In sports, timing is everything. The Chicago Bulls ran into the Miami Heat Thursday at a bad time and the result was a rather embarrassing 86-67 loss at home.
Complicating matters were the incendiary comments made by Reggie Rose toward Bulls management for not – in his opinion, anyway – doing more to put pieces around his superstar brother that could get past Miami and win a championship. It was an unnecessary distraction in a season that has been virtually drama-free for the Bulls, and whether he agrees with it or not, the elder Rose put his brother in a very difficult position, including having to put out a statement to distance himself from his older sibling's remarks.
Rose took the high road in a statement released via the team, but there has been rampant speculation that maybe this is how D. Rose truly feels behind the scenes and perhaps he’s being disingenuous about his desire to return this season. Just like the weather outside in Chicago today, this thing is a mess.
The Good
By writing anything in this space, I’m showing extreme generosity as it was just a terrible showing by the Bulls against the Heat. Nate Robinson (14 points) got the start in the place of the injured – again – Kirk Hinrich and led the team in scoring. Carlos Boozer (12 points, 11 rebounds) notched a double-double while Joakim Noah (11 points, eight rebounds, eight assists) almost messed around and got a triple-double, except it wasn’t exactly a good day (word to Ice Cube). The Bulls were a +3 in rebound margin over the Heat (39-36) and broke even with the Heat scoring points in the paint (38-38). And that’s about where the good ends for Chicago.
The Bad
Kirk Hinrich missed the Bulls last seven games leading up to the All-Star break, but returned on Tuesday night to face the New Orleans Hornets and played well. But he was back on the sidelines once again on Thursday as he re-aggravated the injury to his right elbow.
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The Ugly
This is too easy! Chicago turned the ball over 26 times on Thursday night, 17 of those coming in the first half. The Bulls shot 20 percent from the three-point line and 37 percent from the field. Miami’s bench outscored Chicago’s 23-17 and their defense only allowed the Bulls to score 20 points in a quarter, once. The win was Miami's first in the United Center since LeBron James came to South Beach via free-agency in 2010.
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