Bulls Set to Open Season With Butler Sitting Out

October 29, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Midweek musings: Jimmy Butler will miss the Chicago Bulls’ season opener Wednesday night at New York because of a sprained ligament in his left thumb. He is expected to be out … until he returns. And no one in Bulls management is saying when that might be. Player health — from Derrick Rose to Joakim Noah to Pau Gasol — will be a concern this season. Bulls fans can only hope the players will make it through the regular season reasonably healthy and well-rested for the postseason. Which is far more important than who is available for the season opener.

A photo of Ana Cheri. Just because we wanted to run one.

* Speaking of the Bulls, fans should become restless if they see Rose and/or Noah not resting sufficiently and playing 40 minutes a game early in the season. It will be interesting to see whether coach Tom Thibodeau has grown as a coach and is able to limit playing time for his starters and depend on his bench more.

* If former White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy — who is to be a free agent after the season — was hoping to use his postseason performance to add to his market value, here’s hoping he had a Plan B. He allowed six runs in 1 1/3 innings of Game 6 of the World Series in the San Francisco Giants’ 10-0 loss at Kansas City. It was his second loss of the series. On the bright (?) side, Peavy should be well-rested in case Fox wants to do a television interview during the game.

* Speaking of Peavy speaking, he said after the game he thought he had pitched well and was the victim of some bad breaks when he broke three bats in the second inning with none of the broken bats producing an out. That wasn’t a short leash that Giants manager Bruce Bochy had Peavy on; it was a choke chain.

* Speaking of bad breaks, Juius Randle, the No. 7 overall pick in the NBA draft, made his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers. He suffered a broken right tibia. And it was going to be a long season for the Lakers with a healthy Randle. Of course, Lakers fans still can keep looking forward this season — to the 2015 draft.

* Speaking of Peavy, maybe he will sign with the Cubs. That way he won’t have to worry about postseason struggles. Once a top-notch pitcher, Peavy no longer fits that description. The closest he comes to an elite pitcher is when he stands or sits next to teammate Madison Bumgarner.

* Among those folks attending Comcast SportsNet’s 10th anniversary party Monday night at Studio Paris was Bears linebacker Lance Briggs. Not sure he was there to further his post-career employment opportunities, although he would seem to have a career in broadcasting if he is so inclined. Some of Briggs’ skills were on display — he was a celebrity bartender. Also filling that role were former Bulls standout Toni Kukoc and former Blackhawks star and coach Denis Savard. Among those attending was Bulls and White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. Saw him from a distance, so your humble correspondent was unable to verify whether he was wearing a Sportsvision jacket.

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