The grudge fight that Britain has been waiting for is finally upon us.

Two Postponements

After two postponements, trash talking British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Derrick Chisora will finally settle their differences on Saturday, November 29th at the ExCel Arena in London, England. Fury (22-0 with 16 knockouts) and Chisora (20-4 with 13 knockouts) first fought in July 2011 as top British heavyweight contenders. That showdown was much-hyped and the two Britons fought in an exciting but knockdown-less fight. That bout ended with Fury hacking out a clear cut unanimous decision victory over an obviously out of shape Chisora to win the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight titles.

But the fight did not end the bad blood between the two combatants and a rematch was set three years and three losses later for Chisora. The rematch was originally scheduled for July 26th in Manchester England but was moved to November 22nd after Chisora fractured his left hand during his final sparring session which was eight days before fight night. But the fight was moved again to November 29th after promoter Frank Warren believed that the new schedule would be in conflict with the football match between Arsenal and Manchester United which was scheduled on the same date. Four days before the 29th, it’s all systems go for this much awaited rematch.

More Than a Grudge Match

Fury-Chisora II is more than just a rematch because not only is it a battle for Chisora’s European title, it is a fight for the right to become one of Wladimir Klitschko’s mandatory challengers.

Chisora has won five straight bouts since losing back to back fights Vitali Klitschko and David Haye. Four out of those five wins have been by knockout and he’s looked in good physical shape as of late. The thing with Chisora is that he’s fought better quality of opposition than Fury. Everyone knows that he wasn’t in the best shape during their first fight and everyone knows that he’s prepared much harder for this rematch so this one could go either way.

Who Takes It?

It’s obvious that Tyson Fury is the better all-around fighter between them and that he is the much hungrier lion. Fury truly believes that he’s gotten inside Chisora’s head with all the trash talking that has happened so he should have the advantage. Size-wise, Fury can always stay away from Chisora’s power bombs with his big height and reach advantage. Plus, Fury’s got legitimate knockout power to send Chisora to sleep should he get over zealous with his attacks. However, Fury has fought just twice in the last two years and the inactivity could be to his disadvantage against an active opponent like Chisora.

Fury is the odds on favorite to win the bout at 4/11 while Chisora the underdog at 11/5 mainly because of his better all-around skill-set.

Orlando Magic rookie forward Aaron Gordon will be out indefinitely with a fractured foot, according to a statement by Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan on Sunday.

Could Be Out For the Season

Gordon suffered a fracture in his left foot on Saturday night during the Magic’s 93-98 loss to the Washington Wizards. He played 14 minutes in that game and was able to score 6 points and grab 3 rebounds. However, he ended up leaving the game in a walking boot as a result of the injury. X-rays after the game revealed that Gordon suffered a fracture on the 5th metatarsal (outside) of his left foot. Orlando Magic officials said that Gordon will be re-evaluated later this week but sources are saying that he could possibly be out for the remainder of the season.

Second Casualty of Rookie Class

Should Gordon miss the remainder of the season, he becomes the second casualty from the highly regarded rookie class of 2014 to suffer a season ending injury. Lakers’ forward and #7 overall pick Julius Randle suffered a season ending fracture of his left tibia during his first ever NBA game on October 28th.

Gordon was the Orlando Magic’s 4th overall pick after a stellar freshman season at the University of Arizona where he was named PAC-12 Freshman of the Year, First Team All PAC-12 and third team All-American-TSN last season. Gordon averaged 12.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 38 games for the Wildcats.

A Work in Progress

Along with the top three picks in the draft, Gordon was considered as the one with the most upside at 19 years of age with his freak athleticism and 7-foot wingspan. Gordon’s defense has proven to be NBA ready right now although his offensive game still needs a lot of work. He is considered as a work in progress in a Magic team that is not expected to make waves anyway this season.

Gordon was averaging 5.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in very limited minutes (15.0) of playing time. He has played in all the 11 games that the Magic have played so far. Gordon tallied career highs of 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in a 112-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves last November 11. Gordon shot well from the field at .581 but has struggled at the foul line at .667.

Orlando will have to sort out problems in the power forward position without Gordon since the third PF in their rotation, Kyle O’Quinn, has not yet returned to action after suffering an ankle injury during their opening game. Quinn has been ruled out of their upcoming two game road trip, meaning his earliest return could be on Wednesday against the Clippers.

