CHICAGO - Given that the Chicago Bulls had key players coming back from injuries and newcomers trying to fit in, Joakim Noah figured there would be some difficult stretches.The Bulls are in one at the moment.The Central division leaders have dropped three of four after winning 13 of 15 heading into Wednesdays game against John Wall and the Washington Wizards.This is our story, Noah said. This is the journey. In the season, theres always going to be ups and downs. When theres adversity, people (are going to show) their true colours. Thats the way it is. And were going through something right now. We got to stick together and make it work.The injuries, the new guys — we can make excuses, but this is who we are, he continued. Its not going to change. So its on us to fix it or its not going to work.For the most part, it has worked quite well for the Bulls.At 26-13, they are one of the favourites in the Eastern Conference even though Rose is still working his way back after two season-ending knee injuries and Noah is still adjusting after off-season surgery on his left knee. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has also been slowed by a right ankle injury.That has not stopped the Bulls from dominating at times. The emergence of Jimmy Butler along with the addition of Pau Gasol gives Chicago one of the leagues deepest rotations.Even so, there are issues.The Bulls have allowed 100 or more points 18 times this season and are giving up just over 99 per game, after allowing a league-low 91.8 a year ago. They have also dropped seven games against teams with sub-.500 records, with five of those losses coming at home.Two were to Utah and Orlando during this 1-3 stretch.They also have shown times where theyve played great defence, coach Tom Thibodeau said Tuesday. So its in them.They did not show it against Orlando on Monday. The Bulls fell 121-114, with the Magic setting season highs for points and shooting (59 per cent) while snapping a six-game losing streak, and Thibodeau lit into the team afterward.Part of the problem is Noah still seems to be limited. He does not look as agile as he did last season and, at least on the surface, it appears he and Gasol have not quite meshed on the court the way the Bulls envisioned.There is more to it, though.You also have to ask whats happening with the ball? Thibodeau said. Its not just them. Its are we doing the proper things to direct the ball where it should go? Are the smalls coming at the bigs with speed? If we do go to help are we getting the proper support behind the ball?Thibodeau has trimmed Noahs minutes from 35.3 per game last season to 31. His rebounding is down from an average 11.3 to 9.6. But Thibodeau sees that knack for cleaning up on the glass returning and believes his game will be there at some point.Noah, meanwhile, wasnt about to make any excuses. He wasnt really interested in talking about the knee.Asked if he has been experiencing ups and downs with it, he answered no. Has there been a steady progression physically? Yes, he said.Ive just got to keep working, keep getting after it, he said. Im feeling better and better so Ive got to keep working. Yeezy Wholesale Authentic . Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres came to an agreement on a big trade that may only offer incremental improvement to the Blues in their quest for a Stanley Cup. Fake Yeezy Boost 350 Womens . 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Rounding out the Top 10 are the Calgary Dinos (7-0), Queens Gaels (7-1), Guelph Gryphons (7-1), Montreal Carabins (5-2), Bishops Gaiters (5-2), McMaster Marauders (5-3), Manitoba Bisons (4-3) and the Saskatchewan Huskies (4-3) Western crushed York 50-10 last Saturday in its league finale to secure first place in the OUA standings and a bye in the first round of the conference playoffs. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Manager Joe Girardi will have an extra day to contemplate ways to ignite the Yankees lineup. New Yorks game Monday night against the Kansas City Royals was postponed about two hours before the scheduled first pitch because of rain. The game will be made up on Aug. 25 at a time to be determined. Now, the Bronx Bombers will take their slingshot offence to Seattle and Oakland to continue what has already been a disappointing trip. The Yankees won the opener against Kansas City 4-2, but then struggled again to score runs in an 8-4 loss on Saturday and a 2-1 defeat Sunday. "The one thing you cant do is you cant necessarily change everything," Girardi said. "You look at what guys have done in the past, you look at what guys are doing this year, and you try to piece together what you feel is the best lineup every day. "Weve struggled the last three or four weeks scoring runs. We know we need to score more," he continued, "but guys are going through a time. You just have to ride it out a little bit." The Yankees, in the bottom half of the league in several offensive categories, have failed to score more than four runs each of their past 10 games, winning just three times in that stretch. "You are usually not as bad as you look when things are going bad," said Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who was 0 for 4 on Sunday. "Its like youre usually not as good as you look when things are going good. But weve got to turn it around." Dazzling import Masahiro Tanaka flew ahead to Seattle in anticipation of starting Tuesday, but Girardi said he plans to push everybody in his rotation back a day. That means left-hander Vidal Nuno will start the opener against the Mariners and Tanaka will pitch Wednesday. Royals manager Ned Yost also plans to slide his rotation back one day.ddddddddddddLeft-hander Jason Vargas will now start the opener of a two-game series Tuesday against Cleveland, with right-hander Yordano Ventura on the mound Wednesday. The Royals are off on Thursday. If theres any team that can commiserate with the Yankees popgun offence, it just may be the Royals, who are in the bottom third of the league in scoring and last in home runs. There have been signs the last couple weeks that Kansas City is starting to come out of its early season funk, though, and that resurgence has roughly coincided with some changes to the coaching staff when the team was in Toronto. Pedro Grifol was removed as the hitting coach and the job given to Dale Sveum, who once helped to tutor Milwaukees young power hitters. "Theyve done a better job with their approach, getting pitches up, putting good swings on them. When you have a team you believe in theres a point where its going to click somewhere," Yost said. "Maybe it clicked in Toronto, I dont know." Since leaving Toronto, the Royals have won five of their last seven games. Twice theyve piled up eight runs, which matched the third-most theyve scored in any game all season. NOTES: The Royals optioned RHP Wilking Rodriguez to Triple-A Omaha and recalled LHP Donnie Joseph, who spent time with the club in April but did not appear in a game. ... Girardi had planned to give CF Jacoby Ellsbury the day off after he reported some soreness in his hip. But the manager expected Ellsbury to play in Seattle. "Were not concerned about it," Girardi said. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira was penciled into the lineup before the rainout. He was held out of the lineup Sunday because of a sore wrist but pinch hit in the ninth inning. ' ' '