Report Card

Well, the NBA has made it to the All-Star break, and, wouldn’t you know it, the Bulls qualify as a mild surprise with their 16-18 record. As much as it pains me to note this, the Tom Thibodeau-led Knicks rate as an even bigger surprise at 19-18. The Bulls won 22 games last season to the Knicks’ 21. I can tell you most of the Bulls’ roster but have no idea who Thibodeau is running out onto the court, though I’m sure the New York media is making all sorts of Willis Reed and Walt Frazier comparisons by now. Dr. Naismith would’ve invented the game in the Big Apple, if he had it to all over, no doubt. Off of what I’ve seen so far, I’ll take Billy Donovan, the current Bulls’ head coach, to ex-coach Thibodeau. Donovan can speak full sentences in the active voice; treats his players with respect, which must be hard considering he inherited nearly all of them; and has avoided playing Thibodeau-like mind games with the front office. A word to the wise, if there are any among Knicks’ fans: Your coach treats every regular-season contest like it’s a postseason game seven. That might work in February and March but May, not so much. Fingers crossed for a Chicago-New York matchup somewhere down the line.