As Wladimir Klitschko defends his unified heavyweight title on Saturday against Kubrat Pulev, he is seeking to extend one of the most dominant runs in boxing history.

The Decade’s Best

Wladimir Klitschko has won 20 straight fights and has not lost since 2004 when he was knocked out by Lamont Brewster. In that run, Klitschko has won and unified the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring Heavyweight world boxing titles and has made 16 consecutive title defenses. His current reign as champion is the second longest reign in heavyweight boxing history at 8 years, 6 months and still counting. Only the legendary Joe Louis has had more title defenses and a longer reign.

On November 15th, at the O2 Arena in Hamburg Germany, Wladimir aims to add to his legend as he tries to defend his belts for the 17th straight time against Bulgarian challenger Kubrat Pulev, the former European and IBF international heavyweight champion. And while Klitchsko is heavily favored as usual, Pulev could be his biggest test in his title reign.

Biggest Test Ever?

At 6-6, Klitschko has dominated his opponents with his height and length. Against Pulev though, Klitschko will only be enjoying a two inch height advantage and one inch reach advantage. Pulev also stands to weigh 10 pounds more than Klitschko’s usual 240-plus fighting weight. With his usual advantages almost evened out by Pulev, Klitschko could be in for his biggest test ever.

Yet Pulev isn’t just a threat because of his physical gifts. The 33-year old Bulgarian has a vast amateur boxing experience. Aside from his solid amateur resume, he is undefeated as a professional despite facing the likes of Alexander Dimitrenko, Alexander Ustinov, Tony Thompson and Joey Abell. In fact, Pulev stopped all of those worthy opponents in succession.

An intriguing Match Up

What makes this an intriguing match up is the fact that Pulev is considered as master of distance, something that Klitschko is always praised for. Both men start their attack with their jabs, but unlike Klitschko, Pulev uses his skills to wear down his opponent before putting them away. He is a strong puncher but he doesn’t possess the one punch knockout power that Wladimir Klitschko has been feared for.

Experts have always believed that the anti-Wladimir Klitschko is an aggressive opponent who uses his work rate to outpoint the champ and disrupt his rhythm. Klitschko has often used his size to pummel his opponents from a distance and then use his customary clinch to shut down the action and prevent his opponent from countering him. This is the reason why Pulev’s challenge is suspect. He looks passive because of his tactical style and that should be to Klitschko’s advantage.

Styles Make Fights

Fans who are expecting an all-out action fight should be disappointed. This fight is likely to shape up as a tactical battle with Klitschko frustrating Pulev from a distance. Unless Pulev finds a way to open up Wladimir and make him fight all night long, the odds are saying that Klitschko is going to win this one on points.

Klitschko is a heavy favorite at -550 and Pulev at +400. But it doesn’t mean the challenger doesn’t have a shot. In fact, he may have the best shot at Klitschko because he won’t be bullied around the ring with his size and respectable speed. But styles make fights and unless Pulev makes Klitschko engage with him instead of tying him up often, he will lose this one in the scorecards.

The battle for the interim UFC heavyweight  belt at UFC 180 this coming Saturday is one of the most intriguing matches in recent years. It may not be the original main event, but it surely will have just as much fireworks.

The Unlikely Challenger

To say that Mark Hunt is an unlikely title challenger is an understatement. The 40-year old Super Samoan has defied convention to challenge for the interim UFC heavyweight title at the main event of UFC 180. First of all, Hunt’s MMA record is an unimpressive 10-8-1 with 7 knockouts. In the UFC though, he is 5-2-1 with 4 KOs. But he has not won back to back fights since 2010 and was coming off a loss to Junior Dos Santos, then a draw with Big Foot Silva before beating Roy Nelson last September.

Not only that, but Hunt was also in the middle of his celebration after his big win over Big Country when the UFC came calling with barely a month left before UFC 180. Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez tore his MCL in training and the UFC needed someone to face Fabricio Werdum on such a short notice. Hunt knew he had too little time to prepare, but fighting for the belt could be something that may never come again for a 40-year old fighter. So, an overweight Hunt packed up his bags and headed straight for the gym.

