Chicago Sun-Times

Taj Gibson predicts that Derrick Rose will silence his critics when he returns

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:08:25 -0500

Taj Gibson still is getting ripped by Bulls fans for his ejection in Game 2 against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. So the reserve power forward couldn’t even imagine what venom has built up toward Derrick Rose, who missed the season while recovering from surgery to his left knee. “That’s what comes with the job we do,’’ Gibson said Thursday, one day after the Bulls’ postseason came to an end in Miami. “I’m still recovering from the Game 2 [ejection]. I still have fans basically ripping me to shreds. But you just have to take it with …

Bulls in for some agony with coming roster losses

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:28:44 -0500

Goodbye, Nate Robinson. Arrivederci, Marco Belinelli. Good luck, Rip Hamilton. Hardly knew you, Daequan Cook. ‘‘We’ll see what the market calls for,’’ Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said repeatedly Thursday, one day after the Miami Heat sent the Bulls home for summer vacation by topping them 4-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. What the market calls for is some painful losses in the backcourt, with Robinson, Belinelli and Cook all free agents and the Bulls holding a $5 million option on Hamilton that they have no intention of picking up. So who’s in and who’s out when it comes to the …

Joakim Noah might require surgery on his right foot

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:27:00 -0500

As the Bulls walked off the court Wednesday night in Miami — again sent on summer vacation by the Heat — the team had numerous roster holes. If there was good news, it was that most of those holes were caused by injuries. That’s why coach Tom Thibodeau was optimistic about next season, even with Rip Hamilton, Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli likely wearing different uniforms. As far as overtaking the Heat, he said, “We have a lot of work to do to do that. You have to give Miami a lot of credit. They are the defending champion, they …

Thibs says the Bulls have an offseason plan for Derrick Rose

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:27:38 -0500

MIAMI — Derrick Rose might not be planning much this summer. Whether the Bulls point guard likes it or not, the organization wants more say in what his offseason will consist of. “There will be a plan with him [this offseason],’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We have an offseason program that he’s going to have to go through. It will be mostly the same, but we’ll be adding a few things to it.’’ With good reason. The Bulls watched their season come to an end in a 94-91 Game 5 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday. It was the …

Tom Thibodeau remains solidly in the corner of Derrick Rose

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:27:47 -0500

MIAMI — Even though the depleted Bulls’ season ended in frustration with a 94-91 loss Wednesday, coach Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t say Derrick Rose’s rehab from major knee surgery didn’t go as well as the team had hoped. “No. You didn’t know. We didn’t know. He didn’t know,’’ said Thibodeau, noting that owner Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t want Rose to return until he felt right. “He heeded Jerry’s advice from the beginning to not rush it and make sure you’re completely comfortable before you get out there. “It’s too important a decision for him to rush. Until he’s completely comfortable, we don’t …

Bulls prove to be resilient to the end

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:37:32 -0500

MIAMI—Before this game, the Bulls said all the right things. We’ll take it step-by-step. We never give up. Yada yada. No one believed in them. Didn’t matter. They believed. After falling behind 22-4 and looking flatter than the proverbial pancake, the Bulls mustered their courage. Showing pride and resilience in a situation where no one would have blamed them for going quietly into the night, the Bulls said, ‘‘Not so fast.’’ Hitching up their baggy red shorts, the Bulls outscored Miami 71-42 during a stretch of a little more than two quarters and led 75-64 on Wednesday with 1:50 left …

Bulls eliminated from playoffs after 94-91 Game 5 Heat win

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:23:33 -0500

MIAMI – Nate Robinson was hoping to someday tell his kids a “beautiful story.’’ It would start with the 2012-13 Bulls down 3-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals against the defending champs, and facing elimination, stage one of the best comebacks in franchise history. “One thing about it is you never know when that beautiful story is going to happen,’’ Robinson said. It wouldn’t happen on Wednesday, as the Bulls watched their season come to an end in the 94-91 loss, after a Jimmy Butler game-tying attempt missed late. What it means now is Miami will play in its …

Floyd Mayweather again top-earning U.S. athlete; Derrick Rose is No. 7

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:23:07 -0500

NEW YORK — Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the highest-earning athlete in American sports for the second straight year. The boxer is projected to make $90 million in 2013 according to Sports Illustrated’s annual list released Wednesday. Miami Heat star LeBron James is a distant second at $56.5 million, and coming in seventh place, while missing the entire 2012-13 season is Bulls guard Derrick Rose at $33,403,000, with $16,403,000 coming from salary and $17 million in endorsements. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees vaults into the rankings at No. 3 at $47.8 million thanks to a new contract signed before last …

Bulls’ future looks more murky than perky

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:43:50 -0500

RICK TELANDER: Thank you, Heat! Thank you for putting the mess that was the 2012-13 Bulls down the drain and into the septic system. Was the season fun for you, fans?

Bulls’ Game 5 chances hinge on Nate Robinson avoiding Heat’s trap

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:16:19 -0500

Less than a week ago, Joakim Noah was referring to Bulls teammate Nate Robinson as the ‘‘little warrior.’’ That was after the Bulls’ upset of the Heat in Miami, when the 5-9 point guard scored 27 points to open the Eastern Conference semifinals. Since then, the defending NBA champion Heat has had Robinson coming up very small. He had 11 points and four turnovers in Game 2, shooting just 3-for-10 from the field. In Game 3, he scored 17 points on 5-for-13 shooting and had three turnovers. But no one saw his struggles in Game 4 coming. In what Robinson …

Floyd Mayweather again top-earning U.S. athlete; Derrick Rose is No. 7

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:23:07 -0500