BenchMob Report

Tuesday, February 28 :: Hornets 95 @ Bulls 99 :: Bulls 28-8

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 19 points, 12 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl and 6 block

BM GAME WRAP: The Bulls were finally back to full-strength featuring a starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Rip Hamilton, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. However, it appeared as though the entire Bulls team was suffering form the All-Star break “hangover”. The Bulls had a hard time finishing off the Hornets, but it was Derrick Rose who hit the game winner to finish them off.

“We have to knock some of the rust off,” said Derrick Rose, who scored 32 points and dished out nine assists.

The Bulls jumped out to an early lead but let it slip away in the second and third quarters. Shockingly it was the Hornets bench that outscored the Bench Mob 39-19 and help grind the Hornets back into the game.

“You have to find different ways to win,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We had the resolve. That part is encouraging.”

The Bulls (28-8) travel to San Antonio on Wednesday to take on a very good Spurs team at 8pm (cst) which will be featured on ESPN.

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): Taj Gibson came off the bench to provide a much needed defensive spark. Taj finish with 5 points, 7 boards, 5 blocks and 2 steals in just 18 minutes.
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Thursday, February 2 :: Bulls 105 @ Knicks 102 :: Bulls 19-6

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 25 points, 10 reb, 1 ast, 6 stl and 3 block

BM GAME WRAP: N/A

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): CJ “Quiet Storm” Watson was a key contributor finishing with 12 pts, 1 reb, 3 stl in just 19 minutes.
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Wednesday, February 1 :: Bulls 82 @ 76ers 98 :: Bulls 18-6

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 38 points, 15 reb, 9 ast, 2 stl and 4 block

BM GAME WRAP: N/A

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): CJ “Quiet Storm” Watson came up big in the loss finishing with 20 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast and 1 blk
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Monday, January 30 :: Bulls 98 @ Wizzards 88 :: Bulls 18-5

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 8 points, 8 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl and 0 block

BM GAME WRAP: N/A

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): Taj Gibson provided effort an hustle finishing with 5 pts, 3reb in only 13 minutes.
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Sunday, January 29 :: Bulls 93 @ Heat 97 :: Bulls 17-5

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 17 points, 10 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl and 1 block

BM GAME WRAP: N/A

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): Kyle “HotSauce” Korver came off the bench to score 9 pts, 5reb, 1 ast and 1 stl in only 17 minutes.
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Friday, January 27 :: Bucks 100 @ Bulls 107 :: Bulls 17-4

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 21 points, 11 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl and 2 block

BM GAME WRAP: The Bulls coming off a tough home loss to Indiana seemed focused and ready for this game. Playing without Luol Deng (wrist) and Rip Hamilton (thigh), it was D. Rose with a season-high 34 points, along with Carlos Boozer (20 pts, 13 reb) and Joakim Noah (15 pts, 16 reb) leading the way.

The Bulls yet again showed their depth having to start Bench Mob members Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer. But is was CJ Watson who came in with a big spark finishing with 13 points.

“C.J. gave us a big lift,” Thibodeau said. “Ronnie didn’t score, but his defense was good. And Kyle was just really solid.”

Let’s all be honest though, this game was simply a warm-up for the first showdown against the Miami Heat on Sunday.

“Sunday is definitely not another game,” Noah said.

“We know people will try to blow it up to this championship game,” Rose said. “We’re not worried about that. We’re just worried about ourselves.

“They’re a good team. But we’ll be ready.”

The Bulls (17-4) will begin a grueling 9-game road trip that start on Sunday to take on the Miami Heat at 2:30pm (cst).

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): CJ “Quiet Storm” Watson came off the bench to finish with 13 points, 1 board and 2 dimes in 18 minutes.
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Wednesday, January 25 :: Indiana 95 @ Bulls 90 :: Bulls 16-4

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 8 points, 6 reb, 2 ast, 0 stl and 3 block

BM GAME WRAP: It looks like the injury bug finally was able to bite. Sure the Bulls are deep and should have beaten Indiana. However, it looked as if the Bulls simply ran out of gas in the second half and that could be due to injuires to both Luol Deng and Taj Gibson. As the last remaining unbeaten team at home, the loss to the Pacers stings just a bit more.

“I will never forget how they celebrated just from winning this game,” Derrick Rose (24 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) said. “I can’t wait to play them again.”

The Bulls are bitter about this loss and the assumption is that they will come out hungry against the Bucks on Friday Night.

“You always feel like (crap) after you lose,” Joakim Noah (10 pts, 13 reb) said. “We’ll watch some film and learn from this. If you can deal with the good, you have to be able to deal with the bad and learn from your mistakes.”

The Bulls (16-4) will look to fix those mistakes and come back to the Madhouse with revenge on Friday, January 27 as they host the Milwaukee Bucks at 7pm (cst).

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): Ronnie “Basline” Brewer started in place of the injured Luol Deng and filled in nicely. Brewer played 42 minutes (the most on the team) and finished with 20 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast and 3 steals!
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Monday, January 23 :: Nets 95 @ Bulls 110 :: Bulls 16-3

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 25 points, 10 reb, 8 ast, 0 stl and 1 block

BM GAME WRAP: With the rash of injuries the Bulls have endured lately, it seems more like “duck, duck…goose” then basketball. However this team has shown it’s true grit and played through to the tune of a NBA-best 16-3 record.

“We’ve got more than enough to win with,” said coach Tom Thibodeau, who refuses to make excuses or let players feel sorry for themselves when asked about the Bulls injuries.