Hunt’s Conditioning

The betting lines opened with Werdum at -230 and Hunt +180. As the fight has drawn nearer, the lines are more stacked against Hunt with Werdum now a -385 and Hunt a +380.

The reason why Hunt is a major underdog in this fight isn’t because of his record, it’s because of the physical condition that he could be in. Hunt started his just three weeks of training at over 300 pounds and he’s kept talking about being 35 pounds over the division’s 265-pound limit. On the other hand, Fabricio Werum has been training in high altitude for Cain Velasquez. Werdum has slowly evolved from being a great jiu jistu practitioner to a complete fighter who can do it all in the Octagon. So, what chance does Mark Hunt have?

Heavy Fists and Iron Chin

Almost everyone’s giving him so little chance to pull off the victory. But that little chance is what fight fans call the “puncher’s chance:. Hunt is one of the sport’s heaviest hitters, if not its biggest puncher. But what makes Mark Hunt special is that his freakish punching power is complemented by a granite chin that can withstand the heaviest blow in the UFC.

As Hunt said, he doesn’t care about “black belts and ground game.” Neither does he care if he’s fighting King Kong or Godzilla. What he truly believes is that once anybody gets hit in the face, it’s a different ballgame. And with a pressure fighter like Hunt, you’ll always believe he’ll land at least one big bomb – like the one that knocked out Roy Nelson for the first time ever. Werdum’s lost five times but he’s been knocked out only once and that was by Junior Dos Santos at UFC 90. On the other hand, Dos Santos couldn’t punch out Hunt at UFC 160, he knocked out Hunt with a spinning heel kick.

The Evolution of Werdum

Fabricio Werdum is the perfect example of evolution in the UFC. The once one dimensional master grappler who owns nine career submissions has slowly but surely developed a vicious striking game under the tutelage of Rafael Cordiero. His striking game is a beautiful combination of punches and kicks that slowly break down his opponents. His ground game is probably the best in the business. He’s got an incredible guard, excellent top control and perhaps the best submission game in the heavyweight division’s history. You’ve got a feeling that once Werdum takes this fight to the clinch or to the ground, it’s going to be game, set and match. Hunt may be the sport’s heaviest hitter, but the other facets of his game haven’t really evolved. That doesn’t mean though that he’s easy to put down. His 72.9% takedown defense is very credible but Werdum is the best grappler in the weight class.

A lot of fight experts are picking Werdum to win by submission late in the fight, although most of them also agree that Hunt does have the puncher’s chance and may be just as dangerous as Cain Velasquez in the striking game.

Cleveland Cavaliers back-up point guard Matthew Dellavedova has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL and will miss up to six weeks.

Thin Backcourt

The 6-4 Aussie missed the Cavs last two games after injuring his left knee in the fourth quarter of their blowout loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last Tuesday. According to team officials, the earliest possible time Dellavedova could return will be in four weeks.

While Dellavedova won’t play significant minutes at the point with Kyrie Irving playing ahead of him, his absence will mean that guard Dion Waiters will have to handle the ball more often. During the Cavaliers’ game against the Denver Nuggets last Friday, it was LeBron James who shared the play-making chores with Irving. King James dished out a season-high 11 assists to lead the Cavs to a 110-101 win.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the NBA’s most talent laden rosters, but they have a relatively thin backcourt with Irving and Waiters as the only notable personalities. Aside from Dellavedova, their reserve guards are 2014 second round draftee Joe Harris and undrafted Will Cherry of Montana.

Early Season Woes

The Cavaliers are off to a rough start in the 2nd LeBron James era with their 2-3 record. One of their major weaknesses is sharing the ball. The team is 2nd to the last in the league in assists with its 17.8 assists per game total. They only had a total of six assists during their 100-102 loss to the Utah Jazz on November 5th. Irving had zero assists in that game and is averaging just 4.2 assists per game. Waiters on the other hand, has been struggling with just 1.0 assist per game.

With Waiters suffering a bruised lower back after Friday’s game against the Nuggets, Dellavedova’s absence will surely be felt by the Cavs in the next month.

Solid Back Up Player

Dellavedova had a solid rookie season in 2013-14, backing up Irving by averaging 4.7 points and 2.6 assists per game. He also managed to connect on one three point basket per game at .368 accuracy. Aside from the stats, he also brought intangibles to the Cavaliers. Other than Anderson Vaerjao, he was the other energy spark of the team and the one that brought life to their unproductive bench.

