Adversaries that night, Thibodeau and Rose spent five years together in Chicago grinding out victories and trying to restore the Bulls as Eastern Conference powers. They had dinners together, talked basketball together and bonded through the ups and downs of Rose’s MVP award and his knee injuries.

So when Rose glanced at the standings and saw Thibodeau’s Timberwolves at a lowly 5-13, the point guard knew his former coach, one of the most intense personalities in the NBA, probably wasn’t taking it well.

”He’s probably driving himself crazy,” Rose said. ”A lot of late nights. His staff is probably having a lot of late nights, too. But it all comes with just trying to win. He’s a winner at heart. He wants to win every game. That’s the crazy thing about him. Some games you’re going to lose, but he’s probably up late nights and driving himself crazy a little bit.”

It has only gotten worse for the Wolves (6-18) since then, with only the Dallas Mavericks having won fewer games. Heading into a game against the Bulls on Tuesday night, Thibodeau’s first game in Chicago since he was fired by the Bulls in an acrimonious split in 2015, he is searching for answers and a way to connect with his new team.

It’s been a stunning start to Thibodeau’s first season in Minnesota after leading the Bulls to the playoffs in all five of his seasons there. During those years, they were never under .500 after the first two weeks of the season, except for in 2013-14 when they started 9-16. They rebounded to finish 48-34 that season.

Rose is right. Thibodeau and his staff get to the office early in the morning and often don’t leave until well into the night. It’s not uncommon for staffers to sleep at the team’s practice facility so they can devote more time to film study and game planning.

”There’s no shortcut to this,” Thibodeau said earlier this season. ”You have to go through it. It’s important to maintain high standards. It starts with practice and preparation.”

Owner Glen Taylor chose Thibodeau over a long line of suitors last summer in hopes that his demanding style would expedite the growth process for a promising young roster and end a 12-year playoff drought.

But the Wolves have been slow to catch on to his defensive teachings, ranking 29th out of 30 teams in the league in defensive efficiency.

After a 27-point home loss to Detroit on Friday, he said he was ”very concerned” that his team was not responding to his message.

”I’m going to keep coming. I don’t go away,” he vowed. ”I’m going to look at everything, re-examine. Something’s being missed. It’s got to change.”

Thibodeau has been noticeably less demonstrative on the sideline over the last two weeks than he was early in the season, but the Wolves still tighten up when things start to go wrong, as they did in a 25-4 fourth quarter run by the Warriors on Sunday night.

”I studied before I took the job so I knew what I was getting into,” Thibodeau said. ”You’re looking at it and I knew we don’t have experience. Part of the learning part is the trial and error. We have to go through it. But I also have to make sure we’re making progress and moving forward. That’s part of my job.”

Offense hasn’t been the issue so far for the Wolves, who are 10th in the league in offensive efficiency. Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine are the first trio of 21-year-olds averaging at least 20 points a game on the same team in NBA history.

But Towns, the reigning rookie of the year, has looked disinterested on defense, often getting beaten back down the floor in transition for easy layups. Wiggins has been up and down on the perimeter defensively and sixth-year point guard Ricky Rubio, the team’s only real veteran getting significant playing time, has been unable to adapt to Thibodeau’s systems.

”It’s not about (Thibodeau). It’s about us,” LaVine said after the Pistons loss. ”We’re the ones on the court. He puts in the effort. We’re not executing.”

The Bulls hired Fred Hoiberg to replace Thibodeau, a more ”player-friendly” coach that has lightened the atmosphere in Chicago. But they missed the playoffs in his first season and former Bulls star Joakim Noah said in November that ”You don’t realize what you have with (Thibodeau) until he’s not around.” They are 13-10 and in fifth place in the East this season.

”It doesn’t happen overnight,” Thibodeau said. ”You have to work at it. There’s going to be some good days, some bad days. That’s all part of it. But everyone putting everything they have into each and every day, that’s the big thing, so you can make progress, so you can improve, so you can get better, so you can win.”

The post Thibodeau returns to Chicago with Wolves in a mess appeared first on IdealCapper.

Rose is averaging 16.7 points and this is the first game he’s missed this season.

Brandon Jennings will start in Rose’s place.

The post Rose misses Knicks’ game against Cavs with lower back pain appeared first on IdealCapper.

1:05 p.m.

A federal jury in Los Angeles has reached a verdict in a lawsuit claiming Derrick Rose and two friends raped the ex-girlfriend of the NBA star.

The verdict will be read Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

The jury reached the verdict after hearing dramatically different accounts of the August 2013 sexual encounter.

Neither side denied the three men had sex with the woman, but the issue was whether she consented or was too intoxicated to do so.

Defense lawyers tarred the woman as a liar who tried to sway jurors through her tears to get at Rose’s fortune. They claimed she was angry he had dumped her and she set him up and brought the lawsuit in hopes of a big payoff.

The woman’s lawyer called the men ”sexual deviants” and says they conspired to gang rape her after she was drunk and incapable of consenting to sex.

—

10:07 a.m.

