New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls (-2.5, 198)
You know things aren’t going well for your team when it losses and the players are telling reporters they’re happy about their effort.
''Even though we lost, this was a winning-type effort,'' Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich told the Chicago Sun-Times following a nine-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. ''I thought everybody played hard. You could tell there was a sense of urgency there.''
So, Chicago lets a sick and banged up Kobe Bryant score 42 points and suddenly everyone’s feeling good in the Bulls locker room?
''I really think since the Golden State game [on Friday], we've played hard,'' Luol Deng said. ''I think we're headed in the right direction. We just have to keep playing like this.''
What a bunch of loser talk. That Golden State game is Chicago’s only win in its last seven games and it needed overtime to finish off the Warriors.
Things aren’t good in the Windy City.
Everyone wants Derrick Rose to take over when the Bulls are struggling to score, but the point guard has reservations of going into ball-hog mode.
“People say they want me to shoot the ball more, but I’m the point guard; I can’t do that. I‘ve got to pass the ball to people and get people open,” Rose told the Chicago Tribune. “Taking over as a point guard is getting people open and shooting here and there.”
Until the Bulls figure out how to maximize Rose’s role, they’ll struggle to fill up the hoop. That doesn’t bode well going against the fast-paced Knicks.
Pick: Knicks