Dellavedova is also one of the team’s best on-ball defenders. And with the Cavs struggling as the 21st ranked defensive team in the NBA, his presence will be missed especially when they play teams with star point guards like Boston, Washington, San Antonio and Toronto later this month.

There is no doubt that Mauricio Rua is one of the best mixed martial artists of all-time. The former Pride Middleweight and UFC Light Heavyweight champion, nicknamed “Shogun”, has defeated three Hall-of-Famers in Forrest Griffin, Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell in his illustrious career. But after a knockout loss to Dan Henderson last March 23rd, Shogun entered the Octagon on Saturday looking to answer questions about his longevity. After the fight, he is left searching for answers instead.

Opportunity of a Lifetime

Rua suffered his second straight knockout loss this year when he was stopped very early in the first round by replacement opponent Ovince St. Preux during their main event bout at UFC Fight Night 56 in Uberlandia, Brazil. It was supposed to be a homecoming for the 32-year old Rua but instead, St. Preux grabbed what he called “an opportunity of a lifetime” and turned it to the greatest performance of his career.

St. Preux was supposed to fight in that event’s co-main event against Francimar Barroso. But when Rua’s original opponent Jimi Manuwa was injured, the St. Preux-Barroso match was cancelled and St. Preux was promoted to the main event. Before the fight, St. Preux said that in order for him to become a legend, he must beat a legend. And he did that impressively, in just 34 seconds.

A Fallen Hero

The Brazilian crowd was stunned and silenced as St. Preux unleashed unanswered left hands to finish off the fallen Rua who was helpless in a seated position at the fence. Before that sequence, St. Preux dropped Shogun with a short counter left hook after Rua tried to land his patented right overhand. Rua was out and it was only referee Mario Yamasaki’s stoppage that prevented further damage.

Rua has now lost four out of his last five bouts, three by stoppage. Since losing the UFC light heavyweight title to Jon Jones in 2011, Rua is just 3-5. The 32-year old Brazilian’s durability has been questioned in the last couple of years as the wear and tear of a long MMA career looks like it’s taken its toll on one of Brazil’s favorite heroes.

Not the Time to Retire

Rua refused to call it a career after the fight, saying that he is still happy to be fighting and the UFC is happy to have him in its roster, referring to his new eight fight contract with Zuffa. But after the loss to St. Preux, Rua is sure to drop out of the top ten rankings and may be too far in rank to fight for the title once again. The UFC’s light heavyweight division is stacked with a lot of younger talent like Alexander Gustaffson, Daniel Cormier, Anthony Johnson and champion Jon Jones.  Rua has already lost to Jones and Gustaffson in the past while it doesn’t seem like he will be able to match up against the heftier Cormier and Rumble Johnson. With these in mind, Rua heads home to rest and begin his search for answers.

Luke Rockhold didn’t finish Michael Bisping in the first round, but finished the fight in spectacular fashion.

Looking For the Early Kill

With all the animosity between him and Michael Bisping, #5 ranked UFC middleweight and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold promised to put #9 contender Michael Bisping away in the first round of their main event battle at UFC Fight Night 55 at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Rockhold came 57 seconds short of his promise on Friday night as he submitted Michael Bisping in the opening minute of round number two via a one-handed guillotine choke. Nevertheless, Rockhold’s victory was decisive and it could lead him to a title shot against the undefeated Chris Weidman next year.

Didn’t Give Bisping Rhythm

Bisping, who came to the bout as a  4-1 underdog, never really got his rhythm going in this fight. The taller, bigger and much rangier Rockhold stalked him from a distance in the opening round. Bisping tried to apply his trademark work output, but Rockhold effectively kept Bisping off his game by landing powerful body kicks each time the Briton tried to close the distance. Rockhold was patient, but he got more confident as the fight went on.

Rockhold never showed any respect for Bisping’s power as he kept walking right through his opponent’s punches throughout the bout. The steady diet of body kicks would later set up the high leg kick to the head in the opening minute of round two. The kick rocked Bisping and dropped him back stunned. Rockhold followed Bisping to the ground and almost knocked him out with a vicious left hand but Bisping was able to recover. As he tried to grab Rockhold, he left his neck wide open for the choke. Rockhold recognized the opening and rolled him to a guillotine before taking full mount and eventually forcing Bisping to tap out.

