Atlanta loses 7 out of 10

The Hawks came back on my radar largely because they got back from the West Coast today. I’m kidding. Sort of. I monitored their three-game swing out there in preparation for today’s matchup with the Bulls. They lost to the Lakers, which became notable only because Vanessa Bryant was there, beat Phoenix, and then (after a two-day break) lost to Portland. They’re still on the road. After this afternoon’s matchup with Chicago, they’ll meet Jeremy Lin and the Knicks on Wednesday before breaking for the All-Star weekend in Orlando. (The best way to handle Jeremy Lin is not to pun at all, which for me is along the lines of being asked not to breathe.) Back to the Bulls. Derrick Rose came back for the Presidents’ Day tilt, and the bad news grew from there. Rose scored 23 as the Bulls won 90-79. The lead was as much as 20 points, but a late Atlanta charge made the score closer than it should have been. More bad news. Joe Johnson left with an injured left...