A Los Angeles federal jury has begun deliberating in the civil rape trial against NBA star Derrick Rose.

Jurors deliberating Wednesday will determine whether Rose and two friends had sex with his ex-girlfriend when she was too incapacitated to give her consent.

The woman’s lawyer says the woman was either too drunk or had been drugged when the three men had sex with her in 2013.

Lawyers for Rose and his friends say the woman initiated and willingly participated in sex. They say she is lying to cash in on Rose’s wealth.

The woman was seeking $21.5 million when she filed suit, but her lawyer didn’t provide a specific sum for the jury.

Jurors in the case must reach a unanimous verdict.

—

The rape lawsuit trial of NBA star Derrick Rose is heading to the jury.

A Los Angeles panel is scheduled to begin deliberating Wednesday in a suit that claims Rose and two friends gang-raped his ex-girlfriend in 2013 at her Los Angeles apartment after she passed out from drugs or drink.

Rose’s attorneys call the sex consensual and contend the woman is simply seeking a $21.5 million payday.

In closing arguments Tuesday, Rose’s lawyer argued that the 30-year-old woman was suing for money and for revenge because the New York Knicks point guard ended their relationship.

However, the woman’s lawyer told jurors that she was the victim of a ”classic” gang rape.

The post The Latest: Verdict reached in rape lawsuit against NBA star appeared first on IdealCapper.

The former MVP understands why.

Saturday marked Rose’s first game appearance in his home arena since tearing the medial meniscus in his right knee on Nov. 22.

“When I was out there they wanted me to shoot every ball,” Rose said with a laugh.

Rose scored seven points in 24 minutes in his Chicago return, but the fact that he was out there at all after playing just 10 games in the past two years because of two serious knee injuries is what made fans so happy. Rose was the last player introduced before the game as fans roared and chanted “MVP!”

“I’m playing the way I normally play in the trials,” Rose said. “Push the ball, play defense and get guys shots. When the shot is available, take the shot, and I think that’s what I did tonight. I had one or two turnovers, but that could easily be changed.”

Rose didn’t need to lead the offensive barrage for Team USA on this night; fellow Chicago native Anthony Davis took care of that. Davis, who was playing in his hometown for the first time as a professional, led Team USA with 20 points and set the tone on both ends of the floor.

“It felt great,” Davis said. “The first time I played on this floor since high school. It’s great to be back here in front of my home crowd, friends and family coming out and supporting me. Most importantly, we got the win.”

The New Orleans Pelicans All-Star center had the crowd buzzing throughout the night, making several highlight-reel dunks. His dive into the stands for a loose ball in the fourth quarter prompted fans to chant “USA! USA!” He will be a focal point for Team USA considering the lack of big men depth on coach Mike Krzyzewski’s roster.

Aside from the win, the good news for Krzyzewski in this game was that nobody was seriously injured after Paul George’s gruesome broken leg in Team USA’s scrimmage in Las Vegas two weeks ago. Rose was cut on his face in the first half but came back into the game late in the second quarter and made a nice running floater to end the half. With George out and Kevin Durant leaving the team last week, Rose will be counted on to provide an offensive punch for this team alongside Stephen Curry and James Harden (18 points).

“I’m pleased with our team,” Krzyzewski said. “We’ve had a lot of interruptions. The one thing that hasn’t been interrupted has been effort. Our guys have played hard in every practice. They’re a really good group. To play an organized team and an outstanding team like Brazil like this tonight was really encouraging for us.”

Now Krzyzewski and his staff must continue to figure out how to cut Team USA’s roster to 12 before the World Cup of Basketball begins later this month in Spain.

Sacramento Kings small forward Rudy Gay, who was added to the team last week after Durant left, was the first substitute off Team USA’s bench Saturday night. Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried got the start alongside Davis while Brooklyn Nets forward Mason Plumlee got the bulk of the minutes off the bench for a depleted frontcourt. Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins didn’t play after injuring his right knee in Thursday’s practice, while Detroit Pistons big man Andre Drummond, Utah Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward and Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan never entered the game.

As Krzyzewski continues to tinker with his roster, he took great pride in the fact that Rose was able to perform in front of a packed house at the United Center. Rose, along with Brazil center Anderson Varejao, gave brief speeches to the crowd before the game, thanking fans for coming to the game. Rose received another big ovation before speaking, and then thanked USA Basketball for bringing the game to Chicago as the city continues to deal with a major violence problem.

The former MVP excited the home fans late in the third quarter when he split two defenders and laid the ball in. It was a vintage Rose move that Bulls fans are expecting to see again this NBA season.

“It’s great to watch Derrick play again,” Bulls coach and Team USA assistant Tom Thibodeau said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the way he played.”

Rose and the rest of Team USA head to New York on Sunday to continue training for the World Cup. Krzyzewski said earlier this week that his team likely wouldn’t make any more cuts until after the New York portion of camp was finished.

For Rose, it was just another step on a long journey.

The post Fans salute Derrick Rose, U.S. in win appeared first on IdealCapper.

Yes, the streakbusters struck again.