Settled Their Differences

Rockhold helped Bisping back to his feet after the stoppage. Both men showed tremendous respect for each other despite all the trash talk that preluded the fight. That trash talk continued early in the fight after Rockhold cut Bisping’s left eye with an accidental head butt. Bisping protested to referee Herb Dean but Rockhold motioned him to fight on. When the two fighters were returned to the original lock position after the injury break, neither would give away an inch of position.

The fight was pretty even in the first round, with Rockhold doing the significant damage. But he started the second round like a man on a mission and put Bisping away very quickly.

With the title shot closing in, Rockhold called out #4 Jacare Souza whom he beat by unanimous decision in 2011. UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman fights Vitor Belfort in February 2015. If the Rockhold-Souza fight can be made, the winner should be the next in line for Weidman’s belt.

Invicta FC world featherweight champion Cristiane Justiano (aka, Cyborg) has suffered a serious ankle injury that will postpone her highly anticipated return and drop to 135 pounds.

Out of Invicta FC 10

Invicta officials said on Saturday that Justiano suffered a torn anterior talofibular ligament in her left ankle and that she will no longer be headlining the December 5 Invicta FC 10 event in Houston, Texas as originally announced. Instead, an atom weight title bout between Michelle Waterson and Herica Tiburcio will be the new main event. The statement by Invicta FC did not say whether Justiano’s injury will require surgery, but it said that since the injury is serious, it would require “significant recovery time.”

Justiano has not fought in MMA since becoming the inaugural Invicta FC featherweight champion by knocking out Marloes Coenen in their July 2013 rematch. She has since returned to Muay Thai fighting and competed in the first ever Lion Fight welterweight championship last March where she lost a five round decision to Jorina Baars.

Eyeing a Rousey Bout

Cyborg Justiano has been dubbed as the one fighter who could challenge UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in the Octagon. But since Justiano has been fighting in featherweight since retiring MMA legend Gina Carano in 2009, there was a call for her to 135 pounds in her comeback fight to have the shot to challenge Rousey.

Knowing that Ronda Rousey is the new face of women’s MMA much like Carano was in 2009, Justiano heeded that call and signed to fight again on December 5 against an unnamed opponent. Although no formal negotiations with Zuffa have been made, Justiano was eyeing a 2015 bout against Rousey if Ronda beats Cat Zingano at UFC 184 and if Cyborg won the supposed 135 pound bout on December 5.

A Real threat

Justiano is ranked by most MMA experts as the #2 pound for pound female fighter today behind Ronda Rousey. The 29 year old Brazilian is also considered as the best female featherweight fighter in the sport and is a former two time World Brazilian Jiu-Jistu gold medalist in the 74 kg category. Cyborg became famous after she knocked out MMA pioneer Gina Carano in one round during the first Strikeforce featherweight title bout. Carano retired after the loss to pursue a movie career.

Ronda Rousey has been the most dominant women’s MMA fighter in the last three years. She has taken the UFC by storm with her incredible submission skills and bad ass personality. Rousey is undefeated in 10 bouts and has submitted 8 opponents and knocked out the other two. She is scheduled to fight number one contender Cat Zingano at UFC 184 on February 25, 2015. If she goes on to beat Zingano, the only real threat left is Cristiane “Cyborg” Justiano who is not even in the UFC’s line-up.

If that fight can be made by Zuffa, it looks like it will have to wait much longer with Justiano’s injury.

WBC #1 Super Middleweight George Groves has been added to the November 22nd fight card that will feature the cruiserweight rematch of Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.

Groves  (20-2 with 15 knockouts) will fight American Denis Douglin (17-3 with 10 knockouts)  in a 12-round super middleweight feature in a stacked fight card that will also showcase top British boxers like Jamie McDonnell, Callum Smith and James De Geale.

Reaching World Class Status

2014 has been a breakthrough year for George Groves. After giving IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch everything he could handle during their first encounter in 2013, Groves earned a highly anticipated rematch against the Nottingham Sheriff last May. The rematch was fought in front of a record 80,000 paying fans at Wembley Stadium and although Groves lost that bout via 8th round knockout, he proved that he is more than just a domestic star in Britain.

