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President Obama not skipping steps

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Dec 12

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So is Tom Thibodeau President Obama’s favorite coach?

The president didn’t quite go that far in comments Friday morning on the ESPN Colin Cowherd radio show, but the president offered his support for the Bulls over the Cavaliers this season because of Thibodeau and what the president said was a tough group of players.

“He’s got my vote,” Thibodeau laughed before Friday’s game with the Portland Trailblazers when asked about the president’s comments.

Thibodeau said he hadn’t heard them, which was not unexpected as with an early, 6 p.m. start for ESPN it’s unlikely Thibodeau had time to sleep last night given preparation for the team that has dominated the Bulls like no other.

The Trailblazers came in with seven straight wins over the Bulls, the longest current streak of any team over the Bulls, and 10-0 this season over Eastern Conference teams.

Told about the president’s comments, Thibodeau said: “I’m just worried about tonight.”

Thibodeau didn’t remind the president about not skipping steps, but he probably could have.

“We know he’s a big fan,” Thibodeau said, obviously pleased with the comments. “We have a lot of respect for all he has done and we certainly appreciate his support. It’s great for our team and I know he supports all the teams in Chicago. So we appreciate it.

“I don’t know if I’m tough,” Thibodeau added about the president saying that was one attribute which gave him confidence in the Bulls. “We just understand how much he supports us and it’s greatly appreciated.”

President Obama was appearing on the morning radio show, which is on ESPN-1000 in Chicago from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., to promote the healthcare.gov website for signing up for the Affordable Care Act. The president has done appearances on stations that attract young people, many of whom previously have had difficulty getting health insurance.

In talking about whether he has time to watch games, the president said he doesn’t have time to view compete games, but then quipped: “This year the Bears haven’t given me that much reason to watch the games.”

Then the president added, “The Bulls I’m feeling more optimistic about.”

Cowherd then asked about the Bulls and Cavs, the presumptive favorites in the Eastern Conference, and the president came down on the side of the Bulls over the Cavaliers.

“The Cavs are starting to gel,” the president said. “I just like Thibodeau as a coach; the guy’s tough. They play hard. (Joakim) Noah’s a fighter. If (Derrick) Rose, even if he doesn’t come back to MVP level, if he’s playing at an All-Star level I think the Bulls can beat the beat the Cavs this year.

“Remember what happened in Miami when LeBron (James) went down there the first time (in 2010-11),” the president reminded. “There’s something to be said for team chemistry. You look at San Antonio and how they’ve performed. Part of that is just (Gregg) Popovich, (Tim) Duncan, (Tony) Parker, (Manu) Ginobili. They know each other and the system and they trust it and people are selfless. And it takes time to develop that kind of chemistry.”

Thus in true, old time Chicago tradition Thibodeau did indicate he intends to vote for Obama for a third term.

Thibodeau also confirmed Noah and Doug McDermott were out, Noah with his sprained ankle and McDermott with his mysterious knee problem.

“He’s going to be reexamined tonight,” Thibodeau said about the McDermott injury that was initially considered minor though he’s now missed a fifth game. “We’ll have more information after Dr. (Brian) Cole visits with him. We’re not even sure how it happened. It hasn’t responded well. So we’ll see what Dr. Cole has to say.

As for Noah, Thibodeau went on: “He said the knee feels a lot better. That rehab has taken a long time and he’s really worked at it. The ankle is the concern. Hopefully, it comes around. He said he was feeling a little better today. We know how important he is to the team.”

Though the Trailblazers have had success against the Bulls, Portland coach Terry Stotts said before the game this was a different Bulls team because of its offense. The Bulls came in 10th in the league in scoring, ahead of Portland in both shooting percentage and points per game.

“Their offense has made a big jump this year,” noted Stotts. “It’s not a typical Chicago team. They’re very talented offensively and they’re always tough defensively.”

As for Rose, Stotts added: “Physically he looks…as good as he ever did. I think he’s explosive. The one thing I think–it seems to me and this is from someone who doesn’t get to see him a lot–he’s more measured in his game as far as when to attack the basket and when to shoot threes. He’s not looking to attack all the time like when he was a younger player. But physically he looks as good as ever.”

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