ESPN

CHICAGO -- Down 17-5 midway through the first quarter the Chicago Bulls knew something had to change. This wasn't how they wanted to begin their first home playoff game, and considering what the Brooklyn Nets did to them in the first half of Game No. 1, the Bulls knew something had to change fast.

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- Let's take a quick look at how the Chicago Bulls pulled out a 79-76 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night at the United Center in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Bulls lead the series 2-1:

How it happened: Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng led the way for the Bulls all night. Boozer racked up 22 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists while Deng added 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists of his own. After getting down 17-5 to start the game, the Bulls controlled the tempo and did whatever they wanted on both ends. Kirk Hinrich once again played solid defense on Nets guard Deron Williams and set the tone for the rest of the night. Williams finished with 16 points, but Hinrich's persistence didn't allow the Nets to set up the way they would have liked.

What it means:The Bulls played exactly the type of game they were hoping for. They were the more aggressive team and played to their strengths. Their defense didn't let up and clogged up lanes all over the floor -- forcing the Nets into shots and plays they didn't want to make. Boozer's and Deng's play has to make coach Tom Thibodeau feel very good about the rest of this series. They were seeking their own shot and made plays when the Bulls needed them. With the way the Bulls' defense has played -- and the Nets continue to shoot -- Thibodeau and his team have to feel very good about their chances heading into Game 4.

Hits: Hinrich had 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, but it was his defense that was on point again.

Misses: Joakim Noah was 0-for-7 from the field, but his teammates fed off his presence on the floor and he managed to pull down eight rebounds on one foot.

Stat of the night: The Nets shot just 22.5 percent from the field in the first half.

What's next: Game 4 is Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT in the United Center.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose was officially ruled out of Game 3 of their playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, but coach Tom Thibodeau still refuses to shut the door on a possible return this season.

"We've said this all along," Thibodeau said. "If he's ready to come back, he's coming back. And that's no matter when it is. So if it's a week from now, great. If it's not, then that's fine too. We just got to keep moving forward."

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- In the midst of the Chicago Bulls' preparations for Game 3 against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, Grantland's Bill Simmons offered up a reminder that no matter what happens over the next few weeks, the Bulls always must keep an eye on the future.

It's a reminder that the Bulls front office didn't need because it's been their motto throughout this season without Derrick Rose and myriad of injuries to key players.

In the second part of Simmons' annual ranking of the NBA's top 50 players, he comes to the 20th spot on his list: Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He references the fact that Love has an opt-out clause in his current deal that would allow him to become a free agent after the 2014-2015 season. That's when the Bulls become involved, with Simmons noting that Love would very likely opt out of his deal. Simmons believes the Bulls are the likeliest suitor for Love:

"The Bulls have big contracts to make the trade work (Luol Deng on the enticing side, Carlos Boozer on the less enticing side); they're loaded with assets like Jimmy Butler (no. 49 on this year's list), the rights to Mirotic (a high lottery pick if he entered this year's draft), and the rights to Charlotte's future no. 1 pick (top-10 protected in 2014, top-eight protected in 2015, unprotected in 2016); and they're a big-market contender with a superstar in house (so they could keep Love for the long haul).

Simmons doubts the Wolves could turn down a deal that includes Boozer, Butler, Mirotic and the Charlotte pick.

There are a lot of different layers to this proposal. Let's break them down individually.

(Read full post)

ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell takes your Bulls questions during a live chat at 2 p.m. CT Thursday. Click here to submit your questions.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chicago Bulls point guard Nate Robinson said Monday that he and Brooklyn Nets point guard C.J. Watson don't like each other.

"We're just competitors," Robinson said after the Bulls evened their Eastern Conference quarterfinals with the Nets at one game apiece. "I don't like him, he don't like me. That's how it's going to be. There's animosity between the two of us, and for us, that's good."

Watson said Wednesday he heard about Robinson's comments when he came into the gym for practice.

"I mean, he can say whatever he wants to say," Watson told ESPN New York. "I'm just trying to win at the end of the day, so that's what it is."

But is the feeling mutual?

Watson chuckled, before saying, "I mean, obviously you know we don't like each other. I mean, I really don't talk to him off the court. It is what it is."

Both players have been extremely effective coming off the bench in the first two games of the best-of-7 series. Robinson is averaging 14 points, while Watson is averaging 12 points.

Game 3 is Thursday night at United Center.

"This series isn't about me or Nate," Watson said. "It's about trying to go out there and win. If it was anyone else that I was mostly going up against -- if I was mostly playing against Kirk Hinrich -- I mean it'd probably be the same against him. So it's not just me against Nate, it's about being competitive and trying to go out there and win and not backing down and not trying to lose."

"When you don't like somebody and you're playing against somebody, you want to destroy the other person," Robinson said Monday. "You want to shut that person down. You want to do good, so for me, it's just a lot of confidence.

"He makes it competitive, and that's how it should be. That's how the game should be played. When you play against guys on other teams, you shouldn't like them."

It's unthinkably misguided that Derrick Rose's continued rehab of a career-threatening knee injury has become a referendum on his manhood, that something as vague as being "cleared to play" suggests not being in the lineup one year after suffering an absolutely devastating injury means he's shirking his responsibility or is some kind of slacker. It's unthinkably misguided that we're more interested in Rose proving his toughness than in his long-term viability or what makes the most sense in terms of the Bulls getting back into championship contention in reasonable time.

