Without Rose, Bulls roll to 13th win

This week's 2-game sample proves nothing, but it suggests that while the Bulls may be inconsistent without Derrick Rose, they're not neccesarily incapable.

On Monday, it looked like the Bulls were in serious trouble if their superstar missed any length of time with turf toe. They were thumped by the Grizzlies 102-86 in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee at Memphis. It didn't seem that close — Chicago was down 58-38 at halftime before rallying, to an extent, in the third quarter. Some teams have had trouble scoring 58 points in a game on the Bulls, but not the Grizzlies, who avenged a 104-64 throttling the Bulls gave them on New Year's Day.

Last night's second Rose-less game, against Phoenix at home, went a little better for the Bulls. In another game that wasn't really as close as the final score might indicate, the Bulls rode Carlos Boozer's 31-point outburst to a 118-97 blowout of the Suns. Granted, the Suns — who fell to 4-9 — are awful, and the defending Western Conference finalist Grizzlies are probably better than their 6-6 record says, but that's still quite the impressive turnaround.

With today and tomorrow off, the Bulls might get Rose back in time for their next game. If so, great, but last night is an indication that they may be able to survive, at least for a relatively brief stretch, without him. Considering the Bulls' Friday and Saturday opponents, Cleveland and Charlotte, are a combined 9-19 on the season, I'm not sure that I would rush Rose back to action.

The NBA's truncated 66-game season is a sprint more than a marathon, and it will set up a much more important sprint — the playoffs. There, the Bulls will need Rose if they're going to do anything. They will need plenty of him during the regular season to get a top seed, but if Tuesday is any indication, they don't necessarily need 40 minutes of him every night. I hope coach Tom Thibodeau keeps the big picture in mind as he ponders his usage of a hobbled Rose.