Westerlund: 5 Thoughts After Bulls-Knicks
By Cody Westerlund--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Sometimes exactly what you expect will happen happens. That was the case Saturday night at the United Center, where the Bulls rolled to a 111-80 win over the hapless Knicks, who set a franchise record with their 60th loss. Chicago held a 50-22 advantage on points in the paint.
Here are the observations and notes of the night.
1. Saturday continued the theme of late for the Bulls, as they were led by Nikola Mirotic's game-high 24 points (in just under 26 minutes) off the bench to win for the fifth time in the last six games. Mirotic shot 8-of-15 from the field, 3-of-7 from 3-point range and was 5-of-6 at the free-throw line. He's emerged this month not only because of increased playing time but also because the Bulls are running the offense through him when he's on the floor.
Which leads us back to the question that looms over the Bulls: Assuming Derrick Rose comes back healthy, how's he fit alongside with the emerging Mirotic? The duo has played just 240 minutes together this season, the equivalent of five full games.
Chicago's net rating (+/- per 100 possessions) is 4.2 in that smaller sample size, which is one point better than its season average.
The difficulty comes in that Mirotic's role has now transformed and also, as Mike Dunleavy explained, because Rose is ball-dominant. Anytime a player who controls the game's prized element returns, it's a more of a disruption to the flow a team has established, for better or worse.
"The big challenge is it's somebody who has the ball in their hands," Dunleavy said. "I just think it will be (a) bigger (adjustment) for everybody. But I think we can do it. I think we will do it.
"We'll see how it unfolds."
2. Rose hasn't yet been cleared for full contact in practice following knee surgery on Feb. 27, and coach Tom Thibodeau said late Saturday that he didn't know yet if he would be for Monday. The Bulls have Sunday off.
After returning to full contact in practice, Rose anticipates returning to game action one or two weeks later, assuming no setbacks. As Rose's status remains uncertain, the likelihood increases every day that Chicago will have to open the playoffs, which begin April 18, without him.
So, is a deep playoff run still possible without Rose? Dunleavy believes so.
"Our mindset at this point is we're building toward something, and we have more than enough right now," Dunleavy said. "And if Derrick gets back, it's a bonus. We're pulling for him. We're hoping for him to come back, but who knows how things play out. At this point, we'll be ready without him, and I think we'll be ready with him. Either way, we feel like we can get something done."
Thibodeau was asked the same question pregame but having little of it.
"I'm not worried about a playoff run," Thibodeau said. "I'm worried about us doing the right things each and every day."
3. Since the return of Taj Gibson from an ankle injury on March 20, the Bulls' rotation, at least in the frontcourt, has taken shape at this crucial point in the season. With four big men in the mix and the continued stellar play of Mirotic, it's Gibson who's seen his role reduced.
Gibson's been subbing in with about four minutes left in the first quarter, then plays about an eight-minute stretch. But unlike earlier in the season, Gibson isn't playing late in the first half – those minutes are going to Mirotic, who subs in late in the first quarter and is playing a stretch of about 15 straight minutes to close the half from there on out.
In the three previous games with the big man quartet healthy, Gibson was averaging just shy of 15 minutes. He played 24 on Saturday, in part because he played the entire fourth quarter of the blowout.
Gibson had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Thibodeau assessed his play as "better" while adding his timing is still off. Thibodeau isn't committed to any certain role for Gibson moving forward, but Mirotic's emergence makes it seem likely that Gibson will have a more limited role in the postseason than he started the season with.
"Taj is one of those guys, he needs a lot of repetition," Thibodeau said.
"Right now, Niko's playing well, but Taj is critical to our team, and we're going to need him."
4. Asked how deep his playoff rotation would be assuming everyone is healthy, Thibodeau didn't give a specific number. He's previously mentioned how he feels nine is a good fit.
"We'll see," Thibodeau said. "And it's a big question, if we're fully healthy. That's been our question mark all year, and so we have to see who's available. And if they're available, we have to see who's playing well. There's two parts to that."
A nine-man rotation would seem practical for the Bulls come playoff time, with Mirotic, Gibson and Aaron Brooks off the bench for certain and then either Kirk Hinrich or Tony Snell involved as well. Assuming Rose comes back, Thibodeau could also decide if he wanted a more offensive-minded (Brooks) or defensive-minded (Hinrich) player for the minutes behind Rose.
On a team that lacked depth last season, it's worth noting that Thibodeau went with an eight-man rotation in a season-ending Game 5 loss to the Wizards – with eighth man Snell playing only five minutes in that game.
5. With the win, the Bulls improved to 45-29 and hold a 1 1/2-game lead on the Raptors (43-30) for third place in the East. With a favorable closing schedule, Chicago has the inside track for the third seed, which would likely set up a first-round series with Milwaukee.
The Bulls are two games behind the Cavaliers in the Central Division, with one matchup left against them on April 5.
"It is important to put yourself in the best possible position in order to have the best possible run," Gasol said. "Having home court helps, but let's see. The most important part is also getting to the playoffs in the best possible shape."
It's worth noting that if the Cavaliers (47-27) win the Central Division and the Bulls and Raptors finish with identical records, Toronto would hold the tiebreaker over Chicago due to its Atlantic Division title that will soon be clinched.
If the Bulls rallied to win the division over the Cavaliers, then they'd hold the tiebreaker on the Raptors by virtue of their 4-0 season sweep of them.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
