Bulls Experience the Agony of the Feet, Show Bobcats the Agony of Defeat

The Chicago Bulls might be experiencing a plethora of foot and ankle problems, but even with four rotation players sitting out, they still handled the Charlotte Bobcats 95-89 in a testimony to why they are widely regarded as the deepest team in the NBA,. 

The Bulls were without the NBA's reigning MVP Derrick Rose, All-Defense center Joakim Noah, their sixth man candidate, Taj Gibson, and their third-string point guard, John Lucas III. Normally the absence of Lucas wouldn't be a concern but with Rose sitting, he became more important. 

The response? Chicago's fourth-string point guard, Mike James, produced more than the Bobcats entire starting backcourt, scoring nine points, and adding 10 assists. Forwards Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer stepped up to score 45 points combined and Richard Hamilton added his first 20 point game. 

The six point margin of victory is a bit deceptive as the Bulls led by 19 midway through fourth, but the Bobcats put on a late run which never really put the outcome in doubt. 

There were some positives to this game. The biggest of which is the continued play of Carlos Boozer. His 23 points were combined with nine boards. Whatever concerns with him there were should pretty much be gone now. He's been averaging 24 points and 10 boards over his last three games. 

He and James were really effective with the pick and roll in the second half, combining on about five straight field goals late in the third quarter. 

Deng also was big in the first half when the game was still being contested and when it was what would normally be "Rose-Time" where the Bulls needed to have someone step and shoulder the team. It's been a new element to Deng's game where he's willing to take on the extra burden when needed. 

The last thing worth mentioning was that Omer Asik, in his first NBA start, played well for the most part. His free throw shooting was horrid, but his defense was stellar and he grabbed 15 rebounds. 

As far as the veritable M.A.S.H. unit that is the Bulls training room, there's good news. The Bulls are playing at home all week, and only play three games between now and Sunday, with only one of those coming against a winning team. That means they have time to get healthy before facing off against the Heat on Jan 29th, a week from Sunday. 

Hopefully, by then, they can all be healthy. It's going to be a tad bit harder to beat the Heat with the walking wounded.