Doc Rivers: Chicago Bulls 'May Have 2 or 3 All-Stars' Minus Derrick Rose

LOS ANGELES — Just because Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol were in street clothes at Staples Center on Monday night doesn't mean the Los Angeles Clippers were about to take the Chicago Bulls lightly.

"They may have two or three All-Stars minus Derrick, so they’re a good basketball team," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said at his pregame press conference.

Strange as it may seem at first blush, Rivers' off-the-cuff math was accurate. The Bulls still had Joakim Noah, who's been chosen for each of the past two All-Star Games, in addition to Rose and Gasol, who came into this campaign with three All-Star appearances apiece.

This wild card here is Jimmy Butler, though, at this point, you could argue that he should be suiting up for the Eastern Conference at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 15. The fourth-year shooting guard came into Monday's action leading all players at his position in the East in points (21.3) and field-goal percentage (.533) while also ranking among the top three in rebounds (5.7) and free-throw attempts (7.8).

Not to mention his much-improved three-point shot (.391 from deep), his 2.2 combined blocks and steals or his all-around tenacious defense, the last of which earned him a spot on the NBA's All-Defensive second team last season.

That's pretty good for a guy who was the last pick in the first round of what was, at the time, considered a weak 2011 NBA draft.

"He’s maybe one of the few guys ever in the draft that people got lost in how good of a kid he was and they couldn’t see how good of a player he was, which is really strange," added Rivers, who, like Butler, played his college ball at Marquette. "And I actually thought that, in a crazy way, hurt Jimmy. No one saw the talent. I didn’t see it either. I didn’t know he was going to be this good."

Chicago can take heart in the fact that he's outpaced expectations—for now, at least. They'll need every bit of offensive firepower they can muster until Rose's hamstring and Gasol's calf afford those two the opportunity to play again.

Once the 2014-15 season is through, though, the Bulls will have to pony up to keep Butler around. The 25-year-old turned down an extension offer from Chicago prior to the Oct. 31 deadline, choosing instead to take his chances in restricted free agency next summer.

"It came down to me deciding that I want to bet on myself," Butler told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. "It was about me believing that I put the work in this summer to become a better player with the hope that my improvement will give the Bulls a better chance to win a championship."

So far, Butler's doing just that, not just as another role player, but as a potential fourth All-Star in Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau's arsenal.

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