Feb. 11--To Mike Dunleavy, the decision to play Tuesday night against the Kings after missing 19 games to a right ankle injury proved pretty simple.
"You get paid to play," Dunleavy said. "And when you're ready, I think you should play. I look at it from the standpoint I get to play two games and then get to rest a little bit more and hopefully come back after the break better. It'd be hard for me to sit out when I know I can play."
Tuesday marked just the 16th time the Bulls started their regular lineup of Dunleavy, Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. The Bulls were 12-3 with that lineup before facing the Kings.
The Bulls were without Kirk Hinrich, who missed his second straight game with turf toe.
"Each year, you're faced with new and different challenges," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "For us this year, it's been all the injuries, more so than I can ever recall. But this is our reality. But we have to deal with it and deal with it effectively and find ways to win. The challenge is to build continuity with the guys we do have. Oftentimes, it's been different guys every night. And that's our challenge."
Following Sunday's unlikely comeback victory over the Magic, veteran Pau Gasol, a two-time NBA champion, talked about the urgency needed because of small windows to compete for titles. The Bulls have two home games before this weekend's All-Star break.
"To me, the idea of a window is like you're not concentrating on the right things," Thibodeau said, when asked about Gasol's comments. "What you have to concentrate on is each and every day, what you're doing. How do you prepare to play well? The talk is talk. That's all it is. It's the actions you're looking at.
"Are you practicing well? Are you preparing well? Are you doing your job? If we get everyone doing that, our chances at winning are going to be good. If we don't, the results won't be good. When you start looking ahead, that doesn't help."
Thibodeau has praised Gasol's practice habits and leadership throughout the season so his comments sounded more him reiterating his own every-day-is-the-same philosophy than a criticism of Gasol. But the Bulls are just 10-10 since Jan. 1, so closing this week before the break is important.
