice and people within the organization continue to hold out hope that Rose wakes up one day and says he is ready to play -- the reality is that Gibson's injury should only accelerate the process of shutting down Rose for the season.

What are the Bulls waiting for?

Obviously, Gibson's injury isn't the same as Rose's, but there are parallels. Can you imagine the wrath the organization would feel if they allowed Rose to come back with just nine regular-season games left and he were to re-injure himself? Gibson's injury should serve a reality check for the Bulls' front office. No matter how much they may like to see Rose back on the floor, and no matter how many times they say it would be good for him to get some game action under his belt, why are they even keeping open the possibility at this point?

If Rose doesn't feel like he's mentally or physically ready to play, then that should be the end of it. The constant distraction regarding Rose's status is just unnecessary at this point. The idea of Rose coming back and playing during a lost season in which the Bulls have already suffered a slew of different injuries to key players doesn't make much sense for all involved.

The argument that Rose should be treated the same way as any other player is laughable. Of course Rose is going to be treated differently. He is the future of the franchise. He's a commodity that companies such as the Bulls and adidas have hundreds of millions of dollars tied up in. Is the risk of having him play this season really worth allowing him to go back on the floor when there's pretty much no chance he will be able to get into any kind of rhythm with his teammates?

One of the other popular arguments is -- Why should Rose come back next year given that the Bulls roster figures to look very much the same and they still likely won't be able to beat the Heat? The difference there is that Rose will have six more months of rehab to get his body and his mind back on the same page. All of his teammates will be on the same page in training camp, and there's a much better chance that all of them will be healthy. Will they be able to beat the Heat in a seven game series? It's still not likely -- but the odds are much higher given that the team would have a full compliment of healthy players and a reinvigorated Rose running the ship.

What about Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Gibson -- the guys who have played through injury all season as Rose continues his rehab?

The answer there is simple as well. If Noah, Deng and Gibson don't feel like they are healthy enough to play -- they shouldn't play. This is actually a point that Thibodeau fundamentally agrees with. He talked about this during a pregame conversation with the media regarding his stance on resting guys in advance of the playoffs

"Respecting the game is very, very important," he said. "But I also think you have the obligation if a guy is hurt or hurting and it's best to give him the rest, then you do that. In my eyes you do what's right. You do what's right for the game."

Rose, Noah, Deng and Gibson are the future of the organization. The last thing the Bulls need is to rush one of them back when they don't feel as if they're ready in a season that in which the writing has been on the wall since last summer that this team wasn't built to win a title this season.

The Bulls learned a lesson with Gibson's injury Tuesday night -- they don't need to make the same mistake twice with Rose. If he says he's not ready to play then end the drama and speculation right now and say that he's out for the season. The risk of putting him back out on the floor when he doesn't feel like himself isn't worth any potential reward this team could garner over the next month or two with an already depleted roster.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins said the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose have made the right decision by being patient with the star guard's return from knee surgery.

Collins witnessed Rose tear an ACL in his left knee against the 76ers in Game 1 of the opening round of the playoffs on April 28, 2012. He said Tuesday he wasn't surprised Rose hadn't played in a game since.

"No, I never put a time timetable on a player," Collins said. "I had that knee injury. You look at the young kid (Marlon Brown) from Georgia. He's in the NFL combine and all. Everybody rehabs a little different.

"The one thing you have to do is when you come off a serious knee injury, the physical aspect is just one side of it. The other huge side of it is the mental aspect of it. Do you trust yourself playing in a crowd exploding off that leg? Derrick Rose plays in a crowd. He's in the crowd. He's falling. He's coming down on one leg and stuff. He has to be incredibly mentally ready to say, 'I'm ready to do those things again.' "

Rose, who has been cleared medically to play for a while but is working to regain his confidence in his left leg, is considered day to day by the Bulls. He has been traveling with the team since January and went through a shootaround Tuesday, but coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose's status has not changed.

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WASHINGTON -- Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and his players usually find ways to win close games. On Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards they found different ways to lose one.

Whether it was missed shots down the stretch (the Bulls shot just 39.3 percent in the game and managed just 17 points in the final 12 minutes), emotions that couldn't be controlled (Kirk Hinrich picked up two technical fouls and was ejected with just 3:19 left in regulation), blown free throws (Jimmy Butler and Nate Robinson missed four straight foul shots in the final three minutes) or simply plays that couldn't be made (the Bulls repeatedly missed chances down the stretch to pull out the win), this is the kind of game that will have Thibodeau pulling out the little hair that he has left.

Sure, the Bulls can point to the fact that they are banged up, already playing without Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Marco Belinelli, Rip Hamilton and now Taj Gibson, who injured his left knee again in the second quarter. The problem with that argument, while understandable, is that it doesn't hold as much weight in a game that the rest of the (relatively) healthy players knew they should have won.

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WASHINGTON -- Let's take a quick look at how the Washington Wizards squeaked out a 90-86 win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night at the Verizon Center.

How it happened: John Wall had another huge night, scoring 27 points, dishing out nine assists and pulling down eight rebounds. He was the difference all night for a Wizards team that has been streaking at home. Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists but it wasn't enough as the Bulls couldn't make plays down the stretch.

What it means: Tom Thibodeau is going to hate watching tape of this game. His team had plenty of time to pull out a win but they kept finding ways to lose. Whether it was missed shots at the basket, critical technical fouls (Kirk Hinrich got ejected late in the fourth quarter for arguing), missed free throws, or general lack of execution on offense, Thibodeau's team couldn't get it done. What will linger even more in this game is the fact that Taj Gibson injured the same left knee he already hurt earlier in the year. The Bulls are already playing without Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Marco Belinelli and Rip Hamilton, if they lose Gibson again for an extended amount of time they are going to be in even more trouble.

Hits: Nate Robinson chipped in with 17 points in 33 minutes off the bench.

Misses: The Bulls were 11-for-16 from the free throw line but Jimmy Butler and Robinson missed four straight in the final minutes.

Stat of the night: This is the eighth straight game the Wizards have won at home.

What's next: The Bulls head to Brooklyn to face off against the Nets on Thursday night.