Chicago Bulls Blog – Page 44 – NBA Blog

Cavs stop slide against Bulls with 101-98 victory

Dion Waiters scored on jumpers, turnarounds and an assortment of moves in the lane. Shaun Livingston made a couple of a big plays in a rare start, and Wayne Ellington provided some scoring punch when the reserves were in the game.

Even without Kyrie Irving, the improving Cleveland Cavaliers had too much talent for the banged-up Chicago Bulls.

Waiters scored 25 points, Livingston added 15 in the same state where he starred in high school and the Cavs held on for a 101-98 victory on Tuesday night that snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Bulls.

”Without Kyrie, we knew it was going to be tough, period,” Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. ”But I thought guys stepped up big time.”

While Irving rested a sore right knee in street clothes on the sideline, Waiters converted a fadeaway jumper and a layup before Tyler Zeller drove along the baseline for a layup that helped Cleveland open an 87-78 lead with 7:33 left in the game…

Ellington finished with 13 points as Cleveland held on for its third win in the last four games, bouncing back from a difficult 109-105 loss at Miami on Sunday…

Carlos Boozer scored 27 points and Deng had 26 for Chicago, which has dropped five of seven. Kirk Hinrich returned to the lineup after missing three consecutive games with a lingering right elbow issue and finished with 11 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

— Reported by Jay Cohen of the Associated Press

Derrick Rose takes next step in rehab

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose has “made the next step” in his rehab after participating in five-on-five drills in practice, according to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, but the organization still isn’t sure when the former MVP will return.

“The big thing is you have to recognize the intensity of practice is different than the intensity of a game,” Thibodeau said after Thursday’s shootaround as the Bulls prepared to face the Miami Heat. “So he’s made the next step, he’s got to do this for a while, there’s no timetable, he’s making good progress, he’s right where he should be, we just want him to continue to concentrate on the rehab and when he’s ready to go he’ll go.”

Rose spent some time after shootaround taking jumpers with his teammates. He said last week he “wouldn’t mind” missing the rest of the season if his knee still didn’t feel right.

Bulls center Nazr Mohammed said Rose doesn’t appear to be working like a player who might sit the season.

— Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago

Isiah Thomas discusses athletic ability of Michael Jordan and LeBron James

Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas said Tuesday that while the debate over whether LeBron James is a better basketball player than Michael Jordan is hardly settled, James is probably the better athlete.

“They’re both great players, and they’re both great in their eras,” Thomas told “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on WMVP-AM 1000. “In my era, we hadn’t seen an athlete quite like Michael Jordan. He jumped higher than everyone else. He was a little faster than everyone else and he was just the best athlete.

“LeBron James is the best athlete of today, and he’s probably a better athlete than Michael Jordan was. He’s bigger, he’s faster, he’s stronger.”

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Derrick Rose participates in 5-on-5 drills for Bulls

Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose participated in five-on-five drills Monday, the latest step in his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after practice that Rose “did what everyone else did.”

Rose has been sidelined since he was hurt in last season’s playoff-opening win over the 76ers. The top-seeded Bulls wound up losing that series.

Rose caused a stir last week when he said he was prepared to miss the whole season rather than return too soon.

— Reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer

Joakim Noah gets treatment on right foot

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah had platelet-rich plasma treatment on his right foot Thursday to help ease the pain of plantar fasciitis.

Noah, who will play in his first All-Star Game on Sunday, said the foot is feeling better. He missed almost a week of action recently because of ongoing issues with the foot.

“I’m happy that it’s not getting any worse,” Noah said. “I did the PRP thing on Thursday morning.

“It was very painful after the treatment. I can still feel it a little bit but I think it’s helpful, so I’m hoping with some rest today and some rest tomorrow I think I’ll be OK. I won’t do too much on Sunday. I won’t play 44 minutes, I’ll put it that way.”

Noah, who had the same treatment three years ago while battling plantar fasciitis in his left foot, appeared to be in good spirits as he spoke to the assembled media.

— Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist says he lost to Michael Jordan in 1-on-1

Even as he approaches his 50th birthday, Michael Jordan can still play. And the No. 2 pick in the draft will be the first to admit it.

Charlotte Bobcats rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist confessed Friday that Jordan beat him in a one-on-one game.

“It was hard for me,” Kidd-Gilchrist, almost 20, told USA Today before the Rising Stars Challenge rookie-sophomore game at All-Star Weekend. “I lost. I lost to a 50-year-old guy. … He’s the greatest man that ever played the game.

