ESPN

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Derrick Rose's teammates and coaches remain fully supportive of the rehabbing Chicago Bulls star despite a growing sentiment that he should return to the court. That sentiment was articulated this week by former Bulls guard and Turner Sports analyst Steve Kerr.

Read the entire story.

NEW YORK -- Jason Collins' announcement that he is gay might have come as a shock to some around the NBA, but Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau took the news in stride.

The veteran coach has respected Collins' game from afar and was happy for the 34-year-old big man.

"I don't know Jason well," Thibodeau said. "We met with him last summer and I was very impressed with him as a person. Two close friends of mine have coached him and they've raved about him as a person, as a player and as a leader, so I didn't think it was a big deal. I was very impressed with him and my opinion of him hasn't changed one bit and I'm happy for him."

Collins' announcement in Sports Illustrated makes him the first active player in a major American team sport to come out during his playing career.

"I just think it's reflective of society," Thibodeau said. "The NBA has always been open-minded and I think it will continue to be so, so I don't see it as being a problem."

Kirk Hinrich, Collins' former teammate in Atlanta, also saw no issue with Collins’ announcement.

"It doesn't really change what kind of person he is or anything," Hinrich said. "He's a good guy and that's just who he is."

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)

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 -- Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't want to shut the door on possible return for Derrick Rose this season and is leaning on his previous experience as an assistant for the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics as guidance.

Thibodeau said on Saturday that Rose was "most likely out" for the postseason but he continues to hold out hope that Rose may be able to play at some point as he continues to recover from ACL surgery.

(Read full post)

NEW YORK -- The waiting media gathered on the lower level of one of the ritziest hotels in New York City on Sunday afternoon to speak with Tom Thibodeau and his Chicago Bulls after they were manhandled in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals by the Brooklyn Nets.

As the players began to file out of a conference room that had been taped on the floor to resemble one half of a basketball court, two lines began to form to give the players a walkway to get to their next destination. Player after player filed out without much interruption, and then Derrick Rose appeared.

(Read full post)

NEW YORK -- One New York hotel, two unhappy basketball teams.

The Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls are staying at the same location this weekend. Both lost their playoff openers Saturday, the Celtics falling 85-78 to the New York Knicks and the Bulls getting routed 106-89 by the Nets in Brooklyn.

"This was a quiet, dark hotel last night. The New York-area teams didn't treat the guests very well," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Sunday.

Read the entire story.

NEW YORK -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Bulls' 106-89 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their playoff series Saturday at the Barclays Center:

How it happened: Deron Williams had 22 points and seven assists as the Nets dominated this game from start to finish. Brook Lopez added 21 points and five rebounds and Gerald Wallace chipped in with 14 points and five rebounds. Carlos Boozer led the way offensively for the Bulls, scoring 25 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Joakim Noah played just 13 minutes and was largely ineffective because of ongoing issues with plantar fasciitis.

What it means: Given the circumstances, this was by far the worst game the Bulls have played all season. They got out-worked throughout the night and their defense was terrible. Obviously, the Nets aren't going to shoot this way throughout the series, but the Bulls' issues run much deeper than their poor performance on Saturday night. Noah tried as hard as he could to give the Bulls something, but he looks too injured to play. Kirk Hinrich had little impact on the game and then injured his left quad in the third quarter and never returned. The Bulls' offense was lifeless and never found any kind of rhythm. But perhaps most upsetting for coach Tom Thibodeau was the fact that Luol Deng played one of the worst games of his career, scoring just six points and going 3-for-11 from the field.

Hits: The Nets shot 55.8 percent from the field and turned the ball over just eight times.

Misses: Marco Belinelli, Richard Hamilton, Hinrich and Deng combined to go just 5-for-23 from the field.

Stat of the night: The Nets outscored the Bulls 56-36 in the paint.

What's next: Game 2 at 7 p.m. CT Monday at the Barclays Center.

