Chicago Bulls Open Second Half With Win Over New Orleans Hornets

The Chicago Bulls came out of the All-Star break looking to get a solid showing against the New Orleans Hornets on the road. Chicago got a double-double out of Joakim Noah during a 96-87 win to move to 31-22 on the season. New Orleans fell to 19-35 with the loss. The Bulls have to keep proving that they can win without Derrick Rose because no one knows when he will return. If I’m the Bulls, though, the window is closing quickly and Rose needs to come back very soon.

There is only so much the current players can do without Rose on the court. While Nate Robinson and Kirk Hinrich have been very solid this season, Chicago needs Rose back to make any kind of playoff run. Noah was exceptional for the Bulls on this night and basically carried the team on his back while being one of three Chicago players in double digits. The good times continue to go on for Chicago in that aspect at least.

The Hornets, on the other hand, had to be hoping for more out of their young stars and while Anthony Davis did get into double figures, New Orleans is a team that needs to be working towards next season at this point. Things aren’t going to get better for the Hornets this year.

Chicago needs to hope that Rose returns before the end of the regular season though because I really think the team is on the edge in the Eastern Conference without Rose. It has been a season of overachieving for Chicago and for it to continue, the team will need Rose back before too long.

Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.