Pau Gasol hadn’t played in an NBA game this season — until Thursday night. In a nationally televised game against the Chicago Bulls, Gasol scored 24 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and dished out three assists as the Lakers beat the Bulls 108-93.
Gasol, who was out due to injury, didn’t skip a beat. He hit 9-of-15 field goal attempts and all six of his free throws. Kobe Bryant chipped in 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Ron Artest had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Bulls were never really in the game. They trailed by …read more

Derrick Rose, the reigning rookie of the year and starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls, has missed almost two weeks of training camp and preseason play due to an ankle injury. Rose originally injured his ankle on October 2nd in a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers.
Rose believes that he could be back on the practice court by Friday.
Said Rose: “I have fluid around my ankle and around my tendons. They’re just waiting for the fluid to get loose, so it can relieve some pressure on my ankle.”
Last season as a rookie, Rose averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 assists and …read more

Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls made a good impression in his first professional contest as the Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers by a final score of 104-95. In the first preseason game for the Bulls, Gibson scored 19 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished out three assists in 30 minutes.
Gibson, who was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft out of USC, said after the game that he just wants to help out this season.
“If I have to go out and get a couple rebounds, take a charge, I’m willing to do anything to …read more

Tim Thomas, who was signed by the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason, injured his knee while getting ready for the NBA season. He’s scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery. A timetable will be set following the surgical procedure.
The 32-year-old was signed by the Mavericks to add perimeter marksmanship to the club. Last year, he shot 42.1% from three-point land in his 36 games with the New York Knicks. In 18 games he played with the Chicago Bulls, he shot 44.2% from beyond the three-point arc.
If Thomas misses a lot of training camp, he may find it difficult to carve out …read more

Derrick Rose quickly went from the NBA’s 2009 Rookie of the Year (and the Chicago Bulls’ savior) to the center of an NCAA investigation into allegations that he had someone take the SAT test for him so that he could play at Memphis.
According to the Chicago-Sun Times, his high school grades were even altered to help him stay academically eligible.
The investigation has once again brought attention to the NBA’s age regulation rule, in which players have to be at least 19 years old in order to play professional basketball.
Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports, asks: “Why the heck did he have to …read more

The Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls faced off in what was arguably the best playoffs series in NBA history. With four of the first six game heading to overtime and the series tied 3-3 heading into Game 7, the defending champion Celtics were able to use their experience to beat the Bulls by a final score of 109-99.
In front of his home fans, Ray Allen was once again great. He led the way with 23 points and also had seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. In Game 6, Allen poured in 51 points. Helping him …read more

The following list is of the top players (in no particular order) I believe are the most under appreciated and most overlooked by ordinary casual NBA observers, and, even some of the die-hards too.
Kevin Martin (Kings)- For three straight seasons the 6′7, 185lb Western Carolina alum has averaged better than 20ppg. For most of the past two seasons K-Mart has been the man in Sac-Town, but he’s become somewhat of a secret because the Kings’ dreadfulness as of late. Kevin’s shooting form is so unorthodox it almost makes Shawn Marion’s stroke look worthy of duplication. But what makes Kevin so …read more

The Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics put on another instant classic. On Thursday night, the Bulls defeated the Celtics in triple overtime by a final score of 128-127.
Both teams got production from a variety of different sources. John Salmons led the way for the Bulls with 35 points, six rebounds and four assists in 60 minutes. Derrick Rose chipped in with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Brad Miller and 23 points and ten rebounds off the bench.
For the Celtics, Ray Allen has 51 points in 59 minutes. He hit 18-of-32 shots from the field, 9-of-18 three-pointers …read more

For the 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year award, there wasn’t much suspense. Derrick Rose, the star rookie for the Chicago Bulls and the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, officially was named the winner on Wednesday.
In the season, Rose averaged 16.8 points and 6.3 assists in 37 minutes per game. He shot 47.5% from the field and 78.8% at the free throw line. He, also was able to stay healthy, playing in 81 of the team’s 82 games.
In the playoffs, Rose has been even better. In his first postseason game of his career, Rose scored 36 points …read more

Derrick Rose is the likely 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year. In the first playoff game of his career, he showed the world exactly what makes him a great prospect. The 20-year-old point guard scored 36 points, dished off 11 assists and grabbed four boards.
Perhaps even more impressively, Rose was able to lead the Chicago Bulls to a overtime victory over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics. Entering the overtime period tied at 97, the Bulls were able to win by a final score of 105-103.
Rose, who hit 12-of-19 field goals and all 12 of his free throw attempts, successfully …read more