"It’s been happening for the last four years," sighed Taj Gibson. "We always have a good shot. But there’s always this bug that hits us late. It’s frustrating. We always had a good shot. We still have a great shot. But we always seem to end up having guys injured.

"We’re always undermanned and have to put forth a lot of energy to make up for bodies we don’t have," Gibson went on, shaking his head. "Tonight we just didn’t have the energy. No excuses. We just did not have it."

Nate was one dime short of the Triple Double: 27pts, 9ast, 10 stitches...Heart Hustle and Muscle

Belinelli did a $15,000 dance after hitting a big shot in Game 7 against the Nets, but in reality he was describing his entire team in that one gesture.

Omer Asik: Such a shame that Chicago couldn't afford to keep him. We need to figure out revenue sharing once and for all — the Bulls shouldn't be penalized by playing in a tiny city like Chicago.

Derrick will know when it’s time to come back. I think he has handled it very well. It seems like the people who are having fits about this are you guys.

11. Carlos Boozer: three years, $47.1 million
How many NBA fans have gotten sucked into the "Carlos Boozer gives you 15 points and nine rebounds every night and always plays hard, how bad could his contract be?" vortex before going onto HoopsHype.com, checking out the numbers and screaming, "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" when they see them? It's personally happened to me five times. And I might be headed for no. 6 in about three weeks. While we're here, kudos to Booze for dropping the spray-paint routine and going back to the pure head shave. We all appreciate it.

"It’s hard to believe that Tyrus Thomas could top his miserable 2011-12 season, one that saw him play through ulcers, get into a shoving match with his 68-year old coach, and shoot 36.7 percent even while working in the frontcourt. And yet … here we are!

The Charlotte Bobcats have told Thomas to stay home as the franchise gears up for a four-game Western swing. The Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell was the first to report that Thomas, some three years after being traded to Charlotte, is being excused from the excursion."

Hey Bulls fans -- Pacers fan here and I'm not here to stir anything. I'm heading to the Big Ten tourney in Chicago coming up in a couple of weeks. I've never been to the United Center and I'm hoping you can give me some advice on whether there is ample parking or if I'm better off taking a taxi from my hotel, dining options, what to avoid, etc.

Any advice would be appreciated -- and I see where the Bulls might be signing Amundson -- he's fun to watch because he's high energy and a little quirky.

If you have young guys and they can handle the minutes, you play them. If a guy is in his mid-30′s and you are trying to prolong things you have to be more cautious and you monitor those things. But this is not anything new. This has gone on in the NBA for a long time. You have a guy that is in his prime, a primary player, then he is going to play. That’s the way it is. I sat on that other bench when Jordan and Pippen and Rodman never came out. I sat on that bench playing against San Antonio when Tim Duncan never came out. All this stuff about minutes. I understand that. I understand if a guy is in his 30s you manage his minutes. A guy is young you can handle it. Heck, Jordan was playing high 30s until he was 40 years old. Wilt played a few minutes every night."

Eyewitness at D Rose's first 5-on-5 practice Monday said Rose looks "ready to go." Said Rose looks like he's able to play in games.