Tough stretch for Bulls will only get tougher without Butler, Gibson and Rose

This past Wednesday, the NBA world was stunned again by another Derrick Rose knee injury, followed by an ankle sprain to Taj Gibson two days later. Then, Jimmy Butler found himself on the disabled list with an elbow sprain that will probably sideline him for the next 3-6 weeks. So, what’s next for the Bulls in this tumultuous stretch of bad luck?

Most would agree that the Chicago Bulls — when healthy — are one of the best teams in the NBA. Consider this: The Bulls have a former league MVP at the point guard position, this season’s most improved player front-runner, a 6’10” veteran sharpshooter, a two-time NBA Champion and last season’s defensive player of the year.

That’s pretty good, right?

Live Feed

Betsided

But, consider this as well: Two of those starters are out for at least the next three weeks, the starter at small forward missed the entire month of January with an ankle injury and the reigning defensive player of the year has been battling knee issues since his surgery this past offseason.

Derrick Rose had a minor surgery to repair the meniscus he tore last November this past Friday and Jimmy Butler suffered an elbow sprain on Sunday in a collision with Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.

Throw in another left ankle sprain for Taj Gibson just hours after Rose’s surgery in Friday’s win over Minnesota and the injuries just continue to pile up in Chicago.

The injury problems aren’t the only issues with the Bulls. Reports have been circulating all season that the Bulls brass — specifically general manager Gar Forman and vice president of basketball operations John Paxson — and their relationship with head coach Tom Thibodeau “is beyond repair“.

Thibodeau’s contract doesn’t expire until after the 2015-16 season, the final year of his four-year extension he signed with the Bulls before the 2012-13 season. Despite a 242-130 mark with the Bulls in his fifth season at the helm, rumors of Thibodeau’s departure have been swirling for months.

So, with a countless amount of questions and not nearly enough answers, what do the Bulls do in the final 22 games of the regular season and beyond?

It’s going to take time, but the Bulls have to get healthy

This is a pretty obvious thought, so bear with me: A backcourt duo of Aaron Brooks and Kirk Hinrich isn’t leading any NBA team to a title.

If the Bulls are going to be playing late in May and into June, Rose and Butler have to get healthy in a hurry. (Don’t confuse that with coming back quickly.)

More from Da Windy City

• Juan Soto appears headed to the Yankees which is not a big blow Chicago Cubs offseason
• 3 takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks shootout loss to Nashville
• Chicago Cubs in the middle of chaos that is Shohei Ohtani’s free agency
• The Chicago Cubs are on a roller coaster of emotions chasing Shohei Ohtani
• Chicago Bears quietly compiling list of head coaching candidates

Rose was struggling to find his new identity after a pair of knee surgeries and wasn’t the same Rose we saw prior to the ACL tear in the 2011-12 postseason. As for Butler, the only player to play more than Jimmy Butler‘s 2,141 minutes this season is … James Harden (2,162).

As silly as this sounds, this could be a good thing for the Bulls in terms of Butler. We really don’t know what to expect from Rose if — and yes, that’s an important if — he returns in the final days of the regular season.

Butler will miss a few weeks and his absence will hurt his progression and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings, but at least #BullsTwitter can ease up on Thibodeau playing Butler so many minutes and other guys could potentially see more minutes (see Moore, E’Twaun and McDermott, Doug).

(Doubtful? Yes, I know. But, it’s not like the Bulls have a plethora of options at the moment.)

11 of the final 22 games are against playoff teams

In the final 22 games, the Bulls will take the floor against these teams (who are currently in the playoffs):

• Washington (5th in the East)
• Oklahoma City (8th in the West)
• At San Antonio (7th in the West)
• Memphis (2nd in the West)
• Toronto (twice, 2nd in the East)
• At Milwaukee (6th in the East)
• At Cleveland (4th in the East)
• At Miami (7th in the East)
• At Brooklyn (8th in the East)
• Atlanta (1st in the East)

The earliest Rose is projected to return would be Mar. 28 against the New York Knicks, while Butler’s earliest return could be against the Milwaukee Bucks on Apr. 1.

(Gibson’s still in a walking boot, per the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson.)

The grind doesn’t get any easier for the Bulls, who currently sit at third in the Eastern Conference behind Atlanta (47-12) and Toronto (38-22).

This 22-game stretch will come down to the Bulls getting healthier and “weathering the storm” until their backcourt stars and sixth man return to action.