Bernucca: Bulls banged up but not beaten down

Injuries may have finally caught up with the Chicago Bulls. But no one has caught up with them in the Eastern Conference.

Late in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana – Chicago’s first at home this season – Derrick Rose turned on the afterburners, sped to the basket and whipped a bullet pass to the weakside corner for a potential go-ahead 3-pointer by his small forward.

However, standing in the corner was not Luol Deng, who is out with a wrist injury. In his place was Brian Scalabrine, the human victory cigar who missed the shot. The Pacers scored at the other end, and the Bulls finally looked like they missed a player.

The Bulls are 16-4, lead the NBA in rebounding and defense and look like much more of a threat to the Miami Heat than they did last season. Somewhat overlooked is that the wins have come just a bit more frequently than the injuries, which would have decimated most teams.

Carlos Boozer – who has a considerable injury history of his own – is the only starter yet to miss a game. Key reserves also have been sidelined, but the Bulls have just marched on.

“We have a lot of guys that can play on this team,” Boozer said. “I think we’re the deepest team in the league.”

The Bulls went 4-1 without Rose, who recently returned from a toe injury. They went 8-2 without Richard Hamilton, the supposed missing piece acquired in the offseason. They won their only game without center Joakim Noah and are 1-1 without Deng, who may eventually need surgery but plans to return next week.

Chicago also is 3-1 without Taj Gibson and 9-1 without C.J. Watson, a pair of rotation reserves.

In a recent win over Charlotte, the Bulls were without Rose, Noah and Gibson and didn’t miss a beat. Watson and Mike James filled in for Rose with a combined 20 points and 19 assists, and Omer Asik had 15 boards and two blocks in place of Noah.

“They didn’t really miss their point that much,” noted Bobcats coach Paul Silas. “With Noah and Gibson out, I thought we would do damage inside.”

James had not played in the NBA since a handful of games for Washington in the 2009-10 season. He had been playing in the D-League and caught a break when the Bulls found themselves without Rose and Watson for a stretch.

The Bulls are James’ 10th team, but one of those clubs was the 2004 champion Detroit Pistons. He sees some similarities between that squad and his current one.

“You can just feel the vibe and the love because everyone wants to win,” he said. “It’s not just about individual stats. That’s a championship locker room, that’s a championship team.”

Hamilton and James were teammates in Detroit and notices the same thing.

“When guys are hurt, they cheer for guys that are out on the floor,” he said. “In the NBA, that’s hard to find.”

Good teams play with each other. Great teams play for each other, which is what the Bulls are doing this season. Despite plenty of star quality, there are no agendas, only a trust, belief and reliance on your teammate, no matter who it may be.

That reliance has been evident since the arrival last season of coach Tom Thibodeau, who has gotten his team to take great pride in its commitment to the defensive end of the floor, whether it be in a direct matchup, as a help defender or as a unit. The message is clear: Don’t let down your teammate.

“The Bulls rotate well,” Silas said. “They know what they want to do off their pick-and-rolls. They do all things needed by picking up each other’s men and contesting shots.”

This season, that selfless commitment has become prevalent on offense, where every player has scored in double digits except Scalabrine. Rose is clearly the go-to guy, but the Bulls have had five different leading scorers in their last seven wins, including a 28-point explosion by third-string point guard John Lucas III.

Noah admitted to being surprised by Hamilton’s passing ability and has been impressed by how the veteran sees the game.

“He is always talking to guys in the locker room, recommending how they can be more effective,” Noah said.

“When you play with a team that really wants to make the extra pass for the next player and there is not a lot of selfishness on the team, you just have to blend in,” said James, who is enjoying his renaissance. “You can’t be the lone wolf and think it’s all about you.”

The rotation will get shorter in the postseason; Rose won’t be looking for Scalabrine with a kick-out pass in May. But the rash of injuries endured by the Bulls has given significant playing time to key reserves, giving Thibodeau more players he can trust and greater flexibility in looking for favorable matchups.

And in a season where attrition already has been a huge factor, the Bulls seem well prepared.

“We have more than enough,” Thibodeau said.

TRIVIA: Derek Fisher has the longest current consecutive games streak at 514. Who is second? Answer below.

THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: In an episode normally reserved for scholastic basketball, Flip Saunders’ final days in Washington included criticism from Pam McGee, the mother of JaVale McGee and a former WNBA player and coach. When asked about it, George Karl said, “Would I trust Flip Saunders or would I trust a player’s mother?”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, after watching Phoenix Suns center Marcin Gortat score five straight baskets in less than three minutes of the first quarter:

“Midway through the first, he should have stopped and put his name on the (Hall of Fame) ballot.”

LINE OF THE WEEK: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland at Toronto, Jan. 20: 39 minutes, 12-25 FGs, 9-14 FTs, nine offensive rebounds, 23 total rebounds, five assists, two steals, 33 points in a 94-84 win. We will excuse Aldridge’s six turnovers. He had dozens of touches, and put up this monster line despite back spasms.

LINE OF THE WEAK: Ryan Anderson, Orlando at Boston, Jan. 23: 23 minutes, 0-8 FGs, 0-4 3-pointers, zero rebounds, two assists, one turnover, three fouls, zero points in an 87-56 loss. The Magic set a shot-clock era record with just 16 field goals, and Anderson – their best shooter – was the prime culprit.

