For the first time since 1997, the Chicago Bulls will send two players to the NBA All-Star Game.
On Thursday night, Bulls forward Luol Deng was selected to his first All-Star team as an Eastern Conference reserve. Deng will join his point guard, Derrick Rose, who last week was voted into the game by the fans as a starter, at the annual showcase on Feb. 26 in Orlando.
The reserves were selected by a vote of the league's coaches and fans had already voted on the game's starters. The rest of the Eastern Conference bench includes Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Roy Hibbert, Paul Pierce, Deron Williams and Andre Iguodala, with Rose, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in the starting lineup. Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Russell Westbrook, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Steve Nash and Marc Gasol will come off the bench for the Western Conference, with a starting five that features Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Andrew Bynum.
Deng was not available for comment on Thursday night, but he was certainly ecstatic when he heard TNT reveal the All-Star benches. Although eighth-year veteran has taken all of the All-Star talk in stride, he has waited a long time for this moment.
"Words can't describe how happy I am to make my first all star," Deng posted on Twitter shortly after being named an All-Star. "Thanks to all my supporters especially the coaches who voted for me. #honored."
Deng is averaging 16 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting almost 44 percent from the field in 21 games for the Bulls. The veteran small forward has missed seven games this season because of a torn ligament in his left wrist, but he has put up 16.3 points per game in his last three contests since returning from the injury. The Bulls were 4-3 without Deng in the lineup.
Doctors told Deng to rest four to six weeks before returning, but he badly wanted to return to the lineup and came back two weeks ahead of schedule. He produces on both ends of the court on a game-to-game basis and is a player whom Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau probably most depends on, as the 23-year-old is averaging 38 minutes per night, good for third-best in the league.
Last season, Deng was one one of the league's most biggest All-Star snubs. Deng had been averaging 17.6 points and 6.1 rebounds at the time but wasn't selected by the East coaches. While the 26-year-old still isn't a household name around the league, everyone around the Bulls knows exactly what Deng brings to the table -- a consistent, do-it-all presence, on offense and defense, and a man whom many regard as the team's second-best player behind Rose.
There's no question that not only is Rose the Bulls' top player, but he's also one of the best in the league. However, over the past couple years, the 6-foot-3 point guard has repeatedly called Deng the team's MVP, while Thibodeau has continually referred to Deng as "the glue to our team."
"Lu doesn't have to score to have a great impact on our team and winning," Thibodeau told reporters following his team's 90-67 victory over the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night. "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.
"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."
Bulls coaches, players and fans are well aware of the impact Deng has every single game. Backup point guard C.J. Watson told me that it would have been a "big surprise if [Deng]" wasn't named an All-Star because he, like the rest of that locker room, believes that Deng is a sure-fire selection.
"Lu’s been playing great," Watson said in a phone conversation late Thursday afternoon after the Bulls' practice in Charlotte. "Even though he missed some games, he’s still an All-Star."
Obviously, Thursday was an important day in Bulls' history. They will now have two players represent the team at the All-Star Game festivities, and Thibodeau is primed to be the Eastern Conference head coach.
A few years ago, Deng had been tagged with the "injury-prone" label because of the fact that he missed large chunks of time -- not to mention that he received lots of negative backlash because many believed he wasn't living up to his lucrative long-term contract.
Now, with the Bulls sitting atop the Eastern Conference at 22-6, Deng is an All-Star.
Filed under: Bulls News
Tags: C.J Watson, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, NBA All-Star Game