D.Rose was able to return from injury to play 36 minutes and record 22 points, 5 reb, 8 ast and 1 steal. All five starters reached double figures with Rip Hamilton (22 pts, 10 ast, 4 reb) and Joakim Noah (16 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast) posting double-doubles.

Even though the starters logged big minutes, it was The Bench Mob that yet again came through with “The White Mamba”, Kyle Korver, C.J. Watson and Omer Asik lending hands.

A congratulations is in order for Rip Hamilton who scored his 15,000th career points. Quite a milestone for a quality player. Since returning from injury, Rip has proved to be an excellent fit and could be the “missing piece” for a Bulls team with championship aspirations.

On the injury front, Luol Deng will seek medical opinions on his injured wrist.

“We’re disappointed that he’s injured because he’s put so much work into it,” Thibodeau said. “You can’t say enough about what he brings to the team in all areas. You start with his leadership and toughness. He’s our best defender. He guards multiple positions. He plays to win. He sets a great example in practice. He’s having an All-Star-type year.”

“He said he was able to move it and he was feeling a lot better (Monday) than (Sunday). He feels like it will be day-to-day. I’m good with that. He’s mapping out the course he wants to take.”

The Bulls (16-3) will have a much needed day off, then return to lead the surprising Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, January 25 at 7pm (cst).

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): Omer “The Turkish Hammer” Asik recorded 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 dime and 1 block in only 10 minutes. Please Hammer, don’t hurt em!
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Saturday, January 21 :: Bobcats 89 @ Bulls 95 :: Bulls 15-3

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 13 points, 4 reb, 12 ast, 2 stl and 1 block

BM GAME WRAP: If teams, not individuals win championships, then consider this the Bulls year. Depth…That might just be the on-going theme for the Bulls this season. As the team continues with a rash of injuries, we might have to come up with a new nickname for the Bench Mob. CJ “Quiet Storm” Watson again started in place of D.Rose (toe) and Omer “The Turkish Hammer” Asik got his first career start with Joakim Noah as a late scratch (ankle). Additionally, the Bulls were without Taj Gibson (ankle) and John “Carlton” Lucas III (groin).

At this point in the season, with the best record in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls are showing what a team is all about. When one man goes down, the next steps up and fills their roll.

“I’ve said all along, we have the right guys,” Thibodeau said. “No matter who is out, we have more than enough to win. The next guy steps up. He knows what he has to do. He knows what his role is.”

It has been a true enjoyment to watch this team consistently overcome obstalces without missing a beat or complaining once about injuries. Traits like this are what makeup a championship team. Just ask newly acquired Rip Hamilton what is takes to win a title and he sees the same.

“To win a championship, that’s what you have to do: Everybody has to be in it for one reason, and that’s to win,” Hamilton said. “If you look across the league, you see it all the time — guys playing for totally different reasons other than trying to win. … Not just the chemistry on the court, but the chemistry off the court is important. Guys in this locker room really like each other.”

With the absence of Derrick Rose it has been vetrans Rip Hamilton (20 pts), Carlos Boozer (23 pts, 9 reb, 3stl) and Luol Deng (2 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl) that are leading the way.

“He really is the glue to our team,” Thibodeau said of Deng. “There’s nothing that he doesn’t do well.”

The Bulls (15-3) will have a much needed day off on Sunday, then host the 4-12 New Jersey Nets at the Madhouse on Monday, January 23 at 7pm (cst). The hope is that Derrick will be able to return, as well as Joakim and John Lucas. Taj Gibson was seen in a walking boot as was not sure when he would be able to return to action.

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): Mike James welcome to the Bench Mob! The newly signed point guard filled in nicely finishing with 9 points and 10 dimes in only 17 minutes.
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Friday, January 20 :: Bulls 114 @ Cavaliers 75 :: Bulls 14-3

BENCHMOB TOTALS: 38 points, 16 reb, 11 ast, 2 stl and 10 blocks

BM GAME WRAP: D.Rose sat out again to rest his injured toe, but that proved to be only a minor bump in the road as the Bulls rolled through Cleveland for an easy win. The team showed it’s depth yet again as the Bulls had everyone except Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler scored.

The Bulls were a Joakim Noah basket away from all five starters again reaching double figures, topped by Luol Deng’s 21 points and eight rebounds. Carlos Boozer added a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds and Noah posted 10 rebounds despite not playing in the fourth because of the blowout.

“That’s the thing about our team: We have more than enough to win with,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.

This game did come with some cost however as the Bulls lost Taj Gibson to a sprained left ankle (questionable for Saturday) and John “Carlton” Lucas III to a strain left groin (says he can go Saturday).

Overall is was the “Thibs formula” of solid defense (held the Cavs to 30.3 percent shooting) and unselfish play (27 assists) that has kept these Bulls rolling even without key pieces along the way.

“We’re really moving that ball, y’all,” Boozer said. “We’re hitting the open man. Thibs told us after the game that everybody seems to be in great rhythm. We’re sharing the ball and seeing what’s open. We’re taking advantage of mismatches and pushing the ball in transition.”

The Bulls (14-3) head back to the Madhouse where they will begin a much needed four-game homestand. Saturday, January 21 at 7:00 pm (cst) they will host the Jordan owned Charlotte Bobcats.

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‘MOBBER OF THE NIGHT (MoN): Kyle “Hot Sauce” Korver lived up to his nickname as he came in on Fiii-Yahhh! He scored 14 points on 5-8 shooting in only 15 minutes.
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