NEW YORK -- Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose didn't play Saturday in Game 1 of their playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, but he did sit with his team on the bench, and coach Tom Thibodeau said that may continue with more healthy players.

"There's two schools of thought on that," Thibodeau said. "He was doing a lot of rehab work before, and we had so many guys that were hurt, I actually didn't want them all on the bench. I just thought it was more important for our guys to be focused on guys that we had. That part was really me. Now that we've gotten guys healthy he may be out there more."

(Read full post)

NEW YORK -- As the Bulls get set to open another postseason run Saturday night against the Brooklyn Nets, the similarities to last season's ill-fated run remain.

With all the injuries the team has dealt with and the fact that Derrick Rose is unlikely to play no matter how deep the Bulls go, Tom Thibodeau's players can see that their situation looks a lot like it did last season.

"It's kind of similar in a lot of ways," Bulls guard Rip Hamilton said. "It's kind of similar. It's like, if you look at both situations and you look at this year's situation, it's kind of like identical."

(Read full post)

Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau continues to leave the door open to the possibility of Derrick Rose returning during the playoffs, and while few expect that to happen, Thibodeau said it wouldn't be a problem for the Bulls to establish a rhythm with their point guard.

Rose underwent ACL surgery on May 12.

"The thing is he hasn't played all season," Thibodeau said on SportsCenter. "So he's doing well overall, he's not quite ready. But there's always a possibility.

"He's focused on his rehab and the guys that we do have available have to focus in on our opponent and being ready to play."

The Bulls open the playoffs at the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.

""We knew this would be extended with Derrick from the summer," Thibodeau said. "And you don't replace a guy like Derrick individually, we understood that we would have to do it collectively. And that's the way we have approached it.

"He's been practicing with us for a good part of the season, so I don't think it would be a big adjustment at all (if he came back). Whatever he could bring would be a huge asset for our team."

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- While not expressing a preference for who they would like to face in the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls have been making preparations for one of two options.

Because they have known for some time now that they were likely to face the Brooklyn Nets or Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the postseason, the Bulls have been able to take a peek ahead while still focusing on that task at hand as the regular season comes to a close.

(Read full post)

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tom Thibodeau stood to the left of the large double doors that served as the entry to a joyous Chicago Bulls locker room Monday night and pondered the question that will hover over his team throughout the playoff drive.

"The question is are we going to be sharp?," Thibodeau said after a 102-84 victory over the Orlando Magic. "You're talking about playoff basketball where the intensity level is very high, and it's the same opponent over and over. And most often times the games are decided by one or two possessions. So how you match up with people is critical. A bad matchup for a minute in the playoffs is 10 points. So we got to be right and ready."

The key for the Bulls as they head into their final regular season game Wednesday against the Washington Wizards is that they feel about as ready as they can be. The fact that Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah made their return from injuries against the Magic gave the Bulls a much-needed emotional lift.

"You can see the way we were playing (Monday)," Gibson said of the emotional boost. "How guys were flying around on defense knowing that Joakim and me are behind to really negotiate the defense and really attack every shot coming up. We got a lot of blocked shots. Guys were talking, we were helping out the guards and that's what we need.

"We need a lot of energy late, and I told them I was going to play today. They had me on limited minutes, they had Jo on limited minutes, but we just wanted to be out there and really push the guys and know that we got to sharpen up. We got to get ready for the playoffs."

(Read full post)

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who spent four seasons as an assistant with the Celtics, was saddened by the news of the explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

"It's just terrible," Thibodeau said. "Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, the first responders, everybody there. It's just terrible. Very, very sad."

Two bombs exploded in the streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Patriots Day, killing two people and injuring dozens more, authorities said. Various media outlets have as many as 70 to 100 people injured. Hospitals reported at least 105 injured, at least 15 of them critically.

Thibodeau knows how much the Patriot's Day celebration means to the people of Boston.

"It's huge," he said. "There's so much going on and the entire meaning of that day, it's so festive. It's unfathomable just to think about something like that happening there. Again, it's just a terrible day. Terrible."