All Bull - Chicago Bulls

Minnesota guard Ricky Rubio is hoping to return to action on Saturday according to numerous reports. If that happens, he’ll be back on the court roughly nine months and one week after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee. Rubio would be the second Twin Cities pro athlete to make such a recovery from a torn ACL and MCL. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was back on the football field nine months after the injury occurred and if you see any flaws in his game, please contact Lovie Smith immediately. So what does this mean for Derrick Rose? First of all, it’s not a perfect comparison because Rose did not tear his MCL. He had a less severe knee injury than Rubio and Peterson. Rose’s ACL tear happened on April 28. Rubio’s injury was on Mar. 9.

UPDATE: Anthony will not play tonight vs. the Bulls. New York coach Mike Woodson ruled Carmelo Anthony a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against the Bulls at the United Center. Anthony, who’s averaging 26.7 points, missed Thursday’s 20-point win at Miami with a lacerated middle finger on his left hand. Woodson said Anthony will test the injury during warm-ups and determine if he’s able to play. “I've got to trust his judgment,” Woodson told reporters at Saturday’s shootaround, according to espn.com. “He'll let us know when he's ready.” The Knicks are leading the Eastern Conference with a 14-4 record. The Bulls, meanwhile, will be playing their fourth game in five nights.

Start spreading the news, the New York Knicks are clearly the class of the Eastern Conference after their second blowout victory over Miami this season. Or are they? The Knicks beat the Heat 112-92 on Thursday, the worst home loss of the Power Trio era. No doubt New York has been impressive this season, posting a 14-4 record, best in the East. The Knicks’ next game is Saturday against the Bulls at the United Center. Confusion about New York’s place among the NBA elite arrives when you take a closer look at what happened in Miami. First of all, Carmelo Anthony didn’t even play, due to a cut on the middle finger of his left hand, which required five stitches to close. It seems likely he’ll be back against the Bulls.

In this business, we can all appreciate a slow news day, but there’s no need to get nutty about the latest Derrick Rose progress report. Rose could be seen running sprints on Monday at the Berto Center. More specifically, he could be seen finishing sprints. He started in the weight room and ended in the gym, allowing reporters to catch a glimpse of the recovering star. The estimated length of his sprints is probably 20 or 30 yards and it’s the first time a Rose workout has been visible to reporters at the Berto Center since before the circus road trip. The Sun-Times took the opportunity to scoop the world on Rose’s return, stating he “could be just weeks away from practicing with the Bulls again.”

It's being billed as the final episode, but don't think it means Rose is ready to return just yet.

Not as much action in this segment, though we do get to check out the views from Rose's Trump Tower condo.

No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Davis won't make the trip back to his hometown when the Hornets visit the Bulls on Saturday at the UC. Davis reportedly suffered a mild concussion on Friday against Utah. He was inadvertently elbowed in the head by a teammate and sat out the second half. New Orleans still managed to win when PG Greivis Vasquez hit a driving back with a second remaining. Davis scored 21 points in his NBA debut on Wednesday against San Antonio.

The clock is ticking and Taj Gibson hasn’t yet reached for the pen. As the Bulls prepared to face Sacramento in their season opener, it appeared the two sides would not come to terms on a contract extension before the 11 p.m. deadline. Gibson spoke briefly in the locker room and seemed resigned to becoming a restricted free agent next summer. A few minutes later, general manager Gar Forman and vice president of basketball operations John Paxson chatted courtside while Gibson shot baskets. Asked if could say anything about the Gibson negotiations, Forman replied, “There’s still time.”

The Bulls endured some economic reality this summer when they broke up the Bench Mob. Oklahoma City landed in the same spot with shooting guard James Harden. The Thunder couldn’t afford another maximum salary and traded Harden to Houston on Sunday. There are other players involved and OKC is getting some draft picks, but the deal is essentially for Kevin Martin and rookie Jeremy Lamb. It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that OKC would have to part with Harden. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are already getting max salaries, while big men Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka are also locked up at hefty prices.

Kirk Hinrich has a right thumb injury and will not play tonight when the Bulls host Milwaukee in their fourth preseason game. Nate Robinson is getting the start at point guard. Coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t mention Hinrich’s injury when he spoke to the media at the United Center, so the extent of the thumb issue is unknown. It’s possible Thibodeau wanted to get a longer look at Robinson, anyway. He’s shown some flashes of being a dynamic scorer in preseason, but is shooting just 23.3 percent from the field (7 for 30) in the first three games. Richard Hamilton and Luol Deng are back in the starting lineup after sitting out Saturday’s loss at Minnesota. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah are starting as usual. Backup center Kyrylo Fesenko is sick and not at the arena.

Joakim Noah is back with the Bulls after a three-day absence due to the death of his grandmother. He is expected to start Tuesday’s preseason opener against Memphis at the United Center. The Bulls said Noah’s absence was a personal issue, but he sent a Twitter message thanking people who sent respect to his grandmother. He wrote that she was once captain of the Cameroon national team and he started playing basketball because of her. Noah’s return gives the Bulls a chance to use their projected regular-season starting lineup of Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Richard Hamilton, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer. It might be more interesting to see how coach Tom Thibodeau uses the revamped “Bench Mob” of Taj Gibson, Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli, Vladimir Radmanovic and Nazr Mohammed.