Nov. 15--The physical play of Roy Hibbert arrives Saturday night with the Pacers, so Pau Gasol was asked if it could be a long night for him.
"Or for (Hibbert)," Gasol said with a smile.
While overcast skies obscured the sun in these parts, a new day did dawn Friday. And a team so accustomed to playing without Derrick Rose pushed forward undaunted, its confidence high after a 7-2 start.
The Bulls officially listed Rose as questionable for the Pacers' game and day-to-day overall after he suffered what the team called a mild strain of his left hamstring Thursday night at Toronto. Rose's latest injury didn't require an MRI exam, and he rode a stationary bicycle and did some treadmill work Friday but isn't expected to play against the Pacers.
"When a guy comes back and has been out an extended amount of time, there's going to be things that crop up," coach Tom Thibodeau said referring to Rose missing nearly all of the last two seasons. "He just has to work his way through it. He'll be fine."
So will the Bulls, whose improved offensive depth has placed at least five players in double figures in all nine games.
"We've played a lot of games without Derrick. Hopefully, we have him back now," Thibodeau said. "But if someone is out, we expect the next guy to get the job done.
"Pau has set the tone, and Jimmy (Butler). They're really playing terrific basketball. And Joakim (Noah), you can see it's coming fast. I love the way he and Pau are playing together. Taj (Gibson) has been terrific. (Kirk) Hinrich has done a great job with both groups. We have a lot of guys playing well."
Perhaps none better than Butler and Gasol. Butler is averaging a team-high 19.7 points on 52.3 percent shooting and doing his typical dirty defensive work. Gasol is averaging a double-double on 51.1 percent shooting.
"I'm getting to positions where I'm effective," Gasol said. "It's a very unselfish group overall. We just make plays for each other, find the open man. It doesn't matter who it is."
Gasol is no stranger to media scrutiny, a veteran of two championship teams and former teammate of Kobe Bryant. Like Noah off his impassioned defense of Rose late Thursday, Gasol also is tired of the scrutiny Rose is under and reiterated his and the team's support for him.
"It can be uncomfortable," Gasol said. "The good thing is he should feel comfortable with us and our team. Everyone has his back. We want the best for him because that's going to be the best for our team. It would be nice if people can lay off him a little bit and let him be, let him play. Let him enjoy the game and compete and not put pressure on him.
"Hopefully at one point the questions are going to stop and we'll be able to talk about different things. There's a variety of topics we can talk about. It doesn't have to be about one player or two. Derrick is obviously a big player for us and we all want to see him do great. He just has to take his time and be himself."
Layups: Raptors forward James Johnson repeatedly attacked Doug McDermott, who is scoreless in two straight games, and Nikola Mirotic has three points in five games. Thibodeau remains unwavering in his praise: "They're going to be really good players in this league. There will be ups and downs. Their attitude and approach will serve them well. They're both bright guys. Their time will come." ... The NBA unveiled Christmas Day uniforms, which feature first names on the back. So prepare for "Kobe" vs. "Derrick" on Christmas Night at the United Center.
kcjohnson@tribpub.com
Twitter @kcjhoop
