Category: Chicago Bulls Blog

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Great shooting from Heat in win vs Bulls

All the Miami Heat did was put together the best shooting night in franchise history, an effort that matched the NBA’s top performance from the floor in the last 18 years.

This Joe Johnson move already looks like a winner.

The Heat shot 67.5 percent, set a season high for points and beat the Chicago Bulls 129-111 on Tuesday night. Hassan Whiteside scored a career-high 26 points and had 14 rebounds, and Johnson had 24 points in his Miami home debut.

Miami’s 52-for-77 shooting was the best since Utah shot exactly that on Feb. 27, 2010, and no team has done better from the field since the Los Angeles Clippers connected on 69.3 percent of their shots on March 13, 1998.

— Associated Press

Derrick Rose misses game vs Wizards

The following needs to be stated right away: Bulls guard Derrick Rose has been healthy lately. So now that I’ve stuck that fact into your head, here’s the latest from CSN Chicago:

Derrick Rose misses game vs Wizards

Derrick Rose was announced as a late scratch with right hamstring tendinitis in the Bulls lineup, about 45 minutes before the Bulls’ game against the Washington Wizards.

It’s the second game Rose has missed this month, his best statistical month since the 2011-12 season before the first of his three knee injuries. Taking the game off before the start of a three-games-in-four-night stretch seems to be the aim, as he said his body doesn’t feel 100 percent and he doesn’t want to risk serious injury.

Three-team NBA trade sends Shelvin Mack to Jazz, Kirk Hinrich to Hawks

kirk hinrich traded

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has acquired guard Shelvin Mack from the Atlanta Hawks, pending the outcome of a physical, as part of a three-team trade with the Hawks and Chicago Bulls. As part of the deal, the Jazz traded a future second-round pick to the Bulls, who also received guard Justin Holliday from Atlanta while sending the Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich.

Mack (6-3, 203, Butler) has appeared in 24 games for the Hawks this season, averaging 3.9 points and 1.6 assists in 7.5 minutes of action.

Originally selected in the second round (34th overall selection) of the 2011 NBA Draft by Washington, the 25-year-old has appeared in 247 career games (14 starts) over five seasons with Washington, Philadelphia and Atlanta, and owns career averages of 5.3 points, 2.7 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.0 minutes. He has also appeared in a total of 21 playoffs games over the last three seasons, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds, including 10.0 points, 1.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 21.7 minutes during the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals.

Prior to the NBA, Mack played three seasons at Butler University (2008-11), helping the Bulldogs to the Championship game in each of his final two seasons, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team at the 2011 Final Four. For his collegiate career, Mack appeared in 108 games and averaged 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists while helping Butler to an 87-21 record in those games. During his first two seasons at Butler, Mack teamed with current Jazzman Gordon Hayward, as the pair led Butler to the school’s first ever Final Four and an appearance in the 2010 title game.

A native of Lexington, Ky., Mack was also chosen to the 2010 USA Select Team which helped Team USA prepare for the FIBA World Championship, and was captain of the gold medal-winning USA U19 World Championship team during the summer of 2009.

Bulls are struggling these days

Here’s the Chicago Sun-Times reporting on the coach Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls, who these days are a pretender more than a contender:

Forget the ugly 27-25 record that stares out from Hoiberg’s resume so far. The once very defensive-minded Bulls entered the All-Star Break tied for 10th in defensive efficiency, and even more unsettling, were 26th in offensive efficiency.

Considering the front office publicly – and unfairly – questioned the offensive aptitude of former coach Tom Thibodeau, all but guaranteeing improvements in that department, it’s a bad look for everyone involved right about now.

Coincidentally, in Thibodeau’s final season in the coaching chair, the Bulls finished 10th in offensive efficiency. But who’s keeping score?

