Jan. 08--The Bulls aim for six straight wins Thursday night against the Celtics, who defeated the Bulls last month in Boston. The Celtics will be without their head coach.
Brad Stevens left the Celtics Thursday to visit a former Butler University player, the team announced. Multiple outlets reported Stevens is visiting Andrew Smith, who is battling cancer and recently was readmitted to an Indiana hospital. His wife posted pleas for prayer on social media. Smith, 25, played his entire college career under Stevens from 2009 to 2013 and got diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in January 2014.
Assistant coach Jay Larranaga replaced Stevens.
"It's a difficult situation for Coach Stevens and the people close to him," Larranaga said.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, whose relationship with Stevens dates to their shared college coaching days, talked about the bond coaches form with players.
"It's not just the four years they're at school with you. It lasts a lifetime," Hoiberg said. "They become family members."
Since the loss to the Celtics last month, the Bulls have gone 10-4 and rallied together following Jimmy Butler's strong comments about Hoiberg's coaching style.
"We're just playing good basketball," Rose said. "On the offensive side the ball is moving. It seems like we know who is getting the ball at certain times. On the defensive side, it's all about rebounding. If we rebound it's like a 90-some percent chance we win the game. So it's all about just communicating when we're out there and getting rebounds."
Butler has been on a tear, following his franchise-record, 40-point second half on Sunday in Toronto with 32 points and a career-high-tying 10 assists on Tuesday versus the Bucks. Rose got asked if Butler is the most talented teammate he's had in the NBA.
"I think so, man," Rose said. "Who knows how good he can become? I just love his patience right now. He's playing with unbelievable patience. He's not rushing anything, he knows what he's getting whenever he's in the pick-and-roll or whenever he's in the isolation. He's reading everything the right way now."
