Nov. 09--Saturday night's marquee backcourt matchup featuring the Bulls' Derrick Rose and the Celtics' Rajon Rondo at the packed United Center was postponed because of medical concerns.
Somehow, the game went on -- the fourth in five nights for the Bulls.
Tom Thibodeau announced Rose's status a couple of hours before game time.
"He's just out, not ready to go yet," Thibodeau said succinctly of Rose's sore ankles. "See where he is (Sunday) and go from there. I feel good about the other guys. Everyone has to step up. Aaron (Brooks) and Kirk (Hinrich) are doing a good job filling in.
"Injuries are part of the game. So if a guy is not comfortable going, he's not going to go. You just go to the next guy. Get out there and get it done."
Celtics coach Brad Stevens had backcourt concerns of his own as he ruled out Rondo and rookie guard Marcus Smart. Rondo underwent a procedure to have screws removed from his surgically-repaired left hand. Smart suffered a left ankle sprain in Friday night's game against the Pacers.
Stevens used what he referred to as the "point guard by committee" method Saturday night. He started Evan Turner in Rondo's place, with Avery Bradley, Phil Pressey and Jeff Green helping out.
"(Smart) is in a little bit of pain, a little bit of discomfort from a typical ankle sprain," Stevens said.
While the Celtics hobbled into the United Center with a 2-3 record, the Bulls were 5-1 even without Rose. But Stevens is not surprised at the Bulls success.
"No, their skill level is so high ... it's so high," Stevens said. "I thought they were a good team last year that got the most out of themselves. Tom did a great job. This is how good he is ... I mean, they figured out a way to be the best they could be by playing through (Joakim) Noah.
"Now they are playing through Noah, but they are also playing through Jimmy Butler a lot more. (Nikola) Mirotic and (Doug) McDermott add a huge dimension shooting. Brooks adds a speed dimension. This team has been well put together. Once they get Rose back healthy, they will be one of the dominant teams, as if they already aren't."
Stevens, the former successful college coach at Butler, says he is learning how to deal with injuries to his Celtics during an arduous 82-game schedule.
"I just coach the guys available," Stevens said. "Our experts ... our medical staff and our doctors and our trainers tell us who is available, along with the players. You want them to feel great. It's a really tough game when you don't feel good. It's great that we have 15 guys on our roster. Like some of the (other) teams now, we have been down to eight or nine last year on multiple nights. That's difficult, but that's why you have a lot of guys on your roster."
Thibodeau was asked if the theory of trying to preserve star players in all sports for the long haul is prevalent in the NBA.
"I don't know if the science says it," Thibodeau said. "It seems the more you see in baseball where they have the pitch counts and all that, it seems like there are more injuries now than there ever was. Like in football, they restrict the contact and it seems like there are more injuries in football. There is no way to tell I guess until there is an extended study based on maybe 20 years or so.
"There is a school of thought that you have to prepare for the grind of a long season. When you study championship teams, you see there is that commitment to it. So when you look at the way Phil (Jackson) coached, that's the way he did it.
"It's amazing when you look at all the guys he had play 82 games and the amount of minutes they played. So there are different ways to do it. I think you have to look at your team and where it is and then you go from there."
fmitchell@tribune.com
Twitter @kicker34
