This season, the Chicago Bulls have been seen not only as a contender for the Eastern Conference title, but even the NBA crown. And in the previous months, the Windy City squad has been doing well climbing up the standings ladder.
However, after Derrick Rose suffered an injury in his right knee, the team's leading scorer got hurt as well.
Jimmy Butler, who has a team-best 20.2 points and grabs 5.9 rebounds a game this season, will also be sidelined for the next six weeks due to a hyperextended elbow, which he suffered when he collided in a DeAndre Jordan screen, during the Bulls' loss to the Clippers.
Butler's absence will be huge for the Bulls considering how he stretches the floor on the offensive end, and helps the frontcourt of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol on defense.
I'm doing all right," Butler said after Tuesday's practice. "I'm just trying my best to hurry back, being careful, of course, but I'm not going to say I'm happy. ... My ligament just has to heal, and I've got to be able to move my left arm like I move my right before I can get out there and do anything."
While this year may be particularly momentous for the Bulls as it now ranks among the teams in the league that have potent offenses, it is expected to take a direct hit with the absence of its priced point guard, and this season's leading scorer.
This season, the return of Rose, the acquisition of Gasol, and the emergence of Butler as a star became the primary reasons the Bulls are now closing games offensively, not defensively.
Unfortunately, just when the Bulls will be heading into its final stretch before the regular season ends, Rose tears his medial meniscus in his right knee. While he already underwent an operation, he won't be back for at least six weeks.
To add even more problems to Chicago, their sixth man Taj Gibson is also out with a sprained ankle during a game against the Timberwolves. There are no details yet when he will be back in action.
The Bulls may be missing three key players down the season's final stretch, but this isn't new territory for Chicago. During the years when Rose was out, coach Tom Thibodeau depended on Noah as the leader, and made him the anchor of the league's toughest defense. While Gasol may not be among the best defenders, he may complement Noah well because he can shoot from the outside.
This is also the time for the Bulls' young bench to step up. Nikola Mirotic will finally see more minutes in the next games, and so is Tony Snell, who have been consistent in his scoring lately.
If the Bulls manage to hold on and keep their position at the upper half of the standings by the time Rose and Butler return, then the high hopes for the ballclub are still good to go.
