+7
The Bulls upended the Hornets in New Orleans on Wednesday.
The good news for the New Orleans Hornets is that they were not held to the worst offensive performance in franchise history on Wednesday night against the visiting Chicago Bulls. That would be 65 points, which New Orleans narrowly avoided in a 90-67 loss to the Bulls. Even a coach as intense and demanding as Tom Thibodeau likely won't be able to find fault with his team's performance tonight. Chicago led wire-to-wire and the game was never in jeopardy.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about the blowout win for Chicago is that star point guard Derrick Rose was able to rest for most of the second half. Rose played 22 minutes, finishing with six points, six assists, and five rebounds. Carlos Boozer scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Bulls in the win. Center Joakim Noah added 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Chris Kaman scored a team-high 17 points for the Hornets.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Head over SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.
The Chicago Bulls will take a 70-46 lead into the fourth quarter on Wednesday in New Orleans against the Hornets. Chicago has led wire-to-wire, even with only minimal contributions from a less-than-healthy Derrick Rose. Rose, who is fighting back spasms and turf toe, heads into the fourth with six points, six assists, and five rebounds in 22 minutes of play.
Carlos Boozer -- as he is wont to do against inferior competition -- leads Chicago with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists through three quarters. Center Joakim Noah has 13 points (on 6-of-7 shooting) and 10 rebounds, five of them on the offensive end. Luol Deng and Kyle Korver each have nine points for Chicago.
Chris Kaman has a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for New Orleans. Marco Belinelli has scored eight.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Head over SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.
The Chicago Bulls lead the New Orleans Hornets 44-31 at halftime in New Orleans Arena on Wednesday. Chicago is being led by power forward Carlos Boozer. who has 12 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Bulls center Joakim Noah has been active on both ends, and turned in a highlight reel steal-to-dunk in the second quarter. Noah finished the half eight points and five rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting.
Chicago finished the half 19-of-42 from the field (45.2 percent) and out-rebounded New Orleans 24-19. Chicago also holds definitive advantages in assists (13-8) and steals (7-2). The Hornets have 10 turnovers, Chicago has six.
New Orleans big man Chris Kamen has been at the center of trade rumors lately, but he's played well against Chicago through a half. Kamen came off the bench to lead the Hornets in scoring with 10 points. Marco Belinelli scored six for New Orleans.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Head over SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.
The Chicago Bulls are leading 23-16 after one period against the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night, riding the strong play of their post players to an early advantage. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah both played quite well in the first period, giving Chicago most of its points, but they've also struggled to stop the Hornets' Chris Kaman.
New Orleans struggled offensively in the first quarter, but Kaman has essentially carried them so far. The Bulls jumped out to an early 15-4 lead but couldn't pull away as the center fought to keep New Orleans in the game. Kaman is 5-of-6 from the field so far with 12 points, but the rest of the team is just 1-of-9 combined.
Boozer leads the Bulls in scoring thus far with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Noah has added six points and four rebounds on his own. Kaman has been the dominant force for the Hornets, scoring 12 of their 16 points so far.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Head over SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.
The Chicago Bulls will have Derrick Rose against the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night, as he's in the starting lineup along with Ronnie Brewer, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. Rose has been dealing with the effects of back spasms that removed him from Monday's game against the New Jersey Nets.
Earlier today, it was reported that Rose would be a game-time decision for Wednesday's game against New Orleans, but the point guard was optimistic in speaking with reporters earlier today. Some had wondered whether the team would be better served keeping Rose out of the game considering that he's also been dealing with a turf toe injury this season.
He won't be missing any games after the back spasms, though, as he's immediately back in the starting lineup on Wednesday. The team doesn't have Richard Hamilton, though, as Brewer is once again starting in his place.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Head over SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose's status for Wednesday night's game against the New Orleans Hornets will be a game-time decision, but he's optimistic that he'll be good enough to go. The reigning MVP left Monday's game against the New Jersey Nets with back spasms, but he believes that the rest has him feeling good enough to play.
[My] back is feeling better. I should be ready to go tonight; game-time decision. I'm going to see how it is when I go out there and I should be all right.
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau noted that Rose dealt with a similar back issue last season, but it went away with rest and hasn't cropped up again until now. With the schedule being tightened by the lockout, there are fewer chances for Rose to rest during the season, but Thibodeau also said that he won't rest players if they're healthy enough to play.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Head over SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.
On Wednesday night, the Chicago Bulls (21-6) visit the hapless New Orleans Hornets (4-21) in a matchup of first versus worst. The Bulls enter the game with the NBA's best record, while the Hornets limp into the game with a seven-game losing streak. The Bulls would be wise to stay diligent on Wednesday night, though, as the Hornets' four wins have come against relatively strong teams -- the Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns.
More: Rose plans to play tonight
Guard Jarrett Jack leads the Hornets offensively. In his 757 minutes played, Jack has averaged 15.7 points and 6.8 assisting per 36 minutes. The team also relies heavily on the play of C Emeka Okafor, who leads the team with a 7.8 rebounds per game average.
The biggest news of the evening will surround the Bulls' star point guard Derrick Rose, who has been struggling with injuries in the 2011-12 NBA Season, and left Monday night's game with back spasms. Rose leads the Bulls with an impressive 22.7 points per game rate and a 7.9 assists per game average.
Gametime: 7:00 PM CST
Television: CSN-C
Radio: ESPN 1000 AM
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Head over SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.
2012 Chicago White Sox Top Prospects: Reed, Molina And Castro Top Keith Law's Chart
The latest prospect rankings from ESPN's Keith Law has a trio of righty starters filling the top three slots in the Chicago White Sox organization:
The 23-year-old Addison Reed (ranked 97 among Law's Top 100 prospects) was drafted by the Sox in the 3rd round of the 2010 MLB amateur draft. He reached the majors in 2011, pitching exceptionally in his 7 and 1/3 innings of relief.
Nestor Molina appears to be a bit further behind Reed, having reached only Double-A in 2011. Molina has spent five years in the minor leagues, and joined the White Sox this offseason in the Sergio Santos trade last December. In his most recent full season, Molina dominated High-A hitters, pitching 108 and 1/3 innings of 2.58 ERA, 2.45 FIP baseball.
Simon Castro, who was rated the No. 58 top prospect by Baseball America in 2011, struggled in 2011, pitching 16 games in Double-A and 6 games in Triple-A with a combined ERA of 5.63.
For more on the White Sox prospects and world of minor league baseball, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more White Sox news and notes.
Feb 09 1:00p by Bradley Woodrum