ESPN

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Don't fall into the trap.

Don't look at the Bulls' 92-78 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon and think things would have turned out differently with Derrick Rose and Rip Hamilton on the floor.

Obviously, their presence, especially that of Rose, would have helped -- but it wouldn't have changed the outcome. The Bulls' biggest issues were unrelated to the reigning MVP's absence. The issue was that unlike so many other times in the past, Tom Thibodeau's team simply got outworked and outhustled by a more aggressive squad.

"We were awful offensively, defensively, just disappointing," Bulls center Joakim Noah said. "They really kicked our (butt) in every aspect of the game."

In a matchup between the teams with the best records in the league, the Thunder toyed with the Bulls the way the Bulls usually dispatch the Detroit Pistons. In certain stretches, especially late in the game, the Bulls played hard. But for the most part, the Bulls allowed the Thunder to do whatever they wanted to do on either end of the floor.

(Read full post)

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Tom Thibodeau follows his script when he speaks to the media every day.

He doesn't want to give reporters much insight into the Bulls' game plan, he doesn't want to disclose whether an injured player will play, and he certainly doesn't want to acknowledge that one particular game is bigger than any other. In Thibodeau's world, at least publicly, every game counts the same.

That's why it was interesting to hear the veteran coach break character, albeit in a very small way, Saturday afternoon, when asked whether some regular-season games were bigger than others in advance of his team's showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

"For us it's the next game, but it's a good test," Thibodeau said. "They're tough; you're going to be tested in every way imaginable. Your transition defense, your catch-and-shoot defense, your low-post defense, your rebounding, your offensive execution. You have to play 48 minutes against them. So we have to come with the right mindset."

The mindset is this, and it's definitely one Thibodeau is preaching to his players: The Thunder are atop the Western Conference, a team the Bulls may see in the NBA Finals if they get there. While Thibodeau doesn't subscribe to the theory of measuring-stick games, that's exactly what this game is, and his players know it.

"It's a big game," Bulls center Joakim Noah said after Friday night's win over the Detroit Pistons. "It's going to be exciting. We want to play against the best. So they're a great team, we think we're a great team and let's get it poppin'."

In order for the Bulls to pick up a win, especially without Derrick Rose, who is expected to miss his 10th consecutive game because of a groin injury, Thibodeau knows his team must find a way to at least slow down Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

"Great players, you've just got to try and make them work for their points," Thibodeau said. "They're going to score. We've got to make them play in a crowd, try to get our defense set, we've got to rebound the ball, we've got to challenge shots. With those type of players, you could defend the play perfectly and challenge the shot and they still have the ability to make. But we have to have the determination to make them work and tie our defense together, and then offensively we've got to take care of the ball. If you turn the ball over against them, they score very quickly in transition, and that usually is what gets them going."

Rose trains in the summer with both Durant and Westbrook, so he knows firsthand how difficult it is to guard them.

"West is a challenge, period," Rose said. "Against anybody, where he's very aggressive. He's one of the leaders on that team, young leaders on that team that's playing good basketball right now. They're moving the ball great."

As for Durant, Rose reiterated that he believed the young forward should be the NBA's MVP this season.

"He's good, man," Rose said. "He's playing good basketball right now, shooting the ball great. MVP right now in my eyes, where he's one of the leaders on that team that's dominating the league at a young age and he deserves it."

No matter who is on the floor, Thibodeau and his team know it will be a challenge to pick up a win in Oklahoma City, but it's a challenge they are looking forward to. When Thibodeau talks about the success the Thunder have had, it sounds a little like he's speaking about his own team, at least in terms of how badly they want to win a title this season.

"Each year I think [Westbrook has] gotten better and better, as has Durant," Thibodeau said. "And they have a number of players on their team that have done the same thing. [Serge] Ibaka has really stepped it up, [James] Harden, to me, he's an All-Star coming off the bench. I had [Kendrick] Perkins in Boston. Perkins is an all-league defender. So that team is very well put together. They're deep, they play hard and they play unselfishly, their defense has improved. So there's not much they don't have -- and they're hungry."

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls guard and reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose said Friday he believes Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant is the front-runner for this season's award.

“KD is playing great,” Rose said. “I’m hearing about what he’s doing, hearing about how he’s playing. The numbers speak for itself, how he’s working out this summer, and he’s playing great basketball.

“(Kevin Love) K-Love been putting in work, too, but I think KD.”

Durant averages 27.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks for the Western Conference-leading Thunder.

Rose is unlikely to repeat as MVP due to missed time this season. He has sat out 17 games because of a variety of injuries and could miss his eighth straight on Friday against the Detroit Pistons. He’s a game-time decision.

