The Chicago Bulls had a respectable bounce back game vs the Golden State Warriors (113-95) after being blown out by the…Sacramento Kings (121-79). Last night, the Bulls had a great start with Joakim Noah scoring the first 6 of their 8 points in the first quarter. Unlike previous games, the Bulls had great energy and played with a lot of passion. They showed no signs of being lethargic or any lack of enthusiasm. Coach Tom Thibodeau knew the Bulls had to change the way they were approaching these games. Joakim and the Bulls had an impressive third quarter, out-scoring the Warriors, 38-17. All five starters were in double-figures with Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah leading the way. As a team the Bulls shot 51.8% (43-83) from the field, 50% (8-16) from the 3-point line, and 86.4% (19-22) from the charity stripe. The Bulls out-rebounded the Warriors 43-34 and had 28 assists due to very good ball movement. Their only legit flaw was the 14 turnovers. The Bulls had a nearly 40 point lead and it could have been quite more, if not, for the turnovers. The Warriors leading scorer and point guard, Stephen Curry, who only shot 2-13 from the field. As a team, the Warriors finally got out of their shooting slump in the fourth quarter, but it was too late. David Lee did lead Golden State with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Carlos Boozer had 21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in 33 minutes. Joakim had another double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Belinelli struggled with 6 turnovers, but did have 13 points and 6 assists. Jimmy Butler had 9 points and 2 rebounds off the bench. Chicago has 2 days until they face the scorching hot Denver Nuggets. On Monday, at 8pm ET, the Bulls will host the Nuggets. Rumors are swirling that that will be the return of Derrick Rose. There’s no real confirmation, yet plenty of speculation. What brought on the speculation is that the game, apparently, no longer will air on a local channel. Take that information and interpret it anyway you like. It would be nice to see Rose back on the court, real nice, but if he’s not then that’s acceptable to. Bulls fans, for the most part, are willing to wait for his return.

Lebron and Coach Tom Thibodeau share a brief hug during the game.

Bulls fans, everywhere, are waking up with a smile on their face after watching one of the Bulls biggest wins so far this season, beating the Heat 96-89. To be honest, the Bulls chances of beating the Miami Heat were quite slim without Derrick Rose, who travelled with the team. Also, their chances became even slimmer knowing that the game would be at American Airlines Arena and not at the United Center. But, the boys in red came ready to rumble against the self-proclaimed King James and Miami Heat.

Carlos Boozer had one of his best games in a while versus the Heat. Boozer played 42 minutes, finishing with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Carlos shot 12-17 from the field and 3-5 from the free throw line. Joakim Noah had another double-double along with Boozer, scoring 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kirk Hinrich had 10 points and 8 assists in 29 minutes of playing time. Nate Robinson had 13 points off the bench, while Taj Gibson grabbed 9 rebounds for the Bulls.

Of course, the Miami Heat made a few runs to get back into the game, but the Bulls were able to make shots when needed to keep the lead. Lebron and Dwyane Wade even had a highlight alley-oop dunk to get the crowd jumping in their white sheet covered seats. The win attributed to the Bulls having a good (and rare) 3rd quarter, scoring 26 points and holding the Heat to only 18 points. Also, the Bulls out-rebounded the Heat 48-28 and had 46 of their 96 points in the paint.

The Chicago Bulls are now 18-13 (9-5 away). They will face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night at 8pm ET at the United Center.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU8JE8uY0BQ

On draft night, plenty of fans and teams are anxious to pick the perfect draftee for their team. No surprise that Anthony Davis of Kentucky was the first draft pick to begin the night of anxiety for the young players. But, another Kentucky starter will be making his mark in Chicago for the Bulls. At the 29th spot in the 1st round, the Chicago Bulls selected Marquis Teague. His last name sounds very familiar because his older brother, Jeff Teague, plays for the Atlanta Hawks. Marquis is a player that is full of potential and a coach like Tom Thibodeau will expect nothing less than his best efforts on the court every night. The Bulls were in search of a perimeter player due to the unfortunate and unexpected injury of Derrick Rose. But, as the Bulls roster fills up with guards, the team finds themselves in a position to make a decision on who they’ll have to give up. Will it be John Lucas III or CJ Watson? CJ Watson is a better guard, but the Bulls may shy away from picking up his contract in July. Expect the Bulls to make a decision soon. But, back to the new Bull. Marquis Teague is a 6’2″ point guard that ranked 9th in NCAA Freshmen. He has a wingspan of 6’7″ and has explosive quickness.

Teague averaged 10 points, 4.8 assists, and 71% free throw shooting as a Kentucky Wildcat. As a 19 year old guard, he has a lot of improving to do. Surely, Rose and the rest of the Bulls roster will take the youngster under their wings to develop Teague into a solid guard in the NBA. It’ll be a sight to see how Teague will develop defensively under Coach Thibodeau. Everyone knows that Thibs loves a player that can play good defense. Teague will get a lot of playing time since Rose will be out until early 2013. Now, since the Bulls drafted Teague, he has more in common with Rose than just John Calipari.