Robinson scored 27 points, Jimmy Butler added 21 points and a career-high-tying 14 rebounds, and the Bulls beat Miami 93-86 on Monday night in Game 1 of the teams’ Eastern Conference semifinal series. The team that snapped Miami’s 27-game winning streak in the regular season — the second-longest in NBA history — found a way to topple the champs again, this time ending a run of 12 straight Heat victories overall.

“I’ve played on some tough teams,” Robinson said. “But this one, there’s something a little different, something special about this group.”

A seven-point deficit midway through the fourth wasn’t enough to doom the Bulls, who finished the game on a 10-0 run in the final 1:59. And to think, the Bulls weren’t anywhere near full strength. Kirk Hinrich was out again with a calf injury. Luol Deng isn’t even expected to rejoin the team until Tuesday, after dealing with an illness apparently so severe that a spinal tap — and other tests since — were needed to rule out things like meningitis.

“So proud of my team man, this bed might be good luck after all,” Deng wrote on Twitter after the game, with a photo of him in a hospital bed.

Oh, and Derrick Rose remains sidelined, as he’s been since April 2012.

No problem. The Heat are 41-3 in their last 44 games — with two of those losses to the Bulls, who are now 3-2 against Miami this season.

“I think when you’re facing adversity, you have to be mentally tough,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But this is just one game. We have to play a lot better in our next one.”

LeBron James got his MVP trophy from Commissioner David Stern before the game, then struggled to a two-point first half before finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Miami. Dwyane Wade added 14 for the Heat, who had no one else in double figures, finished shooting 40 percent from the floor and were outrebounded 46-32.

“I’m not stunned,” James said. “This is what the playoffs is all about. We’re going against a really good team.”

Miami was outscored 35-24 in the fourth, something that drew the ire of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra afterward.

“There’s no excuses,” said Spoelstra, whose team had not played in more than a week. “We’re not making any excuses for time off or anything else.”

If anyone could have made excuses, it was Robinson. He needed 10 stitches, five in his lip and five more inside his mouth, to close a nasty cut that came when he dove for a loose ball with James and struck his head on the court late in the first half.

And then not only did he play the whole second half, he scored 24 points in those 24 minutes, including the last seven points that finished the job for Chicago.

“He was born a scorer,” Miami guard Mario Chalmers said.

Joakim Noah scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who got 12 from Taj Gibson and 10 from Marco Belinelli. Game 2 is Wednesday night in Miami.

“We’re not really a flashy team,” Gibson said. “We like to go out and do our job.”

A pair of three-point plays by James — one of them coming when he just broke through a tackle attempt by Butler and muscled the ball to the rim anyway — gave Miami a 76-69 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the biggest deficit Chicago faced all night.

The Bulls were undeterred.

Coming off a Game 7 road win in Brooklyn two nights earlier just to get into a series with Miami, the Bulls just kept grinding. When Ray Allen made a 3-pointer to give Miami an 80-78 lead, Butler came back with one of his own to put the Bulls back on top. When the Heat went up by three after James made a free throw with 2:22 left, Belinelli connected for 3 — on a second-effort possession — to knot the game.

Then when Robinson connected on a 20-footer with 1:18 left, the Bulls had the lead and plenty of swagger.

Wade missed a 3-pointer on the next possession, Robinson drove the lane and scored with 45.5 seconds left, and suddenly the Bulls were up 90-86. James drove against Butler and tried a 12-footer that missed everything, the Bulls got the rebound, Robinson made a free throw to stretch the lead to five and the stunner was complete.

Game 1 to the Bulls.

“It’s all about being tough,” said Butler, who played all 48 minutes for the third straight game. “We’re always going to be the underdogs and we take pride in that. Everybody can overlook us, but we feel like we’re good enough to hang with a lot of these teams.”

It was a night that started with a celebration, James getting his MVP award from the commissioner.

“Thank you so much,” James said. “And let’s get ready to go.”

And with that, the game started.

Problem was, no one was ready to go.

The Heat missed their first seven shots — maybe rust really was a factor. It was 37-all at the half and James wore twice as many pairs of sneakers in the opening two quarters (two) as he had field goals (one). He had two points at the break, the lowest of his 120-game postseason career, on just 1 for 6 shooting.

He opened the second half with a 3-pointer, so the shoes were a quick fix.

But the Bulls were in for the long haul, and after James made the consecutive three-point plays to open a seven-point lead, Chicago answered with seven straight points, knotting the game at 76-all when Belinelli made a 3-pointer with just under 5 minutes left.

Momentum belonged to Chicago, and soon, so did the game.

“It’s just one game,” Belinelli said.
Game notes
James has played 885 regular-season and playoff games. He’s scored less than two points in a first half only twice, being shut out by Dallas on Oct. 31, 2007 and Dec. 20, 2010. He scored exactly two points on five other occasions before Monday. … Wade dove into the second row of seats to save an errant ball, and grimaced after appearing to hit his sore right knee. “I wish somebody would have grabbed me. That would have been kind of nice, especially at home,” Wade said. … The Bulls had 17 second-chance points on only nine offensive rebounds.

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