Bulls must take advantage of Bogut-less Bucks

April, 5, 2010
4/05/10
10:31
PM CT
Andrew BogutAP Photo/Jim PrischingA few Bulls haven't seen the replay of Andrew Bogut season-ending injury -- and they don't want to.
DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Andrew Bogut's horrific looking fall on Saturday night against the Suns had the basketball world buzzing. After all, it's not often that you see a seven-foot, 260-pound man come crashing down so hard after dunking a ball. The video of Bogut's fall, which left him with a dislocated elbow and a broken hand, had to be one of the most downloaded sports videos on the Internet over the last few days. The injury was so gruesome that some people had to see it to believe it.

Joakim Noah hasn't seen the replay.

"I really don't want to see it," the Bulls center said after Monday's practice. "I'm not going to go look for it. If I see it, I see it. But, I'm not going to go look for it. I heard about it. And I just feel really bad because he's a good guy, and he's a player I really respect."

He wasn't the only one who didn't want to re-live Bogut's pain.

"I looked away," Bulls forward Luol Deng said. "I really feel bad for him. He was playing well. Such a big key for them. It's just unlucky. Really, it could happen to anyone. I just wish him all the best, but it's really a tough injury."

"You hate to see that," Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro added. "He was having such a great year. Obviously, you never wish injuries on anybody. It looked bad, and it was, obviously. You feel bad, he was having a really good year. Milwaukee's been playing really well."

As Del Negro knows first hand though, nobody in the cold world of the NBA is going to feel sorry for the Bucks. The Bulls head coach knows his team must take advantage of the opportunity of playing against a Milwaukee without Bogut. The Australian center has killed the Bulls all season averaging almost 22 points and 14 rebounds a game. "[Injuries] are out of the coach's control," Del Negro said once again on Monday. "Other guys have to step up and play now. As far as we're concerned, I'm just happy to get some of our guys back healthy. And hopefully it will stay that way and we'll continue to get even healthier."

Deng playing major minutes: One player who is feeling a little better these days is Luol Deng. The Bulls forward, who missed 11 games due to a calf strain, has logged almost 65 minutes over the past two games. Before his return, Vinny Del Negro said he would try to ease Deng back into the lineup, but once he's on the floor Del Negro is hesitant to take him out. "He feels good, so he's going to be out there," Del Negro said after practice. "He's one of our key guys, obviously. So, it's great to get him out there and give us another dimension that we don't have. You want your best players playing. Hopefully, he can stay healthy with his calf and not get too sore. We [don't have] an easy schedule coming up here, but we're just going to have to grind it out."

Even Deng admitted to being a little surprised at how many minutes he's been playing lately. "I was a little surprised," he confessed. "But, at the same time, I understand. It's really no time to take it easy right now. We're in a situation we're trying to make the playoffs."

Deng did have to chuckle at the circumstances, though. "I do feel like it's training camp again," he said with a smile. My body's really sore. But, it's just good to get the wins right now. Seeing everyone out there together really feels great."

Quote of the day: Noah, on his team's mindset right now, and the big break they got on Sunday night when Chris Bosh missed a layup that would have won the game for the Raptors and put even more doubt into the Bulls' playoff hopes. "We just got to go out there and give everything we got. The margin for error is very, very, very slim. We just got to fight hard and I think everybody understands what's at stake. The basketball gods were definitely on our side [Sunday] night. That's what it's all about. Just a couple breaks here and there. Right now, off a missed layup, we're still in it. Hopefully, we can just get ready and be ready for [Tuesday's] game and get a 'W'."

Nick Friedell | email

Chicago Bulls beat reporter
Nick Friedell is the Chicago Bulls beat reporter for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000. He joined the staff in April of 2009 after serving as an editor and contributor for Yahoo! Sports.

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TEAM LEADERS

POINTS
Derrick Rose
PTS AST STL MIN
21.8 7.9 0.9 35.3
OTHER LEADERS
ReboundsJ. Noah 9.8
AssistsD. Rose 7.9
StealsR. Brewer 1.1
BlocksJ. Noah 1.4