Just as the Chicago Bulls began to gain momentum, Derrick Rose suffers another injury setback. Injuries have been the story for the Bulls in recent years and they will again play a key role in whether or not the team gets far in the NBA Playoffs. Joakim Noah has already been lost for the season and the Bulls cannot afford for anyone else to take the same route. That is why seeing Rose limp to the sideline is such a concern.
According to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, Rose exited the game against the Miami Heat with lower back and hamstring issues. These problems continue to occur for the point guard who got just four points and one assist in the first half before sitting out the remainder of the game. Rose has missed six games this year due to injuries and the Bulls do not want him missing any more. Head coach Fred Hoiberg admitted the problems were frustrating considering the team is already shorthanded.
"It's tough," Hoiberg said, via ESPN.com. "We knew Derrick had a little bit of soreness before the game, and unfortunately, he went down. We were shorthanded going into this one at the point guard spot, so that didn't help. But you got to find a way to fight through those times. We didn't do that. We did not do a good job. I thought we let a lot of little things bother us tonight, and it affected us out there on the floor."
As of right now, the only healthy point guard outside of Rose is Aaron Brooks. Kirk Hinrich has a quad injury while E'Twaun Moore has a right hamstring injury. Hoiberg hinted that a trade deal could be coming for the Bulls who are lacking in healthy bodies. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Taj Gibson and Pau Gasol have been shopped in trade deals, but that would be for more of a marquee name. The Bulls simply need depth as they remain confident in Rose. Ty Lawson, Jamal Crawford or even someone like Langston Galloway could be options for the team.
"We'll hopefully get them back soon," Hoiberg said, via ESPN.com. "It's too early to say. We'll reevaluate it and see how it looks."
The loss of Noah has made potential trade deals difficult. The Bulls cannot afford to deal anyone away right now. Gasol has been dealing with injuries, but he will be critical down the stretch of the regular season. Gibson is way too valuable coming off the bench. Nikola Mirotic has improved as a starter while Bobby Portis is playing more with Noah out. The Bulls do not have as many trade assets as they once did which could mean nothing is done at the deadline.
