Westerlund: 5 Thoughts After Bulls-Grizzlies
By Cody Westerlund-
CHICAGO (CBS) – Leading by four with less than six minutes to play, the Bulls (39-26) fell 101-91 to the Grizzlies (45-18) on Monday night at the United Center after the visitors ripped off an 11-0 run. Of course, that wasn't the main plot of the night.
As is often the case, Derrick Rose grabbed the headlines, this time when he spoke to the media in pregame for the first time since Feb. 27 knee surgery. Rose is optimistic he'll play again this season but, as he's done before, also created doubt for what the timetable for his return is.
Here are the observations and notes of the night.
1. To be clear, the Bulls are still operating under the assumption that Rose will return between late March and mid-April after surgery on the tear in his right medial meniscus and rehab that coach Tom Thibodeau said is "right on schedule." Now, is that Rose's timetable? That's the million-dollar question.
"Who knows?" Rose said when asked directly when he'll be back. "Whenever I feel well, that's when I'll step back on the court."
Considering he had surgery just 10 days ago, you can't fault Rose for not knowing when he'll be back. What was puzzling to me were Rose's matador responses to multiple questions about the playoffs and his meaning to the team. He largely dodged them, as if not to set any expectations.
The following is a verbatim transcript of two questions pertaining to the playoffs.
Q: You've missed three straight postseasons. I know how much you like to play in that. How hungry are you to come back for that?
"Right now, it's all about just getting the most out of all my rehabs," Rose said. "Every day, getting the most out of every day, like I said. And making sure my mental (mind) is healthy."
Q: The season began with the Bulls having championship aspirations, but this team can't win a championship without you. Does that put more responsibility on your shoulders to try to push as hard as you can in this rehab to make sure you get back on the court for your teammates?
"Not really," Rose said. "Not if you know basketball. The year that the Dallas Mavericks (in 2011), nobody had them making it that far in the playoffs, let alone win the championship. I think that we're talented like they were that year. It's all about just getting us all out on the court together, playing with (each other). Who knows, when we're put up against that wall, we may show something special."
Rose could've avoided much of the debate that's ensuing over his leave-some-doubt comments if he'd simply something along the lines of: "I know the opportunity that's in front of this talented team and that we need everyone to be out there, myself included, to reach our ultimate goal. I'm working as hard as I ever have to return for the playoffs because I realize championship opportunities are fleeting."
We never heard anything along those lines. While I do believe he'll return this season, his words created doubt, as he didn't acknowledge a timeline or the importance of the playoffs – which, it's worth noting, he chose not to play in during the 2013 run after doctors cleared him.
Rose is 26 with three knee surgeries behind him, and the Bulls have put the supporting cast around him to be compete for a title. Even if they do have fatal flaws, the time is now to chase championships.
He must know that, right?
2. Thunder star Russell Westbrook hung 43 points on the Bulls last Thursday at the United Center amid a recent tear of which the NBA hasn't seen in 25 years. He's putting up historic numbers not just because of his freakish athleticism but also because of a burning passion to destroy everyone on the basketball court.
"Once I get to a take-off spot, I just jump and then whatever's in the way is in the way," Westbrook said of his thought process behind dunking.
It's a killer instinct matched by few in the NBA.
"That killer instinct does remind me of Kobe," Thibodeau said of Westbrook.
Rose was guy the Bulls thought would display that for them. Injuries have unfortunately robbed him of the chance to display it in recent years, but now another question lingers.
Even if Rose comes back healthy, will he ever display that edge on a nightly basis that's needed to push a team to a championship? He hasn't done it consistently this year, and the injuries must be a mental drain.
"All I can do is roll with the punches and know at the end that I'll be fine," Rose said.
The Bulls need a killer instinct from him in the worst way. They're the try-hard Bulls now, but someone's got to come with the hammer.
3. For the second time in a week in the NBA, a team was penalized for a rare violation: having six men on the court. On Monday, the Bulls were the culprit, trotting out too many players with 2:04 left. It proved costly for Chicago, which was trailing 94-88. The ensuing technical foul resulted in one Memphis point and the Grizzlies' ball, melting off precious seconds.
The problem appeared to be a miscommunication between Joakim Noah and E'Twaun Moore. Noah was set to check in for Moore, with the plan then to move Nikola Mirotic to small forward. Before that happened, a timeout was taken, and Noah – and the coaches – seemingly didn't communicate to Moore that a big man was coming in for him. Or they did and Moore forgot, because he and Noah both took the court.
To his credit, Thibodeau took the blame.
"That was my fault," Thibodeau said.
4. Pau Gasol was as demonstrative and upset Monday night over the officiating as he's been all season. Often going head-to-head with brother Marc in the post, Pau scored 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. He was displeased with a number of no-calls on his drives to the hoop that he thought were fouls, as well as a fourth-quarter foul that was called on him when he appeared to have a clean block on Zach Randolph.
"The refereeing was frustrating, but it can happen, I guess," Pau said. "It's something you can't control, but it's tough when it affects your performance.
"You know the game's going to be physical, but you expect if they reach and they foul, you expect the calls. And that's not what really happened."
Making matters tougher on Pau was that Marc got the upper hand – on the scoreboard and the stat sheet. Marc had 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, doing lots of damage in a 15-point third quarter.
5. Rose, Jimmy Butler (sprained left elbow) and Taj Gibson (sprained left ankle) being out isn't only hurting the Bulls on game nights.
Thibodeau also lamented how it's nearly impossible to conduct a productive practice.
"There's a lot of different combinations on the floor," Thibodeau said of the struggles. "So that's part of it. Then we're in a rough stretch right now in terms of we really can't practice. You know, we don't have enough bodies to practice and also where we are in the schedule with four games in five days. You just don't have practice time."
Rose and Butler will be out for an extended time. Thibodeau called Gibson "day-to-day," but if we're reading between the lines correctly, it still didn't sound like Gibson would be ready for Wednesday's game at Philadelphia.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.