Chicago Bulls Keep Winning Despite Slew of Injuries to Key Players

Even though a bunch of injuries have threatened to derail the Chicago Bulls lately, they just keep winning.

It helps that they have played some of the worst teams in the NBA over the last couple weeks, but players have stepped up immensely.

When Derrick Rose went down with a toe injury that ultimately kept him out of five games, John Lucas III and C.J. Watson filled in quite nicely.

In his first ever start against the Washington Wizards, Lucas had 25 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.  Those were Rose-type numbers.

Since returning to the lineup five games ago after dislocating his elbow, Watson has been averaging 14.6 points per game on 51.1-percent shooting with 5.4 assists per game.

Shooting guard Rip Hamilton missed 10 games due to a sore groin, and Ronnie Brewer came in and played the best basketball of his career.

Big men Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson both suffered sprained ankles recently, and Omer Asik and Brian Scalabrine have stepped in and played extremely well.

Asik played a career-high 39 minutes and grabbed 15 rebounds in a recent win over the Charlotte Bobcats.  Both Asik and Scalabrine contributed to a franchise record 16 blocked shots against the Bobcats.

The most recent Bull to suffer an injury is Luol Deng. 

There hasn't been an official announcement from the team, or Deng, as to the extent of the injury, but it could be a while before he is back on the court.

Losing Deng for a long period will no doubt hurt the Bulls, but it just means someone else will have to step up in his absence.

Even with all the injuries the Bulls have suffered, they are a league best 16-3 and at or near the top of every major defensive category. 

Much of the credit should go to head coach Tom Thibodeau.

He has to be at the top of the list to win his second straight Coach of the Year award.

It hasn't mattered which player the Bulls have lost; someone else steps up and fills the void.

Thibodeau has done a tremendous job of keeping every player on the roster focused on the current game and not looking elsewhere.

Each player knows he is one play away from being thrown into the mix in a significant way. 

The defensive principles and attention to detail Thibodeau have instilled in his players is reflected every night they take the court. 

Every player he's sent into the game has contributed in some way for the Bulls this season. Each player knows his role and what's expected of him. 

Thibodeau has confidence in each of his players; he knows that if he needs to rely on them, they will succeed with flying colors.

The combination of team depth and coaching the Bulls have is why they've been able to survive the rash of injuries that have come their way in such a short period.

The Bulls have been lucky that none of the injuries suffered have been that serious, but with word coming soon on Deng, that could all change.

All it means is someone else will take his minutes, step up and keep the Bulls' winning ways intact.