The Chicago Bulls won last night against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves 96-85. It is a game they desperately needed and there will be many more games to follow that they will desperately need. Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon, and Joe Smith all sat out due to nagging injuries. The situation in Chicago has become desperate.
Luckily, the Bulls have enough depth on the bench to win against some of the bad teams. It wasn't a win against a top flight opponent. It wasn't even a win against one of the lower tiered playoff teams. The Bulls will take it. Wins have been hard to come by. Kirk Hinrich led the team with 27 points and Andres Nocioni contributed with 18. Ben wallace pulled down 12 rebounds and had a couple of blocks to boot. Rookie Joakim Noah, in his first career start, provided a ton of energy and ripped down 13 rebounds.
Noah, is a guy that Coach Jim Boylan has to play more. The Bulls have to see what they have in this young man. He plays with energy and heart in which a lot of his teammates have lacked this season. Tyrus thomas is another guy wasting away on the bench who must get more playing time. Joe smith and his balky knees are not the long term answer. It is time for a changing of the guard for the Bulls if they are going to have any chance at reaching the playoffs. They have failed miserably at living up to expectations, Kobe Bryant is not coming to town, Scott Skiles has long been fired, and yet they can still make a run at the playoffs and turn their season around.
The trade deadline is fast approaching and players will inevitably be dealt. The Bulls should be players on this front. Any package of Ben Wallace for Pau Gasol would do wonders. That, is of course, if the Memphis Grizzlies are interested. The Bulls have lacked a low post scorer for years and has been the main reason for their downfall. You can only live by the jump-shot for so long. A package of Wallace, Thomas, and Duhon may be able to get the deal done. The Bulls will never be a contender without a low post scoring threat. Right now, they have some bargaining chips to make a move for the immediate future. They have to be active during the trade deadline if they have any hope at furthering themselves in the playoffs. Otherwise, Detroit and Boston will pick them off very easily.
For now, the Bulls can try to sustain a winning streak larger than 2 games. Any momentum they can build is good momentum. The Bulls have to focus on the positives and play inspired basketball. Then injured players will come back healthy and everything else will fall into place.
