Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is reporting that Luol Deng has a torn wrist ligament and is going to be out for (and I quote) "a while".
Bulls fans: hope that "a while" does not mean a long time and that Deng can avoid season-ending surgery. It could be fatal. It's fair to say that Deng is the Bulls' second-best player, behind Derrick Rose. He contributes on both ends in ways that his replacements (rookie Jimmy Butler or one of the Ronnie Brewer/Kyle Korver shooting guard duo) simply can't.
When the Bulls play the Heat, Deng guards either Dwyane Wade or Lebron James. When they play the Lakers, he guards Kobe Bryant. Kevin Durant. Andre Iguodala. Rudy Gay. Paul Pierce. Joe Johnson. See where this is going? He guards the other team's best player, and with his size and length, he usually shuts them down pretty well. He fills the defensive stopper role popularized most recently by Ron Artest and Shawn Marion.