“Oh, yeah. He’s good.”

— Reported by ESPN.com

Celtics hold on for 71-69 win over Bulls

Celtics coach Doc Rivers offered Kevin Garnett the night off to get him the rest he’s losing by playing in this weekend’s All-Star game.

Good thing for the Celtics that Garnett turned it down.

The All-Star center scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 rebounds to help the Celtics overcome historically poor shooting and beat the Chicago Bulls 71-69 on Wednesday night.

”I’m seeing everybody in here playing through everything. I’m no different from that,” said Garnett, who played 26 minutes. ”Everybody’s tired. I felt like that was unfair. If he wasn’t going to give everybody the night off, then that wasn’t an option. I just came out and gave what I could.”

Paul Pierce went only 2 for 12 from the floor, but he hit a 3-pointer that bounced around the rim and in to give Boston a five-point lead with 3 minutes to play. The Celtics shot just 36.8 percent but still had the advantage over the Bulls, who made just 36.5 percent of their shots.

”I told them before the game I wasn’t going to play Kevin much and there was a chance I may not play him,” said Rivers, who had wanted to leave Garnett home for Monday’s game in Charlotte but got talked into playing him there. ”I told them it’s going to be an ugly game. … And this is before the game.

Joakim Noah had 10 points and 16 rebounds, and Carlos Boozer had 11 and 11 for Chicago. Reserve Marco Belinelli added 12 points in under 20 minutes for the Bulls.

— Reported by Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press

Chicago attorney convicted in slaying of Eddy Curry`s ex-girlfriend, infant daughter

A Chicago attorney was convicted Tuesday night by a Cook County jury of fatally shooting a former girlfriend of ex-Bulls player Eddy Curry and an infant daughter Curry had with the woman.

The seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated a little more than four hours before convicting Frederick Goings, 40, of two counts of first-degree murder.

Nova Henry, 24, and her 10-month-old daughter, Ava, were found shot to death inside their South Loop town house in January 2009. Her 3-year-old son was unharmed.

— Reported by Patrick Svitek of the Chicago Tribune

Derrick Rose return date for Bulls remains unclear

The idea of Derrick Rose coming back to lead the Bulls to glory this season is sounding more and more like a figment of somebody’s imagination. Certainly not his imagination.

Judging by what Rose recently told USA Today, a return to action isn’t close to a given. That’s interesting, considering Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has repeated, ad nauseam, that Rose is “on schedule,’’ whatever that means.

Does the following sound like someone who has any idea where he’s going to be on May 1, let alone March 1?

“I’m not coming back until I’m 110 percent,’’ he said. “Who knows when that can be? It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be anytime. It’s just that I’m not coming back until I’m ready.”

Thank goodness he didn’t say 120 percent. Rose said his readiness is “probably in the high 80s. Far away. Far away.”

— Reported by Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times

Kenneth Faried shoots 9-of-10, Nuggets beat Bulls 128-96

Kenneth Faried didn’t wait for the All-Star dunk contest to put on a big show.

The Denver Nuggets’ second-year star celebrated his invitation to the league’s annual slam dunk contest with a series of rim-rattling, crowd-pleasing jams that set the tone for the Nuggets’ eighth straight win, a 128-96 rout of the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Faried finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes as the Nuggets won for the 15th time in 18 games since Jan. 1, playing from the opening tip with an intensity that seemed to take the Bulls by surprise.

He had 17 points and eight boards on the break and was on the bench by the fourth quarter along with the rest of Denver’s starters as they relished what had become a laugher.

Wilson Chandler added a season-high 24 points, sinking all five of his 3-pointers, as the Nuggets made quick work of a stingy Bulls team that came in yielding just 91 points a game but watched Denver pour in 100 by the time the third quarter was over…

JaVale McGee put on his own slam-and-jam show, adding 10 points for the Nuggets, who haven’t lost since Jan. 18 and led this one by as many as 35 points…

Carlos Boozer led Chicago’s starters with 18 points. The Bulls again were without starting guards Derrick Rose (left knee) and Kirk Hinrich (right elbow). Center Joakim Noah (right foot) returned to the lineup, but was held to just one bucket and five rebounds. Reserve Daequan Cook led the Bulls with 19 points…

Lawson finished with 16 points and 12 assists and the Nuggets were an astonishing plus-40 when he was on the court.

— Reported by Arnie Melendrez Stapleton of the Associated Press