ESPN.com recently named its top 25 NBA players under the age of 25, and a certain Chicago Bulls guard wasn't at the top. Does he belong?

Our panel weighs in on that and whether Richard Hamilton's sore groin is a problem that will linger all season.

Those are two of the topics our panel tackles in 3-on-3.

1. Fact or Fiction: As ESPN.com stated, Kevin Durant is the NBA's top player under 25, ahead of Derrick Rose.

Scoop Jackson: Fact. But not by much. Maybe KD is 1 and Pooh is 1A. The only reason at this point is due to the fact that we've seen Rose has a defensive nemesis: LeBron. In the Eastern Conference finals -- and in the one game that they've faced one another this year -- Rose has allowed LeBron to bring his game down a notch and Rose hasn't figured out how to escape that ... yet. With Durant, that one person or team hasn't stopped him yet. With the exception of his own teammate (Russell Westbrook) there has really been no one player or team that has made life miserable for Durant on the court ... yet. But keep in mind who originated the list: ESPN.com. The same place/site/people that ranked Kobe Bryant No.7 on the current "Best Players" list. I'm just saying.

Jon Greenberg: Fact, but not by much. I feel like I'm cheating on Rose as his hagiographer for answering this honestly. But as the saying goes, you don't trade big for small in the NBA. And with that in mind, you'd probably have to say Durant, a 6-foot-9 small forward, is the top player under 25. But again, not by much. Rose trumps Durant as my "guy I want with the ball with the game on the line," and that doesn't just mean the final shot. After all, Durant needs someone to get him the ball. Hopefully these two will be in the same orbit for the next 10 years.

Nick Friedell: Fiction. They're both great players, but if I had to start a team with just one -- give me Rose. His will to win is unlike anything I've seen before and he makes the players around him better. He wants to be the guy with the ball in his hands late and he wants the pressure on his shoulders that comes with being the face of a franchise, especially one searching for its seventh title. Rose is also going to turn into an even better defender over time because he knows that's the next phase of his game he must conquer.

---

2. Fact or Fiction: Pushing his banged-up stars now will cost Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls in the playoffs.

Scoop Jackson:
Fiction. Players need to play. Period. Every team has to push every player. Period. Any team looking for an advantage come playoff time because their “superstars” got more rest during the shortened regular season will be the teams that will be watching the playoffs from the 300 level seats or on flat screens like the rest of us. The only exception to this is Rose. And that’s not because of time on the court, it’s about how much he has to do for this team to win when he’s out there. Every team in the league needs to find its rhythm. So far, that has not happened. That’s why you see some teams beating the Heat one night and losing to the Wizards the next. The Bulls are no different. The “stars” -- again, not including Rose -- will have play through the small bang-ups. They along with Thibs know unless the injury is miss-the-season threatening, there's no time to shut down.

Jon Greenberg: Fiction. I reject the premise. I don't think Thibodeau is really pushing the Bulls, who like every team has dealt with nagging injuries. Yes, Luol Deng played 41 minutes after missing a few weeks, but it's his wrist that's injured, not his knee or ankle. And for all the concern about Rose, he has missed games, so it's not like he's playing through every bump. I side with Thibodeau because he's coaching a team of men. Professionals. They do this for a living. Part of the deal is playing the season like it matters. Muscle memory and all that. The players get their loads lightened with the absence of practice and skipped shoot-arounds. There is no easy way to make it through this season. Just luck.

Nick Friedell: Fact. Everybody around the Bulls trusts Tom Thibodeau, but at some point the extra minutes are going to catch up with his team. It's been well documented how the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen played heavy minutes during the championship years, but the issue with Thibodeau is that unlike most coaches, he doesn't pull his players until the bitter end of games. All it takes is for one injury to torch that line of thinking. The Bulls, especially Rose, were worn down during last season's playoffs. They appear to be on the same path right now unless something changes.

---

3. Fact or Fiction: Richard Hamilton's injury problem will prove costly during the postseason.

Scoop Jackson:Fiction (?): The words "reoccurrence" and "re-aggravated" that are being used when anyone mentions Rip's groin and thigh injuries bother me. That's why the question mark, the hesitation, the non-commit. If it were 2002 and Rip had his braids, no face mask and was doing his reincarnation of Reggie Miller curling around screens dropping buckets like C-Listers do names at club entrances, then I wouldn't be concerned. But Rip's not 24 anymore. The recovery time ain't the same, the recoveries themselves are not the same. Which is why those words -- "reoccurrence" and "re-aggravated"-- bother me so. But the optimistic side of me has to out-believe my pessimistic nature on this. I have to (even if forced, even through lies) follow the path of "better to deal with these injuries now than later" when it comes to Rip. Here's the way I look at it: The basketball gods could not be that cruel that they'd let the once best backcourt tandem of this generation (Hamilton and Chauncey Billups) go their separate ways, to teams with championship aspirations, only to have them both watch everything unfold from the bench. I can't believe Billups might not be back for the Clippers, I can't force myself to believe that "DNP due to injury" is how Rip coming here is supposed to end.

