Chicago Bulls point guard C.J. Watson suffered a dislocated left elbow New Year's Day against the Memphis Grizzlies and continues to deal with plenty of pain on a game-to-game basis.
The 27-year-old sat out just over two weeks because of the injury, returning earlier than expected on Jan. 16. And although he's averaging 12.3 points in his last 12 games, he clearly seems to be favoring his left arm, which he covers in a padded sleeve. In fact, Watson believes he may have returned from his injury before he should have.
"[My elbow] feels all right," Watson told me late Thursday afternoon in a phone conversation after the Bulls had finished practice in Charlotte, N.C. "I'm just trying to play through pain, still trying to get to 100 percent. I think I came back a little too early. But I'm just trying to play through pain and do what I can without letting my opponents know that it's bothering me."
While Watson is banged up right now, Bulls fans certainly can't tell given the way the fifth-year NBA veteran has performed over the past couple weeks. He had scored in double-digits in four straight games -- a span in which he shot 10-for-18 from three-point range -- before missing 9-of-10 shots for two points in Wednesday night's 90-67 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.
This past summer, Watson admitted it took him some time to get used to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau's system. However, this season the reigning Coach of the Year has more often allowed his backup guard to run the show, and the relationship between the two men continues to grow.
"He's giving me a lot more freedom," Watson said of Thibodeau. "[He usually] allows me to call my own plays with the second unit whenever I'm in there. So [I'm] just trying to get comfortable with him and what he wants, and vice versa."
From Derrick Rose to Luol Deng to Rip Hamilton to himself, Watson knows all about the Bulls' injury list during this compressed, 66-game season. The Bulls are 4-1 without Rose; 4-3 without Deng; and 14-2 without Hamilton, who is out indefinitely due to a sore left groin and thigh injury. Yet, the Bulls are an Eastern Conference-leading 22-6 and have had players step up during critical absences all season.
For a Bulls team that has championship aspirations, the bottom line is to make sure everyone is healthy once the postseason rolls around. Thibodeau's bunch refuses to make excuses, especially when it comes to injuries -- and they don't want to put themselves in a position where they would be continually asked about a wounded player or two.
"Hopefully we can get past [the injuries]," Watson said. "Hopefully when the playoffs come around, we're all healthy, we don't lose anyone, so we don't have any excuses and we can just try to make another run for a title."
Filed under: Bulls News
Tags: C.J Watson, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Rip Hamilton, Tom Thibodeau
