Joakim is currently winning the poll, with 53.8%.  Omer is right behind him with 46.2%.   Jo has definitely stepped it up as of late to keep Omer off his back a bit.  But this is definitely a close one.  Should get interesting depending on how each performs tonight against the Pacers and on Sunday against the Heat.  Those are the playoff-type games where people are watching each position with a microscope. 

Keep voting.

Yup.  Luol Deng has a torn ligament in his left wrist.  He will be out "for a while".  Starting to panic yet?  My advice is...don't.

To think, a couple of years ago this wouldn't have even been news.  Luol Deng used to be a regular fixture on the bench in his dress clothes back in a day.  Prior to last year, Luol Deng only played in more than 70 games in just two seasons, in '05-'06 and '06-'07.  Than last year, he had almost an exact repeat performance of his breakout year in 2006-2007, in which he played 82 games and average 37.5 minutes, along with 18 points and 7 rebounds.  Statistically, '07 was actually Lu's best year, but I digress.  He did, after all, play incredibly well last year and led the league in minutes. 

Like last year, he leads the league in minutes again this year.  His play, by all accounts, has been very much all-star worthy, even though his scoring and shooting percentage are both slightly down from last year.  I still don't think that anyone would argue that he's an all-star, simply due to what he brings on both sides of the floor.  So the fact that he went down with a serious injury this season is especially disconcerting.

Still, the Bulls seemed just fine without him last night.  Rip Hamilton stepped in and played exactly how the Bulls expected him to play when they signed him.  In fact, better actually.  Rip posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 assists.  That paralleled what Derrick was able to do in his first game back after being out for 4 games.  Derrick also posted 22 points and had 8 assists. 

Collectively, the Bulls played fantastic.  All five starters in double figures, and 6 in double figures total (Omer off the bench).  Three separate players posted double-doubles.  Joakim and Boozer are both playing extremely well as of late.  Joakim had 16 and 10 on 5-8 shooting.  Boozer had 14-9 on 6-9 shooting.  When combined, those numbers are simply gaudy.  Together with Deng, and with those two playing the way they are, the Bulls no doubt have the most formidable front-court in the league.  And that's also because the Knicks' front-court is playing like drec and Tyson Chandler is incredibly over-rated.  Yet another reason why the loss of Deng is just painful, no pun intended.

Truth be told, Ronnie Brewer has been spectacular when he's been in there filling in for both Rip and Lu.  He continues to play very well and very consistent.  He's shooting 45% from the field and 50% from three-point range.  Very impressive.  He's shooting with extreme confidence and it's showing.  If he and Rip can continue to contribute the way they have been, and can both stay healthy, the loss of Deng should be absorbable. 

The more concerning issue is coaching.  And at this point it has to be said...

So the Bulls suit up against the Cavs tonight on the road.  Every game that we've lost so far has been on the road and tonight we're like to be without Derrick Rose for the 3rd game in a row.  He's a game-time decision, but I see him erring on the side of caution at this point.

Looks like some news leaked today where Derrick actually said that he regrets playing in the back to back games last weekend against Toronto and Boston. 

"The swelling went down.  The pain is there a little bit, but it's a game-time decision. I definitely want to be out there to play, especially today. But I've got to make the smartest decision not only for me, but for my teammates. I wasn't able to bend my toe in like three years so when [the injury] happened, it bent it and it aggravated it ... I forgot when I played on it again.  I played on it sooner than when I was supposed to play on it and it was real bad.  Yeah, knowing that right when it starts feeling good, it could go right back to zero.  I definitely want to be out there playing, but I got to make the smartest decision."

So what do we ascertain from this?  Basically, that Derrick can't be trusted to make a sound decision on his own when it comes to his health.  This is kind of worrisome.  True, he is the ultimate competitor and wants to play no matter what, but you can't be selfish.  You have to look at the big picture.  He just doesn't want to let anyone down and doesn't trust his teammates enough to close out games without him.  And he worries fans will turn on him if the team starts to falter in his absence.  I don't blame him.  But you have to be mature and realize that if you push it and make the injury worse, you're only hurting the team more in the long-run.  Looks like he's learning this the hard way.