Jon Greenberg: Fact. Hamilton is almost unbelievably skinny, none of that mid-30s flab like this writer, and he can still run the break -- he noted when he got to Chicago that he finally had someone who could keep up with him in Rose -- but it looks like he's got too much mileage. I don't feel good about him at all, and why should I? Thibodeau never sells out his players, but he made a pretty telling comment the other day when he noted that Hamilton has missed more games than he's played. I guess all you can do is rest him now, acknowledge he's going to miss more time, and just hope that he's healthy for at least the Eastern Conference finals, if the Bulls get there, that is. When he plays, I think Hamilton really is the missing link the Bulls were looking for. Too bad they got him this season, of all seasons.

Nick Friedell: Fact. Hamilton's groin injury has been lingering all year. Even if he comes back healthy in a week or two, it's going to continue to be an issue. He's going to be 34 years old in a week. Injuries like that (and his thigh bruise) don't just go away with time. They linger. Once Hamilton starts playing 40 minutes again during the postseason, his health is going to be an even bigger factor than usual.

Who would you rather have on your team, Derrick Rose or Kevin Durant? First Take debates.

CHICAGO -- Kevin Durant has seen enough of Derrick Rose over the past couple of years to know just how good the Bulls point guard can be. Having played with him on Team USA over the summer, and worked out with him over the past few offseasons, he's also seen just how dynamic of a star the 22-year-old has become.

"Unbelievable player," Durant said of Rose before the game. "I got the chance to be around Derrick for a month and a half, two months [this summer] and he's just a phenomenal worker. He's a student of the game. He has God given talent, so quick and athletic. He uses that to his advantage. I'm a big fan of Derrick Rose. Outside of the guys on my team, he's my favorite in the league right now. I always enjoy watching him play."

Durant understands that he and Rose are becoming two of the young faces of the NBA, alongside Oklahoma City teammate Russell Westbrook. It sounds as if he enjoys the torch, and the responsibility, that is being passed down to them.

"That's kind of the same mode the older guys now took," Durant said. "Guys like Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, they kind of like handed it to us. They did the same thing when they were young as well so we got to continue to be good players. We got to continue to grow. And also be great people off the floor."

Boozer louder than Noah?: I asked Rose after the game how much of a relief it was to finally have a consistent back-to-the-basket scorer to be able to dump the ball to down in the paint.

"It's very comfortable knowing that he's on the court," Rose said. "He's a guy that's just going to play hard, do what he do, be a leader for this team, always talking,"

As he continued, he revealed an aspect of Boozer's game that will be hard for some Bulls fans to believe.

"I want to clear this up," Rose said. "He does talk more than Joakim [Noah]. For sure, for sure, for sure. Talks way more than Joakim."

Boozer definitely yells a lot on the floor; defensive sets, encouragement, emotion ... but does he really talk as much as Noah?

"He is very loud," Noah said. "He never stops talking, which is a good thing."

The last word: "I feel fresh right now. Usually I feel really bad after a game. Now, we just got a big win against a solid opponent ... We got a lot of work to do, but I feel pretty good." -- Noah

OKLAHOMA CITY -- How do you stop Kevin Durant? Can you stop Kevin Durant? Those are the questions Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and his team have been trying to figure out for the last few days.

Here are some of their responses:

On what makes Durant so difficult:

Thibodeau: "His length and his touch. Because you can play great defense on him and his release is so high, it's hard to get to. And he can score so many different ways. He's a great catch-and-shoot player, he's scoring in the post, he's great in transition, he knows how to draw fouls. He has a great shot fake. You can't give him any room, and it's hard to impact the shot, but we're going to have to do it collectively."

On what the Bulls will have to do to stop him:

Joakim Noah: "Just really focus on him. We have to know where he's at, anywhere he is on the court. Everybody has to know where he is. Coach is explaining to us, wherever he kind of is on the court, we've got to kind of scream out his name, so that the help kind of realizes where he is on the court. He's a helluva player, but it's on us to really focus and make it as tough as possible for him."