Groves quickly rebounded from his back to back losses to Carl Froch by taking a September fight against Christopher Rebrasse for the EBU and WBC Silver super middleweight title. He beat Rebrasse via unanimous decision to become the number one contender for Dirrell’s belt and reach world class status.

Momma’s Boy

Douglin knows that he has a “big opportunity” at hand against Groves. He acknowledges Groves as a “great boxer and a tough fight” but he says that he is “ready for an upset” in Groves’ home soil. He has won three straight bouts after back to back losses that started with a 5th round KO loss against undefeated top light middleweight prospect Jermell Charlo. Douglin is known in the boxing community as “Momma’s boy” because he is trained by his mother. But on November 22nd, he is aiming to step out of his mother’s shadow.

Risking a Title Shot

Groves will be taking a considerable risk in fighting American Denis Douglin  because he earned a mandatory title shot at WBC belt holder Anthony Dirrell after winning the European title by defeating Christopher Rebrasse via unanimous decision last September 20th.

Groves is a -8000 favorite to beat Douglin, but the pressure will be on him to win or lose his title shot. Douglin is not a top tier fighter with the odds stacked against him at +1600, but his punching power will give Groves troubles. The 26-year old American from Marlboro, New Jersey is a much heavier hitter than Rebrasse and if Groves was hurt during the Rebrasse fight, he could be in a tough fight against an underdog like Douglin who has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Chicago Bulls superstar point guard Derrick Rose sat out his team’s Saturday night game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with yet another injury.

Spraining Both Ankles

The 2011 NBA season MVP sprained both his ankles during his team’s 108-114 OT loss to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers last Friday. Rose rolled his left ankle when he landed on the back of Kyrie Irving’s left foot with four minutes left in the second quarter of the game. Rose Also tweaked his right ankle during that game but it wasn’t as serious. Rose continued playing in the game, but went to the locker room during the fourth quarter and didn’t finish the game.

Despite the loss to the Cavs, Rose was in high spirits when he exited the locker room as X-rays taken after the game were negative and his ankles had little swelling.

Scratched From Line-up

But on Saturday night, the Bulls made several line-up changes before the ballgame started. Rose was listed as a starter 30 minutes before the game. Fifteen minutes later, they changed his status to active but coming off the bench. Then a couple minutes before opening tip-off, they totally scratched him from the game’s line-up.

While this may be seen as another red flag in Rose’s brittle health, the decision to sit out Saturday’s game was seen as precautionary. Rose said that if he was really needed in that game, he could have played. But it was just the third game of the season and they were playing against the Minnesota Timberwolves so playing last Saturday was secondary to his health.

Return to Contention

Rose is the man who has been tasked to put the Chicago Bulls to where Michael Jordan six times took them and he has resembled every bit of a savior when he has been healthy.  But he has played just a total of 10 games in the previous two seasons after suffering two severe knee injuries. His return to basketball action in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was a sigh of relief from the Bulls who have been aching to get back into title contention with their MVP and team leader.

The Bulls made one of the biggest makeovers in the offseason, bringing in Pau Gasol and Aaron Brooks from free agency, signing international star Nikola Mirotic and the drafting rookie Doug McDermott. The return of Rose was to complete this formidable team which has been cast to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.

Rose is the Key

The Bulls narrowly beat the Wolves 106-105 last Saturday to improve to 2-1 in the season. Pau Gasol has averaged 18.5 points and 8.7 rebounds in the first three games, while Aaron Brooks has also averaged in double digits with 13.3 points per contest. Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy and Kirk Hinrich make the Bulls a very solid playoff team, even without Derrick Rose. But remember they faltered without their MVP in last year’s playoffs.

Rose and Coach Tom Thibodeau feel that this latest injury is just minor and Rose will be back as early as their next game. But expect more scenarios like this to happen as the season progresses, as the Bulls have made it clear that they will make Rose’s health their top priority. GM Gar Foreman said in the offseason that the front office will rest Rose if he “doesn’t feel right”. Saturday was a clear example of that. And although the Bulls are okay with that arrangement, issues on cohesion and continuity will soon arise if Rose is “in and out” of their line-up. It’a tough balancing act for Coach Thibs, but it’s something that he and the team will have to live with if they want Rose to be there with them come playoff time.