The Chicago Bulls have won three games in a row at an extremely crucial time in the season. Chicago currently holds the eighth place in the Eastern Conference, but that is far from safe as the Detroit Pistons are right on the Bulls' heels with less than a month left in the season.
The Bulls are in this position now partly because they dealt with injuries to key players. Jimmy Butler missed some time with a knee injury but has been back for the last five games. Pau Gasol missed four games with a knee injury of his own before returning in Monday night's win over the Kings.
While Gasol was able to get back on the court, the outlook for him still isn't as great as Bulls fans would have hoped. The 35-year-old center admitted that his knee will probably not be 100 percent for the rest of the year. Gasol had pain in his knee for quite some time that he tried to play through, but the swelling got to the point that he had to take some time off. Gasol plans to play through the injury for the rest of the season and is hopeful he won't make it worse.
In his return on Monday night the seven-footer played just 25 minutes, and it seems like that will be his limit for the next couple of games. The good news is that Gasol made the absolute most of those 25 minutes scoring 14 points, grabbing 14 boards and blocking three shots. The 15-year veteran is having another great year for the Bulls as he is averaging 17 points, 11.2 rebounds and two blocks per game and the Bulls need him on the floor if they want to make the playoffs.
Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls will have to be smart with Gasol for the rest of the season but it's a delicate balance because their season is on the line and he is one of their best and most important players. Unfortunately at his advanced age Gasol won't heal as quickly and will likely have to play with more bumps and bruises than he is used to. As long as the Bulls manage the knee and he remains as productive as he was in his first game back he, and the team, should be fine in the long run.