Derrick Rose: "You got to guard him as a team, send him places, make sure it's very hard for him to get open shots."

On the challenge of facing Durant:

Luol Deng: "Just being in this league for this long now, I've played against so many great players. I think the best you can do is just make it tough. They're going to take their shot attempts, they're going to get their shots up. That's what they do for their team. I think the key really is to just make them shoot a high percentage, or just make it tough for him as the game goes on. Just keep making it tough for him. He's a great player coming off a great summer. I'm sure he's looking at this season to have another great season, but for us as a team we've got to come out and be ready for that. We've got to come out the first game of the season, they're going to [have] a lot of energy at their home place, but we got to come out with a lot of energy ourselves and let them know that we're ready."

Thibodeau: "When you're facing great players, they're going to score, and what you're trying to do is make them work for their points. And if it's volume shots, that's good. But the important thing I think, is to try and make it as hard as possible, and also try to make it harder on the other players ... the great player's not only getting his, but also getting the others easy scoring opportunities ... you got to decide what you're being to be able to live with and what you're trying to take away."

Who will guard him?: Thibodeau said Tuesday that Deng will probably start the game guarding Durant while Ronnie Brewer and Keith Bogans will probably give him a breather in between.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- When the 2010-11 NBA schedule was released, two guys overseas immediately were drawn to one game.

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, who were teammates on the Team USA squad that won the World Championships in Turkey, pointed to the season-opener. The Bulls visit the Thunder on Wednesday night (ESPN 1000, ESPN3.com).

"When the schedules first came out, we were overseas and we were talking about that game," Rose said recently. "Talking about how it was going to be a college game, playing them at their place.

"They've got a good, young team. We know each other, we work out with each other all the time if we're in the same city, so it's going to be a tough and exciting game."

And Rose understands how tough it's going to be for whichever teammate is going to guard Durant.

"He's tough, man," Rose said. "Coming off a pick and roll, he's a rhythm player, you can't let him get in a rhythm. Good passer, good teammate, but he knows how to get to the free throw line.

"He's definitely one of the best scorers in the NBA."

Durant's star has become so big that Rose joked he and his Team USA teammates couldn't always go out with the former University of Texas star.

"If he [went] out, we probably wouldn't go out with him because he was going to get so much attention," Rose said. "So we just stayed in the hotel."

Rose praised Durant's work ethic and knowledge of the game, but he's ready to grab early bragging rights this season.

"It just gives [us] something to brag about," Rose said. "We could be playing a video game and somebody does a move in the video game and we could go back to our memory bank and be like, 'Man, you remember when I did that against you in that game or whatever.' But we're just kidding around when we're around each other and it's all fun and games."

All fun and games until the step on the floor Wednesday night.

LAS VEGAS -- Kevin Durant sat in a folding chair in the middle of one of the practice courts at the Cox Pavilion after Team USA's third day of practice and just started laughing.

The question I had just posed to the Oklahoma City forward made him realize yet again how lucky he is to be in a position to play with such a great player and good friend in the Bulls' Derrick Rose.

It's nice to have Rose on your team as compared to trying to play against him.

"Yeah." Durant said chuckling. "Him and Russell [Westbrook], if they make the team, are going to be phenomenal together. That's going to be a joy to watch and I just want to be on the same floor as those guys because it would be an honor to play with them."

Durant and Rose have developed a bond throughout the last few years and have worked out together at times in preparation for this training camp. The pair is excited that they finally have a chance to be on the same team.

"Me and Derrick are real cool," Durant told me. "I think our relationship on the floor is just going to grow even more with these last couple of days here. He's just like me, quiet, reserved, chill, laid back. I'm usually attracted to guys like that as far as being cool with them, so D. Rose is a very cool guy. I'm very happy for his success in this league and I'm sure people in Chicago are happy as well."

Rose is happy that the pair have formed a close bond already.

"We're real cool friends," he said on Wednesday. "He's a workoholic. A modest guy, humble, so why not be friends with him?"

Durant echoed the same sentiments, but neither man is willing to say that they are in the process of becoming the new face of USA Basketball, despite the obvious comparisons to national stars in the past.

"We just want to play team basketball," Durant said. "I'm sure Derrick feels the same way. Myself, I just want to play team basketball. I don't want to be considered higher than anyone else."

With the way both young stars have handled the process in front of them this week, it's easy to see why so many people around the league believe that the NBA is in good shape for years to come with these two guys at the forefront.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Like most players, Kevin Durant doesn't seem to get very excited when he speaks to the media. But, there was one particular question that got his attention on Wednesday night.

