(1-3)

L 82-90 So much for that 5-game win streak.  The inconsistent Bulls had a huge letdown at home against the Clippers.  Their 38% from the field was atrocious and the 20 turnovers definitely did not help.  Deng was somewhat effective with 18 points, but for the most part this was an uninspired effort.

L 103-106 Another game the Bulls should have and could have won, but they couldn’t pull it out in overtime against the 76ers.  Rose’s 2 free throws with 1:41 left tied it at 98 but the Bulls got worked in the overtime period.  Rose had 30 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists, but its very tough for anyone to be effective when the entire other team is packing it in the lane to stop you.

L 81-91 A third straight loss?  Why not.  This one was a tough one though.  The Hawks are a superior team and they showed it.  Although the Bulls had 5 players in double figures, the story of the night was their inability to contain Josh Smith in every aspect of the game.  Smith’s triple-double was more than enough to help put the Bulls away.

W 95-91 If you think the Bulls have a legitimate shot at the 5 seed in the East, this was a huge win.  The Heat and D-Wade could not overcome a short-handed Bulls team.  Noah is out with foot problems and Tyrus was suspended for being an idiot.  Rose’s 24 points and Deng’s 25 combined for more than half the Bulls points.  Hopefully Wade saw what he can work next to if he comes to Chicago next season…

Player of the Week — Derrick Rose

It wasn’t a great week, but all-star Derrick Rose continues to shine.  He averaged 22 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists a game.  Although he shot only 42.7% from the field, he was still the most reliable scorer on the team.  A nod to Luol Deng for his 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.

Not Player of the Week — Brad Miller

Brad Miller has fallen in love with the 3-pointer.  He filled in admirably with Noah and Thomas out, but 2-10 from 3 point land is not what they need from him, and it also pulls him away from the basket giving us an even smaller chance of snagging an offensive rebound.

Bulls Weekly Grade — C+

The win against Miami was big, but the 3 straight losses just helps to emphasize the Bulls inconsistencies coming off a 5-game road winning streak.

This can’t be good.  Tyrus Thomas continues his up and down career with the Bulls with a one-game suspension for tonight’s game against the Heat. From AP:

Chicago Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas has been suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the team.

Thomas, who earlier in the season was sidelined seven weeks with a broken left forearm, will miss Saturday’s contest against the Miami Heat at the United Center.

The team did not give specifics on the reason for the suspension.

Maybe when a rookie like Taj Gibson starts taking your minutes you get too frustrated. It will great to hear why Thomas was suspended.

Derrick Rose continues to dominate games and throw down nasty dunks. Here he displays his amazing quickness and crosses over Willie Green. He gets to the rack and jams it with 2 hands. How many 6′3″ point guards do you know of that can jam it like that with both hands? Rose is the man.

Taj Gibson continues to be a force for the Bulls. Gibson was drafted with the pick that was acquired from the Thunder for Thabo Sefolosha, and that’s looking like a brilliant move now. Last night Gibson blocked four shots and showed some impressive ball handling and quickness with this sick jam on Chris Kaman.

Vinny Del Negro has a supporter in Charles Barkley. Barkley made some good points about VDN on “Waddle and Silvy” yesterday on ESPN 1000.

“Vinny has done a good job. Last year when they took the Celtics to seven games, he did a good job. I couldn’t understand why they were trying to throw him under the bus.

“The truth of the matter is Derrick Rose was not playing well (at the start of the season). They say he was injured, so I give him a pass on that, but the reason the Bulls weren’t playing well was Derrick Rose wasn’t playing well. I don’t think it was fair they were thinking about firing Vinny. Let me preface that: Vinny is a friend of mine, so I’m a little biased, but Vinny did not deserve to get fired.”

“They could have cracked under the pressure. I’ve been around teams when there are a bunch of trade rumors and thinking about (firing) the coach, and the team packs it in and folds. So give Vinny some credit. He’s done a good job.”

I definitely think Del Negro deserves some credit for the recent surge, especially after everyone and their brother was calling for his head. But the Bulls have also been the most up and down team in the league this tear, and if I’m giving credit to Del Negro for the good, surely I have to wonder about why they have had such terrible stretches, as well as some horrendous losses.

h/t: Chicago Breaking Sports