Kirk Hinrich out with a left calf injury, Joakim Noah playing through plantar fasciitis, Taj Gibson has the flu, Nate Robinson also has the flu plus was throwing up on the bench during Game 6 and Luol Deng has an illness more serious than the flu so serious that he need a spinal tap earlier this week.
Oh yeah and Derrick Rose is still out but with all the illnesses and injuries the Bulls are tied 3-3 headed into Game 7 at Brooklyn. Rose was cleared to play over a month ago and he been scrimmage with the team since he's been cleared so what's keeping Rose on the bench?
"I was able to speak with Derrick off-camera a couple days ago, and he's telling me how badly he does want to be out there, but he says that he just doesn't have the muscle memory back, is the way he put it," sideline reporter Rachel Nichols said during the coverage of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Really Derrick muscle memory come on. But his muscles memory is good enough for 5 on 5 scrimmage. Wonder who told him to say that? His brother more than likely.
Not saying Rose should go out play 30 minutes but he could check in for 10 minutes to give his team an emotion left just like David Lee, who was suppose to be out the rest out the playoffs, did for the Warriors. Everybody is playing with pain and playing through injury in the playoffs.
Even TNT analyst Steve Kerr said Rose owes it to his teammates to play if his only obstacle is a lack of confidence.
"I think Derrick owes it to his teammates at this stage," Kerr said Monday on "The Carmen & Jurko Show" on ESPN 1000. "And again, I've been Derrick's biggest supporter on this. I've been saying all along, up until [Saturday], I've been saying, 'He should not play if he's not comfortable.'
"But if this is just about not being fully confident, you've got to go out there. If this is about, 'Hey, it doesn't feel right and I'm worried I can hurt it,' then no way should he play. But if this is just about, 'You know, gosh, I'm just not quite confident yet,' I would appeal to him and say, 'Can you give us 20 minutes?' And if you're Derrick, you've been watching Noah and Hinrich play on one leg this whole series, at what point do you start to feel sort of self-conscious and guilty about what's unfolding?"
The Bulls came to Rose's defense on Wednesday.
"Derrick owes it to what's right," coach Tom Thibodeau said Wednesday. "And the more I'm around him, the more I'm impressed with this guy's character.
"He's not being swayed by anybody. He's not quite there, and we made that clear to him from the beginning. We're going to support him in every way possible. I would never question him. Ever."
The only thing people want to see is Derrick Rose have a Willis Reed moment. Never know once Rose steps into a game his muscles will start to remember.
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