Read the entire column.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah said he feels better as he continues to deal with plantar fasciitis in his right foot and expects to play the same amount of minutes in Game 3 that he did Monday.

"I'm actually feeling a little better," Noah said after going through most of Wednesday's practice. "And just doing everything I can to keep the pain under control. It's an exciting time of year, and I'm just happy to be a part of it."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau seemed optimistic about Noah's progress and wanted to keep him on the same course. Noah gutted out 11 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes during Monday's win over the Brooklyn Nets, tying the series 1-1. Thibodeau was hesitant to say whether Noah will play even more minutes, but he was happy that Noah was able to move around during practice.

"We'll see," Thibodeau said. "We'll see after shootaround [Thursday]. But it will be roughly the same, same ballpark."

(Read full post)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson did not practice Wednesday due to plantar fasciitis (left foot) and will be listed as a game-time decision for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Read the entire story.

NEW YORK -- Carlos Boozer stood proudly in front of his locker late Monday night after the Chicago Bulls' Game 2 victory and offered up an easy explanation as to why his team could bounce back so well after such an embarrassing performance in Game 1.

"We're pros," Boozer said. "We're pros. We make adjustments just like any other team. We have a team full of veteran guys that have been in the playoffs before."

Understandably, much of the talk after the 90-82 win centered around the fact that the Bulls' defense tightened up and forced the Brooklyn Nets into a more rigid game. What shouldn't go understated is the fact that the Bulls never panicked even after critics wrote them off on Saturday night. They always believed they could win this series and they proved they could respond in a major way on Monday.

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- As Joakim Noah clomped victoriously up and down the court on his busted wheel Monday night, gritting his teeth through 25 inspired minutes of bad playoff basketball, the NBA nation turned its critical eyes to Derrick Rose sitting on the bench, resplendent in his suit, watching the game unfold around him.

Two players connected by friendship and uniform and right now, symbols of different athlete archetypes, The Selfless and The Selfish. Forget the truth, print the legend.

Once the patron saint for doing things the right way, St. Derrick of Englewood is now being flogged by fans and reporters inflamed by impatience and distrust.

Read the entire story.

CHICAGO -- It might have been a lost season on the court for Derrick Rose, but because of insurance, the Chicago Bulls are covered.

Under NBA rules, every team has to pay for insurance for their top five-paid players, if offered by the league insurance policy issuer, MetLife.

According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the insurance policy kicks in after a 41-game deductible. When that is reached, the team gets back 80 percent of the remaining base salary. Since Rose missed the entire season after May 12 ACL surgery, the Bulls will get $6.561 million back from Rose's $16,402,500 salary. An insurance industry expert confirmed if Rose were to miss all of next season, the team would get back 80 percent of his total salary.

MetLife offers insurance to teams on an annual basis, but the insurance company can put exclusions on certain players or even body parts. If that happens, the team can opt out of the plan and try to find another insurance plan. As Larry Coon's salary cap website, cbafaq.com, notes, Luol Deng was excluded in 2008-09 because of a history of back injuries.

That's also what happened when the New York Knicks signed Amar'e Stoudemire to a $100 million deal in 2010. His well-documented knee problems, which included micro-fracture surgery, were deemed uninsurable.

But despite a widespread belief that Stoudemire's troublesome knees and eyes aren't insured, an insurance industry source confirmed the Knicks were able to find supplemental insurance for those body parts. He would have to miss 41 consecutive games for the Knicks to recoup any salary.

Given his age and lack of injury history before last season, Rose was easily approved by the league plan, giving the Bulls, a first-time payer of the luxury tax, a slight financial relief.

Chicago Bulls guard Nate Robinson doesn't hide his dislike for the Brooklyn Nets' C.J. Watson. In fact, Robinson views it as a positive.

"We're just competitors," Robinson said Monday after helping the Bulls even their Eastern Conference quarterfinals at a game apiece. "I don't like him, he don't like me. That's how it's going to be. There's animosity between the two of us, and for us, that's good."

(Read full post)

NEW YORK -- The tone of the Chicago Bulls' hard-fought 90-82 win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals wasn't set at any point during the actual victory on Monday night.

The tone was actually set in a lower-level meeting room in one of New York City's swankiest hotels Sunday afternoon, just hours after Tom Thibodeau's team was embarrassed in Game 1 on Saturday. That's when the hard-charging coach let his team have it for playing without the type of edge that has set them apart in a season in which expectations were tempered because of ongoing issues to key players.

"He was really laying into guys," Bulls forward Taj Gibson said inside a raucous visitor's locker room at the Barclays Center. "I never saw him so inflamed. He was really calling guys out, letting guys know what he needed (them) to do. Everybody needed to go out there and dominate their matchup, go out and just put forth effort, and he really challenged guys the last couple days."

(Read full post)

NEW YORK -- Derrick Rose's conversations on the sideline Monday night may give the Chicago Bulls hope that he may be considering a return during the playoffs.

Rose, who sat on the end of the bench for just the third time this season during Game 2 of the Bulls' first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, acknowledged to teammates just how much he misses being out on the floor.

"Me and him were chatting it up the whole time at the end of the bench," forward Taj Gibson said after the Bulls' 90-82 victory. "He was just eager. He was just saying like, he can't wait to get back, he can't wait to play. And just critiquing the game, talking about what we needed to do, what kind of plays. He knew a lot of the sets coming out so he would just scream out plays. He was just hyped talking about good stuff."

(Read full post)