Bad News Bulls?

Chicago Bulls' head coach Tom Thibodeau 

has been masterful this season, 

but his team just can't catch a break.

As an NBA lifer that has loved the game for more than four decades, I’ve got to say that this season’s Chicago Bulls remind of a basketball version of Disney’s ‘Bad News Bears’.

Despite being one of the best teams in all of basketball the past two seasons and one of the top two title contenders in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls just can’t seem to catch a single break this season as they’ve been beset with one injury after another, mostly to reigning MVP and team leader, Derrick Rose.

Rose had missed nearly 30 regular season games while battling every injury from a strained groin to the ever-dreaded (and really painful … trust me, I know) turf toe, before taking the court against Philadelphia in Game 1 of their first round playoff series. So what happens to the Bulls as they are just getting prepared to make a long postseason run?

Rose promptly tears his ACL late in a game that had already been decided, continuing this season’s terrible string of bad luck. Whether you’re a Chicago Bulls fan or not, no one should ever want – or intentionally wish – any player to get hurt.

Having said that, let me just say that rarely have I seen (ever) the resilience of any team that this year’s Bulls’ squad has shown, ‘Bad News Bulls’ analogy aside. Despite losing Rose for much of the season, the Bulls persevered and even saw some major growth in some players (John Lucas III, C.J. Watson) during their superstar’s absence.

Oh … and lest anyone forget, while Disney’s Bad News Bears began as a mess – and struggled through their trials and tribulations along the way – they also ended up as champions.