Been a long, strange 2 days without a Bulls game.  Preview should be up some time around 1:00 pm CST.  Stay tuned.

Little Tweet action from tonight's whoopin' of the Suns...

Do the Bulls look more fired up than usual right now, or is it just me?

— Dave Pustilnik (@dabullseye) January 18, 2012

Bulls can't go a game without a defensive 3 sec, true or false?

— Dave Pustilnik (@dabullseye) January 18, 2012

How good are Noah and Boozer gonna make Marcin Gortat look tonight?Good, Very Good, or Excellent?

— Dave Pustilnik (@dabullseye) January 18, 2012

Boozer, nice body control with the layin.

— Dave Pustilnik (@dabullseye) January 18, 2012

Gortat dominating down low so far.

— Dave Pustilnik (@dabullseye) January 18, 2012

Rip's missed a couple easy ones.

— Dave Pustilnik (@dabullseye) January 18, 2012

CJ en fuego early on.7 points in the first 5 minutes.

— Dave Pustilnik (@dabullseye) January 18, 2012

Not good, folks.  This is what Derrick had to say to the Tribune before today's matinee game against the Grizzlies currently in progress:

"It still hurts a little bit, but I still have to go out there and play.  Almost every game, I jam it. By the way that I play and push off, it hurts. I'm very surprised. And I'm kind of irritated. I want it to go away. But it always finds its way back."

Clearly this toe injury is now becoming a serious issue.  It's something he's been dealing with his second season and it's just not going away.  If you think about what it is, you can understand why.  Every NBA player, especially someone with Derrick's burst, obviously pushes off that toe on pretty much every possession, offense or defense.  While you might be able to play through it, maybe off of adrenaline if nothing else, after the game it's going to swell. Something like this doesn't improve over night, and it can only heal with rest.  And if you don't rest, you're only making it worse.  And if you make it worse, it could lead to surgery.

What's that saying?  A picture is worth a thousand words?  Well see above.

The Bulls defense so far this season has been spectacular.  It started off shaky...but oh my.  They have caught fire.

The Bulls currently rank 2nd in defensive efficiency, only behind Doug Collins' Sixers.  And I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, no way can the Sixers keep pace with the Bulls.  The Bulls have played the most games in the NBA thus far and only 5 games at home.  The Sixers are currently slightly ahead of the Bulls and have played two less games, and they're a young team. They're about to come crashing down to Earth once their schedule picks up.

But put that aside for now and picture this...

"Chris Paul is really the only other guy in the league, other than Derrick Rose, who has also that competitive edge."

Kobe's got a man-crush?  Interviewed after the Clippers loss, that's Kobe Bryant talking about himself...and Chris Paul...and our boy.  Can you really disagree?  No.  I would maybe put one other guy on that list in Kevin Durant.  Although Durant is a little too nice, but you can tell he's hungry.

But else can we say about this comment?  Not only is it a huge compliment and some well-deserved recognition of Derrick Rose, but it's also a huge slap in the face to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.  When Kobe talks, people listen.  Check the resume.  And I hate to make everything relate back to the Heat, but it's true.  Kobe left them out of the mix for a reason.  Those two are more concerned about being buddies and having people like them, rather than do whatever it takes to win.  Dwyane Wade 5 years ago maybe would have been on Kobe's list, but not Dwyane Wade today.  Not Dwyane Wade after the superfriends.  Let's just say, Kobe's comment made me pretty happy, especially because he couldn't have been more right.

I love me some rookie hazing, courtesy of the C.J. Watson's Twitter:

Lil rookie hazing in Memphis lol @mr_2eight1 @Luke1luk @RonnieBrewerJr @TajGibson22twitvid.com/XDTFX

— cj watson (@quietstorm_32) January 16, 2012