Second Half Headlines

 Posted by Dan Dragicevich. 

Many stories headline the start of the second half of the NBA, especially the health status of Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls.

Many people believe that the Chicago Bulls are the team in the East who will contend with the Miami Heat for a spot in the finals; those people would be correct if one thing holds up.

The Bulls are a great team with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer, no question, but the issue is whether or not they can hold up injury wise for the next thirty so odd games. Derrick Rose is the biggest issue because of the talent he provides for the team, without him the Bulls are a shell of the team they are with him. Before the all-star break he was dealing with some lower back spasms that were obviously hindering his ability to slice through the lane and dish out the ball effectively.

Another player that has had some previous injury issues is Joakim Noah. Noah plays so hard and with so much intensity that he is always vulnerable to a fluke injury where he turns his knee or ankle the wrong way.

A third player who has stepped onto the injury scene lately for the Bulls is Luol Deng. Deng suffered a leg injury earlier in the year which sidelined him for a few weeks. He also fell awkwardly on his wrist in the all-star game but said he felt fine and it was comfortable.

Another big story line that is hitting the media is the emergence of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Although they only have a record of 18-17, the Timberwolves have a few players outside of Kevin Love who are stepping up. The rookie play of Derrick Williams has been outstanding as of late where he has scored 13 points, grabbed 9 boards and added a block two games ago, and after last night’s game many people could be thinking about picking him up in their fantasy league because he scored 27 points, grabbed 5 boards and again added a block.

The other player who has been flying under the radar the entire season for the T’Wolves is Nikola Pekovic. Pekovic has been quietly having a great year where he is averaged 12.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. Now those may not seem like extremely good numbers but Pekovic is consistent and every now and then he will explode with a double-double going for 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Don’t be surprised if the Timberwolves make a strong run into the postseason and possibly even knock off a team in the first round. Don’t forget they still have the double-double machine and the recent 3 point shooting champ, Kevin Love and oh yeah Ricky Rubio. Mark my words, the Timberwolves are a dangerous team.