One positive Hoiberg has going for him as the second half starts up is “player confidence’’ isn’t a stat, because this Bulls team would lead the league in hanging heads right about now. Losers of four-straight games, including a 5-13 record over their last 18 games, as well as allowing 100-points or more in seven-straight games, let’s all agree that there’s not a lot of momentum coming out of the Break.

Pau Gasol replaces Jimmy Butler in 2016 NBA All-Star game

The NBA announced today that Bulls forward/center Pau Gasol will replace injured Bulls guard/forward Jimmy Butler in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game. For Gasol, it marks the second consecutive season that he has been named an All-Star and his sixth selection overall.

The 35-year old Gasol has appeared in 48 games, where he has averaged 17.0 ppg, 10.9 rpg (third in the East; sixth in the NBA), 3.3 apg, 2.02 bpg (second; fifth) and 0.63 spg in 31.9 mpg. On the year, he is shooting .477 from the floor and .809 from the line. He has also turned in a team-high 29 double-doubles (second; fifth).

A 14-year veteran of the NBA, Gasol has led Chicago in scoring 12 times, in boards 33 times and in assists eight times. He has scored 20 or more points 14 times, including two contests with at least 30 points. The Bulls big man has also grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 31 games. Gasol also joins former Bulls center Artis Gilmore (1978, 1979; 1981, 1982) and Joakim Noah (2013, 2014) as the only big men in team history to garner All-Star accolades in consecutive seasons.

Jimmy Butler injury is a strained left knee

Jimmy Butler injury is a strained left knee

The Chicago Bulls are just 27-22 this season. A bright spot has been the great play of shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who in 37.9 minutes per game is averaging 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals. Here’s the latest from the team on his recent injury:

An MRI performed today on Butler’s left knee confirmed that he sustained a knee strain in the second quarter of last night’s game against the Denver Nuggets. The timeline for his return to play will be determined by further evaluation in Chicago and his response to treatment.

Joakim Noah needs shoulder surgery, will miss 4-6 months

Joakim Noah needs shoulder surgery, will miss 4-6 months

During last night’s game against Dallas, Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah sustained a dislocation of the left shoulder which was reduced in the training room. Earlier today, he was evaluated at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, where it was determined that he will undergo surgery to stabilize his left shoulder.

His recovery time is estimated at four to six months. The details of the timing, location, and rehabilitation program have not yet been finalized.

The Bulls say Noah is expected to have a full recovery.

Chicago is 23-16 this season — the third best record in the East, though they are just half a game ahead of both the Hawks and Heat.

Noah came off the Bulls’ bench for 27 of the 29 games he played this season but was still a huge part of the team. Averaging just 4.3 points per game, Noah is Chicago’s second-leading rebounder with 8.8 rpg, and is third on the team in assists at 3.8 apg.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, “Noah was likely to be on the shelf for the next four-to-six months, which is not only a season-ender for the veteran big man, but could close the book on his career with the Bulls as he’s headed to free agency this summer. “It hurt,’’ Rose said, when asked what it was like seeing Noah in the locker room following the injury. “It hurt just knowing how hard he works, how hard he wants to be on the court, how much he means to this team. It’s devastating, but we have to come back in here and make sure the guys are ready. Everybody has to be ready, but you never know. He’s a big piece, he’s a big piece.’’

And according to ESPN Chicago, “In the short-term Noah’s absence means more time for rookie Bobby Portis in the rotation, but the reality for the team is there is a chance that Noah may have played his last game as a Bull. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season and he will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.”

Nikola Mirotic moved to bench for Bulls

Nikola Mirotic is no stranger to coming off the bench. After all, that’s how he spent most of his first year in the NBA last season.

So call Friday a reunion.

Not exactly a good one for the second-year power forward.

Prior to the game with Dallas, coach Fred Hoiberg announced that not only was Mirotic was out of the starting lineup, but the experiment to play him at the three-spot was going to take a few steps back.

“The big thing is talking to him, try and build up the confidence,’’ Hoiberg said of Mirotic.

— Chicago Sun-Times