Love expects to play vs. Bulls tonight

Kevin Love participated fully in practice Tuesday and said he expects to play against the Bulls Wednesday night after missing three games because of that groin injury.

"I feel good," he said after practice. "All systems should be a go tomorrow. My body feels good. I've had a bunch of people mention a groin is not something to mess with. I want to make sure that's all good and I'll be able to grind out the rest of the season."

Unless Love's groin muscles tighten up overnight and during the day on Wednesday, he will be face former U.S. World Championship teammate Derrick Rose, the favorite right now to win league MVP.

"I can't say I knew he'd be MVP," Love said. "I knew he'd take that step to the next level. He worked so hard, tremendously hard during the summer. He already was an All Star. He had a taste of it. Last summer, he really made that he wanted to get a jump shot. He worked on it all summer and now he has the confidence. You used to say if he ever had a jump shot, he could be MVP.

"Now he has a jump shot and he's MVP."

Wednesday's game is the middle stop in quite a week: First came Boston Sunday night, now Rose and the Bulls, then LeBron and the Heat on Friday.

Here's a story I did for Wednesday's paper on Bulls rookie coach Tom Thibodeau.

I covered Tom long ago when he was a young assistant on that inaugural Wolves team with head coach Bill Musselman in 1989. Now, he's a favorite -- along with San Antonio's Gregg Popovich and Denver's George Karl -- to the NBA Coach of the Year award.

One other thing spotted at practice Tuesday: J.B. Bickerstaff hobbling out on crutches. He said he broke his foot playing basketball.