Should Derrick Rose be an All-Star?

"Yeah," he said without any hesitation. "Without a doubt. Without a doubt. I've been saying that since a couple weeks ago. At 30 games [into the season] I thought he should be an All-Star. We'll see. I hope he is. Derrick is a good friend of mine. Hopefully he gets that nod."

Rose certainly has made a claim for one of the reserve spots that is scheduled to be announced Thursday night.

To the 21-year-old Rose, an All-Star nod would be a culmination of a goal he's had for a long, long time.

"It would mean a lot," he said. "Just to be on that team would mean a lot to me. That was goal this year to try and be on it. And that's why I'm trying to make a push for it now."

Rose has made the type of push that any public relations firm would be proud of. Over his last seven games, he is averaging 26 points and has led the Bulls to an almost improbable four-game winning streak.

"Derrick is making big shots, but his overall game is improving," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said after Wednesday night's win over the Thunder. "And that's where I see the development more so, more than just his shot or his stats or whatever. It's a development process for young players, especially at the point guard [position]."

But, it's a development process that Rose has accelerated faster than most.

"He's the reason we're winning games right now," Bulls center Joakim Noah said after Wednesday's shootaround. "Derrick's been playing great basketball and it's definitely elevated our team, so when he plays at that level we're one of the best teams, I think -- a team that's hard to beat. He's definitely deserving [of an All-Star nod]. He's leading this team and he's doing a great job."

No matter who you talk to around the league, it's clear that they have taken notice of Rose's improved play. Whether he makes the roster or not on Thursday night, there's little doubt that he will be playing in the game in the future.

"He's so quick and fast and strong," Durant said. "[He] gets to the rim easy. It's just basic. He doesn't do anything flashy. Him and Russell [Westbrook] are the most athletic point guards in the league ... He plays bigger than what he is right now. There's a lot of words I can use to describe that guy's game. He's phenomenal."

Rose is just hoping to hear his name called Thursday night.

"It would be unbelievable," he said. "I don't think it would ever get old. I would want to play in [the All-Star Game] all the years I play in the NBA. I hope I don't get spoiled by it."

If the smile that is permanently affixed to his face these days is any indication, there's little doubt that could happen.

CHICAGO -- Derrick Rose and Luol Deng are good. But there's little doubt after watching the Oklahoma City Thunder roll past the Bulls 98-85 on Monday night that Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are better.

The Thunder duo combined for 52 points (29 for Westbrook and 25 for Durant) and snapped the Bulls' four-game winning streak in the process.

"They're just good players," Rose said after the game. "They always attack. That's what they need to do for their team. They do a good job at it and that's why they're so effective."

Effective and efficient is more like it.

Westbrook and Durant combined to go 22-for-38 on the night, compared to a 15-for-37 clip from Rose and Deng. The Thunder's young superstars had the ability to score at almost all times, while Vinny Del Negro's Chicago Bulls struggled mightily at times to get any semblance of an offense going. After playing well and leading by five at halftime, the Bulls went ice cold during the third quarter, managing just 14 points.

"We just missed shots," Del Negro said. "I thought we had some good shots [but] we didn't defend really well in the third quarter and when we're struggling to score we got to really buckle down defensively and they got some easy baskets on us and that third quarter changed the complexion of the game, no question."

Part of the reason the complexion changed so much is due to the fact that Thabo Sefolosha locked down his former teammate. Rose went 0-for-4 in the third quarter and the Bulls offense was never able to recover.

"I thought Thabo did a great job," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "His length bothered [Rose], I thought. Derrick Rose is a terrific player and he's on a good roll right now, but I thought Thabo did a good job of making it very tough on him. Our defense did a good job of being tight, and collapsed the paint and made him kick out. And we did a good job closing down on shooters."

There's no question about that considering the Bulls only scored 33 points in the second half.

Aside from the defensive difference in the second half, the Bulls were once again done in by a pure scorer -- Durant -- and his sidekick Westbrook.

"In this league, I already noticed you can't stop great players you can only try to slow them down," Bulls rookie Taj Gibson said. "And on the scouting report we knew Westbrook and other guys could step up and [Monday night] Westbrook had a great breakout game. Guys just played solid."

Now it's up to the Bulls to get back on track Tuesday night when they face the Charlotte Bobcats.

"As a team we played with some good energy," Bulls center Joakim Noah said. "And that's a step in the right direction. We just got to keep it up. I think that overall we're playing better basketball and we just got to keep getting better."

Too bad the Bulls don't have a pair like Westbrook and Durant. It would be a whole lot easier to get better with them on the floor.