BULLS 101

The Chicago Bulls will seek their fourth straight road win of 20 points or more when they face the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night (6 p.m. CT on CSN). And considering just how awful the Bobcats are, there's a pretty good chance the Bulls will be able to achieve that. 

The Bulls have played a string of absolutely woeful opponents, with the Bobcats being perhaps the worst of the bunch. The Nets at least have Deron Williams. The Hornets have…well…they may be on the same level as the Bobcats now, but New Orleans will have a legit star in Eric Gordon coming back at some point. 

The Bobcats do have some injuries that have hurt them, with Corey Maggette, D.J. Augustin and Gerald Henderson all having missed time. But none of those guys are actual stars, so I really doubt the Bobcats' record would be that much better if they were all on the court. 

All three of those players are still out, so the Bulls will be facing a roster that, in my opinion, is one of the worst in NBA history. There's probably more talent in owner Michael Jordan's finger than what's on the current team right now. The most talented player on the active roster is rookie Kemba Walker, so that pretty much tells you all you need to know about the Bobcats. 

I was considering throwing some stats out there to show just how awful the Bobcats are, but there's simply little point. They are terrible at everything. Offense. Defense. Rebounding. Everything. I guess they don't turn the ball over THAT much, so they have that going for them. 

Although many may not remember it (or just choose not to), the Bulls and Bobcats have played once already this season. The Bulls – playing without Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and John Lucas III – won 95-89 in an ugly game at the United Center on Jan. 21. The only reason people may actually have memories of this hideous display of basketball is because this was the game where Luol Deng injured his left wrist. 

So considering the Bulls have already beaten the Bobcats without half their roster, this means that Rose is going to rest his injured back, right? Right? 

Wrong. 

Derrick Rose gametime dec but he'll prob be good to go at CHA: �????????????�???????????�??????????�?????????�????????�???????�??????�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??It�????????????�???????????�??????????�?????????�????????�???????�??????�?????�????�???�??�?�¢??s the same, a little tight but I should be able to deal with it.�????????????�???????????�??????????�?????????�????????�???????�??????�?????�????�???�??�?�¢?? #bulls

— Teddy Greenstein (@TeddyGreenstein) February 10, 2012

Now I'm not going to put that much blame on Rose. At this point, we know he's always going to want to play, no matter the injury. If there's any possibility of playing, he's going to say he's fine. 

Tom Thibodeau should not give him that possibility. Thibs had to have seen how hobbled Rose looked on Wednesday in New Orleans. And he had to have seen the team stomp on a terrible opponent without Rose on the floor. So why allow Rose to play 25 or so worthless minutes against another dismal team? Why not just rest Rose up for Sunday, when the Bulls face a real team in the Boston Celtics?

Well, because Thibodeau just does not see things the same way as many of us. This is the same guy who said he does not worry about Rose's injuries more than any other players. (WHAT?!) He also gave us this gem before Wednesday's game. 

"If a guy is injured, he shouldn't play. But if he can play, he should play," Thibodeau said. "Somehow there's this notion of guys sitting out games. Pretty soon we'll be at the point where a guy sits the whole season and just plays in the playoffs – if he can get there. I don't get that." (Chicago Tribune) 

The second half of that quote is just ridiculous and it shows how stubborn Thibodeau is. Nobody is saying Rose should shut it down for a long period of time. It just may be a good idea, especially in this condensed season, to give him a little extra rest when the Bulls are playing teams they can beat without the reigning MVP. 

Look, I love what Thibodeau has done for the Bulls. He's an excellent teacher of the game and a great coach. But his "go 100 percent, 100 percent of the time" mantra is something that could affect the Bulls come playoff time. It helps the Bulls rack up regular season wins, but it may wear them down in the postseason. Rose even admitted after last year that he was worn out. 

But enough harping on Thibodeau for now. The Bulls just need to take care of business against the Bobcats, and there's zero reason why they shouldn't. The Bulls should be able to sleepwalk through the game and still win by 20. Fast forward me to Sunday please. 

Probable Starting Lineups (Season Scoring Average)

Chicago Bulls

PG: Derrick Rose (22.0)

SG: Ronnie Brewer (7.6)

SF: Luol Deng (16.0)

PF: Carlos Boozer (15.1)

C: Joakim Noah (8.7)

Charlotte Bobcats

PG: Kemba Walker (12.4)

SG: Reggie Williams (12.5)

SF: Tyrus Thomas (7.2)

PF: Boris Diaw (8.3)

C: Bismack Biyombo (3.3)

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