Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Grading the Chicago Bulls' Performance
The Chicago Bulls locked horns with the Oklahoma City Thunder at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan. on Wednesday. The Bulls fought back from a seven-point deficit with seven minutes remaining and emerged victorious, 104-95.
Chicago opened up an 11-point lead at halftime, largely behind some strong play from Jimmy Butler in his first game back from a sore knee. OKC adjusted to get within one possession entering the fourth, and Chicago fell asleep to start the final period, allowing the Thunder to reel off a 14-4 run. The Bulls punched back with a 26-10 run of their own to remain unbeaten in the preseason.
Derrick Rose shot just 6-of-15 from the field, but four of those field goals came from beyond the arc. He was also perfect on 10 free throws and led all scorers with 26 points. Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb looked strong for OKC, and of course Kevin Durant had 22 points of his own.
Kirk Hinrich and Joakim Noah were both out for the game. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau admitted to ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy during an in-game interview that Hinrich is much closer to returning than Noah, who is dealing with a groin issue. You know what that means? More Nazr Mohammed!
The good news was that Thibodeau said there are no restrictions on Rose entering the season, and that is all that matters to Bulls fans. Rose has looked sharp this preseason, and if he is actually back to 100 percent, the Eastern Conference should be on notice.
Here are all the grades for Chicago as we examine the entire lineup.
Point Guard: Derrick Rose, A
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Derrick Rose shot just 2-of-7 in the first half, but his health is the primary concern. Rose's stutter-step and burst were on full display, and it looked remarkably like 2012. Rose was scintillating in the fourth quarter as he drained a trio of late treys and led Chicago past the Thunder, finishing with a game-high 26 points and six assists.
Rose showed he is ready for the prime time with a beautiful drive down the lane in the second quarter. He faked out no less than three OKC players, undressed rookie Steven Adams and laid it in for two points. Unfortunately, he slipped and hit the deck on the next possession, stealing the breath from Bulls fans' lungs. He got up slowly but showed no ill effects.
Another heartstopper came in the third quarter after a Kendrick Perkins foul when Rose landed awkwardly and stayed hunched over for a few moments. Thankfully, he had just been smacked in the eye. Later in that quarter, Rose knifed through the lane for another superb layup.
All that really mattered in this exhibition contest was that Rose continued to show quickness on both ends of the floor. Rose also coughed up four first-half turnovers to go with four assists, so perhaps that quick-decision instinct got a little rusty while he was riding the pine. Surely, his preternatural disposition for playing the point will come back to him soon.
Shooting Guard: Jimmy Butler, B
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Mike Dunleavy had been starting at SG for some preseason games, so this is a significant upgrade.
Jimmy Butler was nursing a bruised knee, and this was the first game of his return. He shined from the get-go with an 11-point first half. Butler cooled off in the second half as Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer saw more touches, but the youngster makes Chicago's future look much brighter.
Butler also worked on a new hairstyle during the time off. While his flattop does not approach Iman Shumpert proportions, he now has a bit more swag to go with big expectations heaped on his shoulders.
Small Forward: Luol Deng, A-
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Luol Deng stormed out of the gates with a strong first half, dropping seven points and snagging seven boards. Unfortunately, he also shot just 2-of-9 from the field through two quarters.
But Deng got things going in the second half and helped power the Bulls down the stretch. He finished up with 20 points and 10 rebounds, because he is fond of round numbers. Chicago will need Deng to continue his strong play into the season, especially with Noah sidelined for the time being.
Deng will have extra motivation this season as he prepares to enter free agency. The Bulls appear to have a competent option at the 3 in Jimmy Butler, so Deng is hoping to sup from the fountain of youth this year. He has looked strong this preseason and seems poised for a strong campaign if he can stay healthy.
Power Forward: Carlos Boozer, A
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Carlos Boozer stuffed the stat sheet with good and bad numbers in the first half, notching six points, five boards, two assists, a steal, a block and three turnovers. I know it's still preseason, but the big fella has to take better care of the ball than that.
Perhaps motivated by the shame of those turnovers, Boozer stormed out of the locker room to drop 10 points in the third quarter, helping Chicago maintain a slim lead. He also committed two more turnovers in the quarter. The Bulls are used to taking the good with the bad from Boozer, and he turned in a nice game with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Just another lunch-pail effort from the Booze Cruise.
Boozer was crucial to the Bulls' success last season, but he has long left some fans feeling lukewarm. With Rose returning, it will be interesting to see what adjustments Boozer makes to his offensive game from 2012-13. Despite averaging 16.2 points and 9.8 boards last season, he posted the lowest player efficiency rating since his rookie year, per ESPN.
Center: Nazr Mohammed, C+
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Mohammed filled in at center for Noah, though he only played about half as many minutes as the other starters. Mohammed played decently, but this simply cannot be the plan if the extremely physical Noah goes down again. And groin injuries can be very problematic with prolonged rehabs.
Mohammed's primary talent consists in shoving LeBron James.
Bench, B
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Taj Gibson made an impact on the glass and tallied four rebounds by halftime. He ended up playing 32 minutes, largely because no team should ever play Mohammed for more than 16 minutes in a game, not even in an exhibition. Gibson finished with eight points.
Mike Dunleavy knocked down consecutive triples in the second quarter to put Chicago up by 11. He finished with nine points, three dimes and three boards over 27 minutes.
Tony Snell, the 20th overall draft pick out of New Mexico, did not see much court time, but he did knock down a three-pointer.
Erik Murphy caught my eye in this one. He is a slick-shooting rookie out of Florida selected in the second round, who was born in France to and holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Finland. His father Jay played a few seasons in the NBA in the mid-'80s, and Murphy will try to last a bit longer than that. He seems to have come along at the right time, as 6'10" players who can shoot from the perimeter are so hot right now. Murphy finished with two points, two rebounds, two dimes and a steal to make his fans back in Helsinki proud.
Marquis Teague played 13 minutes and did very little. He did not attempt a shot, and the only stats to his credit were two turnovers and two fouls.
Also of note in this game, the refs are clearly intent on enforcing their points of emphasis. This season, those are delays of game after a basket and any sort of hip-leaning on screens. You've been warned. And naturally, Jeff Van Gundy does not like it.
The Bulls face the Denver Nuggets on Friday to finish their exhibitions, and then have the privilege of visiting the Miami Heat on October 29 to open the season.
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