Larry Hughes is injured; everyone is happy

Saturday posts are rare here, but I had half this post written yesterday and couldn't find time to finish it. Consider it the replacement for the Bears column.

Larry Hughes, surrounded by two strippers, wearing a shirt that says "I heart strippers".

We’re all about the NBA on TTCS these days. After my Eastern Conference preview, in which I had the Bulls ticketed for the eighth seed, Matt and Scott followed with ten reasons why the Bulls will/won’t make the playoffs. Scott’s list ran today- he argued for the Bulls- but I’ve got to disagree with one little thing. Number eight should have been waaaay higher.

8. Larry Hughes is out 6-8 weeks

I'm just kidding, but not really...

Larry Hughes is garbage. I think everyone already realizes this, but it was good to see the world's brightest Bulls fan, Kelly Dwyer, roast him recently. From Dwyer's Bulls preview on Ball Don't Lie (which, along with Blog-a-Bull and Free Darko, you basketball fans should be reading every day):

No team can be expected to compete in the NBA with Larry Hughes (shooting 9 of 31 in the preseason, 29 percent) playing any more than two or three minutes per game. I mean that. He’s toast.

Toast, indeed. But with Ben Gordon (more on him in a second) injured the entire preseason, Hughes seemed poised to grab some big minutes early this season.

Not anymore. Hughes is gone, though no one is sure for how long yet. It doesn't matter, Hughes' injury is still a good thing. At this point, I think even the Bulls realize it. Take the quotes from Friday's Trib, for example.

Hughes sez:

"It's kind of a weird thing that the MRI looked as good as it did," Hughes said. "It's shocking to our doctors, what's really going on or why nothing's really showing up."

VDN will have none of it.

"He had a lot of pain and definitely hurt himself pretty bad," Del Negro said. "I feel bad for Larry. He has worked really hard and hasn't missed any practices.

So basically...

Doctors: Hughes tweaked his shoulder, it looks like he'll have a sit a couple games.

Bulls' officials: This is our chance! Tell him he's out two months!

Without Hughes, Hinrich is set to start at two-guard, or at least keep the spot warm until Gordon is ready to go.

You'll probably be surprised to learn that I'm actually on the Gordon bandwagon now. I've blasted him ad nausea, both here and around the Web, so pulling a 100 percent flip-flop was no easy decision. You can blame the always persuasive Blog-a-Bull for that, but, more accurately, Derrick Rose. He just changes everything.

The thing about great point guards is that they can get anywhere on the floor. When you have one, you need shooters. Look at New Orleans (Peja), Utah (last season's trade for Korver), or the revolving door of dudes who have surrounded Nash in Phoenix (Bell, House, ect.). While Hinrich can shoot the rock a little, Gordon is one of the league's premier snipers. His ability to space the floor will be a huge boost for Rose.

Even with Rose- who I think we can universally agree is already the team's best player- Gordon remains the Bulls' best scorer. This is a team that need offense, and it will happen if Gordon is on the floor. Sure, you're losing something defensively playing him or Kirk, but not as much as you may think.

Gordon is bad defender. Hinrich is well above average. But when it comes to defending two's...Kirk is nothing special. He can hold him own against fellow points- and remember, Kirk Hinrich is no combo guard- but shooting guards have long owned him (with the possible head-scratching exception of D-Wade). I distinctly remember a game early last year against the Clippers, when Skiles trotted out the always ferocious Duhon-Hinrich starting backcourt, It ended with Cat Mobley scoring like 30 against Kirk on something like 75 percent shooting. Hinrich just gives up too much size for his sizable grittiness to translate from defending points to defending two's.

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Phillips at work on Friday:

"How badly do the Bulls want to beat Skiles? 35 points in the first quarter!"

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Did anyone else see the pregame hug between Skiles and Noce? It was the happiest I've ever seen a former coach greet a former player, and vice versa. The Bulls kicked ass in their final preseason game tonight, let's hope that translate when these team play Tuesday.