Chicago Bulls Talk

With the Chicago Bulls sitting comfortably atop the Eastern Conference standings at 22-6 after Wednesday night's 90-67 victory over the New Orleans Hornets, Tom Thibodeau, not surprisingly, refuses to address the inevitably that is him soon clinching the right to coach the East All-Stars, including Derrick Rose, later this month in Orlando.

Instead, the Bulls' coach is a firm believer that the accolade will come as long as his team continues to take care of business. Obviously, the Bulls have done just that this season and have won five of seven games on their ongoing season-long, nine-game road trip.

"To me ... the challenge for everybody is to stay focused on what's important, and that is only our next games -- study and get ready for Charlotte," Thibodeau told reporters after the game. "And I think if you start looking ahead to the [All-Star] break or you look behind, that's when you're going to have a misstep. So the challenge is to stay focused on the things that are important, which is getting ready for Charlotte -- and that's it. Don't get sidetracked in. Winning takes care of everything. And that's all we have to take care of, study."

Still, Thibodau's magic number to become the head coach for the Eastern Conference at the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 26 is down to two games. The Bulls will play three more games, against the Charlotte Bobcats, Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings, before Feb. 15 -- the league's cut-off point for the coach (and his staff) of the team with the best record in each conference to earn the honor to patrol the sideline in the annual, star-studded showcase.

Thibodeau already has a two-game cushion on the field, following both the Miami Heat (19-7) and Phildelphia 76ers (18-8) losing on Wednesday night. Barring any unforeseen slip up, Thibodeau -- who was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in December and January -- could very well return to the All-Star game. But as a head coach this time, as he served as Doc Rivers' lead assistant in 2008 when that Boston staff coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

While Thibodeau did not delve into his feelings on the possibility of coaching the East, he was much more forthcoming when asked about Luol Deng's All-Star candidacy. The veteran small forward had averaged 20 points in two games since returning from a seven-game absence due to a torn ligament in his left wrist, an injury he's still dealing with, and put up nine points, seven rebounds and five assists against the Hornets. Given the fact that Deng impacts both ends of the court every single game for the Bulls, he has a strong case to be one of the seven East reserves announced Thursday night on TNT.

"Lu doesn't have to score to have a great impact on our team and winning," Thibodeau said. "He plays great defense, he plays a great floor game, he moves without the ball, he makes the extra pass. And he has very good statistics, but you can't measure his impact statistically. I know what he brings. I know all the coaches and all his teammates appreciate everything that he does."

According to reports, the East coaches voted on their conference's seven bench players -- two guards, two forwards, one center and two wild cards -- for the All-Star game ahead of Wednesday night's games. So, did the reigning Coach of the Year spend any time before that lobbying his fellow Eastern Conference coaches to vote for Deng?

"Nah, I know how I am when people do that, and I think that doesn't get you very far," Thibodeau told the assembled media. "I think that these coaches, they know, they look, they study and I think his play speaks for itself. I think if you value winning, you appreciate all the things that he does."

Of course, the Bulls already have an All-Star, Rose, who will play in his third straight and second in a row as a starter. However, the entire team -- especially Rose -- believes Deng is more than deserving to join the reigning league MVP in the star-studded exhibition contest.

"I know that I'd probably be more hurt than Lu, knowing that he has a nonchalant attitude about making the team," Rose said of what his reaction would be if Deng is an All-Star snub for the second consecutive season. "But I think that he deserves it."

A season ago, Deng was one of the league's biggest All-Star snubs. He would obviously be ecstatic to earn the first All-Star berth of his career, but he admitted it would be a disappointment to get left off the team this time around. Although, for Deng, who is averaging almost 16 points and seven rebounds, the only thing that truly matters in the grand scheme of things is the reputation he holds among his teammates. In that department, Deng is as good as it gets.

"It would be great. Whoever plays in this league always wants to be [an All-Star]," Deng told the assembled media. "At the end of the day, if it doesn't [happen] you're always a little disappointed. But at the same time, it really comes down to hearing from inside the locker room, the guys that you play with. They're happy with your play. Your coaches and going in and playing every night. Don't get me wrong, every time you play, that's something you want to do because it's a great accomplishment. But at the same time, it's not in my hands now. You've just got to play and just wait."

If and when Rose, Deng and Thibodeau all represent the Bulls at the All-Star Game, there's no question that Chicago's fan base would have much more anticipation for the game than they've had in past years. Fortunately for the Bulls, the fact that they could be well-represented at the midseason event is indicative of the team's success.

Rose plays limited minutes: After missing the entire second half of Monday night's 108-87 win over the New Jersey Nets because of lower back spasms, Rose scored six points, dished out six assists and grabbed five rebounds in 22 minutes of action, a season-low in a game that he didn't leave due to injury, against the Hornets. Instead of searching for his own offense, the 6-foot-3 point guard looked to set up his teammates, and he didn't have the type of acrobatic finishes fans are accustomed to watching on a night to night basis.

Even so, Rose had an impact early on, accounting for seven of the Bulls' first 15 points as they look an 11-point lead just over six minutes into the contest. He also capped off a 9-0 run to start the game with a right-handed half-floater, half-hook shot on a post-up move where he got a pass from Carlos Boozer and quickly turned over his left shoulder.

After the game, Rose told reporters that his back was tight and that he was happy with the way Thibodeau handled his minutes. Rose checked out at the two minute, 40 second mark of first quarter and came back in with two minutes, 54 seconds left in the second. Facing the lowly Hornets (4-22), the 23-year-old obviously didn't need to carry the offense and paced himself throughout the game.

"He says he feels pretty good," Thibodeau said. "So he's just got to keep staying [that way]; do his rehab, take care of himself, get his rest, get his massage and we go from there."

Farrell provides pregame laughs: It was hard for Bulls players and coaches to keep a straight face before Wednesday's game when actor Will Farrell handled starting lineup introductions for both Chicago and New Orleans. Here's how Farrell called the Bulls' five starters:

"He still lives with his mother … Carlos Boozer.

"He collects rare birds and has a pet dolphin named Chachi … Luol Deng.

"He's a Scorpio and a terrible dancer … Joakim Noah.

"He once ate 20 hot dogs in an hour … Ronnie Brewer.

"His favorite movie is The Notebook … Derrick Rose."

Given the fact that Rose played just 22 minutes for the game, he certainly may have showed the Hornets some love. Either way, the Bulls got a kick out of Farrell's pregame announcements. The funnyman headlined a star-studded crowd that also included Zach Galifianakis, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg.

"Honestly, I didn't even hear what he said [about me]," Deng said, laughing. "To be honest with you, running out there I was worried he might say something worse. But saying that, I was like, 'All right, I got away with one.'

"It was funny. And it's the first time I've seen Thibs smiling before a game. Honestly. I told him that, I was like, 'Yo, let's be serious, man, can't be smiling out there.'"