Category: Chicago Bulls Blog

Derrick Rose’s groin injury and Richard Hamilton’s shoulder soreness appear to be in the past, but that doesn’t mean painful subjects don’t remain for the Bulls.

Rose, for starters, tweaked an ankle at some point in Sunday’s game, which he finished. The extent of the injury is unknown, however sources said Rose wore a walking boot on Monday and his availability for Tuesday’s shot at redemption against the Knicks is a game-time decision.

Beyond that, Rose’s two missed free throws late in regulation raise anew an issue that has clung to him since his lone college season at Memphis. Hamilton, meanwhile, remained rooted to the bench for the final 18 minutes, 14 seconds of the Bulls’ stunning Sunday collapse to lose in overtime.

— Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Derrick Rose returned to Chicago’s lineup Sunday at New York, giving the Bulls their projected starting five for just the 11th time this season.

Rose missed 12 straight games with a strained right groin and has been sidelined 22 times this season because of a variety of injuries.

The Bulls had the reigning MVP in the lineup for the afternoon tip with Richard Hamilton, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng for the first time since March 5 against Indiana.

— Reported by the Associated Press

The Derrick Rose injury watch is nearing its conclusion.

Barring an unexpected setback, Rose said he will return Sunday against the Knicks from the groin injury that sidelined him for the 12th straight time Thursday night.

“I’m dying to play, but we’re being smart,” Rose said. “I guess a couple of more days rest will be good for me.”

Rose again participated fully in Thursday’s morning shootaround and worked out before Thursday’s game. He admitted to still feeling a little discomfort, saying he’s “not able to run at full speed.” When he does return, that will change.

“I’m not going to hold back at all,” Rose said. “My game is to be aggressive and try to get people going.”

— Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Bulls today signed guard Mike James for the remainder of the season.  Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.  James, (6-2, 190), will be in uniform tonight when the Bulls take on the Boston Celtics at the United Center at 8:30 p.m. (CT).

James, 36, appeared in eight games with Chicago earlier this year and averaged 5.4 ppg, 3.1 apg and 1.0 rpg in 11.4 mpg.  This will mark his fourth stint with Chicago this season.  He originally signed with the Bulls on Jan. 11 (waived Jan. 28), Feb. 14 and again on Mar. 14.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 14.

Derrick Rose admitted that his groin injury is worse than he originally thought.

Rose sat out the loss Sunday against the Thunder. It was the 10 consecutive game he has missed because of the groin issue and the 20th game he has missed overall.

Rose said there’s no timetable for his return, but he expects to be back before the end of the regular season.

“I really don’t know,” he said when asked how long it would take him to get his game playoff-ready. “If I knew that answer, it would make a lot of things easy. It’s going to take a minute to get my rhythm back. Hopefully, it takes a game. We’ll see.”

Rose has been lifting weights and stretching but said he hasn’t started running yet.

— Reported by Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times

Lucky? Maybe. Luol Deng’s timing was awful good, too. He grabbed a shot that had been blocked and put it in the basket just before the buzzer sounded Saturday night, rescuing the Chicago Bulls and giving them their NBA-leading 40th victory.

At 40-10, the Bulls clinched a playoff spot.

Teammate C.J. Watson drove for the basket but his shot was partially blocked by Toronto’s James Johnson and Deng was there for the winner. After officials reviewed the play to make sure Deng’s shot beat the buzzer, the Bulls had a 102-101 overtime victory on a night in which they were often outplayed by the 16-win Raptors.

“We’re lucky we had enough time to get the rebound,” Deng said. “When it left my hand it felt good because I saw the light after it left my hand. But then again, you never really know. We waited until they made the decision.”

Johnson, an ex-Bull, had 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots, part of another determined effort by the Raptors, who gave Chicago a scare three nights ago before losing.

“That’s what happens sometimes,” Johnson said.

“The ball happened to fall short after I blocked it and Luol Deng made a great play. We deserved to win tonight, but they made the game-winning play.”

Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, Deng added 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Watson had 23 points.

— Reported by the Associated Press