TRILLION WATCH: This week’s top somnambulant efforts came from Houston’s Jeff Adrien, Boston’s Sasha Pavlovic and Miami’s James Jones, each of whom registered 4 trillions. That’s still well short of Devin Ebanks and his 9 trillion at Utah on Jan. 11.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Chicago at Miami, Jan. 29. The first meeting between last year’s Eastern Conference finals foes lost a little bit of luster due to Luol Deng’s injury. But it remains a big barometer for a pair of teams looking for a psychological edge they can lean on in May.

GAME OF THE WEAK: Washington at Charlotte, Jan. 28. The second meeting in four days between the two worst teams in the NBA. If this is how you’re spending your Saturday night, get a life.

TWO MINUTES: It is absolutely absurd for any sports fan to squawk about NBA salaries when Prince Fielder – who is half a player and gets the baseball equivalent of five touches per game – receives $214 million over nine years. Regardless of what Carmelo Anthony – who is probably a comparable one-way player – is paid, there is no limit as to how many times you can throw him the ball and allow him to do his thing. You can’t have your designated hitter take every at-bat for your team. Even the excellent Tim Lincecum’s $41 million over two years is mitigated by the fact that he plays once every five days. NBA teams get way more bang for their buck from their superstars. … Two contract extensions that did not get done Wednesday night were Eric Gordon with the Hornets and Nicolas Batum with the Trail Blazers. Gordon turned down the offer from the Hornets, who have lost nine straight games, are 26th in attendance and still don’t have an owner. If Gordon somehow escapes via restricted free agency, the Hornets will have Chris Kaman’s cap slot and Minnesota’s unprotected first-round pick – which may not be a lottery pick – as the haul for Chris Paul. “We all worked hard on the extension, but sometimes business is business,” said Gordon, who is out at least three more weeks with his knee injury. As for Batum, agent Bouna Ndiaye told the Oregonian with some bitterness, “On July 1 we’re going to look at the market first before we come back to the Blazers. That’s for sure.” Batum will certainly draw interest in a market that is not loaded with small forwards. But Portland has a hole card in that it can re-sign Gerald Wallace – who plans to opt out – or use that money to make amends and sign Batum. … Earlier this season, we pointed out that Magic point guard Jameer Nelson was among 10 former All-Stars who needed to step up their game. We’re still waiting. Nelson was thoroughly outplayed by Avery Bradley in Monday’s embarrassing 87-56 loss at Boston. Forget about Nelson’s five turnovers vs. five points. He couldn’t even get Orlando into its sets, often starting the offense just below the half-court line with a limited shot clock. He also was stripped twice by Bradley in the third quarter and seemed unnerved by Bradley’s full-court pressure. … The Suns have somehow already lost home games to Toronto, New Orleans, Cleveland and New Jersey, who are a combined 14-29 on the road and 22-51 overall. … Where Deron Williams is playing next season remains a question mark, but it definitely won’t be the Prudential Center in Newark, where the Nets play now before moving to Brooklyn next season. Good riddance, according to Williams. “I don’t like this arena one bit. It’s a good thing it’s not our arena next year,” he said after a home loss to the Thunder. “Even last year, it just doesn’t feel like our home arena, I don’t know why. It just doesn’t have good visual. The depth perception is not there.” While Williams is not having a typical season, he is averaging 16.3 points on 36 percent shooting at home and 20.6 points on 41 percent shooting on the road. … When Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings lit up the Knicks for 36 points without a free throw, it was the most points by anyone without a foul shot since Jan. 2008, when Jason Richardson had 38 for Charlotte. The record is 48 by Hakeem Olajuwon. … The Sixers are 2-10 in overtime under Doug Collins. That is less a reflection on Collins and more an issue of not having an alpha dog to throw the ball to in the guts of the game. Regardless of whom they play, the Sixers rarely have the best player on the floor. … Is Dallas center Ian Mahinmi the sleeper of the 2012 free agent class? The Frenchman will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is setting himself up for a nice payday. He had a season-high 17 points with nine boards in Monday’s win vs. Phoenix and has scored in double figures six times this season after collecting four all of last season. In just 20 minutes per game, Mahinmi is averaging 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds. And his points are not coming on garbage buckets; the Mavs are incorporating him in pick-and-rolls and post-ups, and he appears to have somewhat of a clue. … After a loss at Atlanta on Jan. 14 in which he did not get a charge call on rookie Ivan Johnson in the closing seconds, Minnesota All-Star Kevin Love tweeted, “Don’t even know what to say. Eventually we will get respect in this league. It will happen.” Well, it hasn’t happened yet. In a loss at Utah on Saturday, guards Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour spent the final seconds yelling at the referees while the ball was in play. Coach Rick Adelman would like his young team to show more maturity. “We have to find a way that if stuff’s not called we can play our way through it,” he said. “Too many times tonight we let it affect us too much and you got to learn how to do that.” Meanwhile, the Wolves continue plugging along. They wrecked Dallas’ ring ceremony with a 105-90 win Wednesday and are 8-10, with five losses by four points or less. If Michael Beasley can get back and provide some scoring, Minnesota might sneak into the playoffs.

Trivia Answer: Russell Westbrook with 263. … Happy 26th Birthday, Gerald Green. … Once the lockout ended, I bet Eric Gordon didn’t think he would still be negotiating with David Stern.

Chris Bernucca is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com. His column appears every Thursday. You can follow him on Twitter.