By Kurt Kragthorpe

| | Tribune Columnist

Of the Chicago Bulls’ starters, only Carlos Boozer has appeared in every game this season.

While followers of Boozer’s time with the Jazz process that bit of information, I’ll proceed with the story that Scott Skiles absolutely would not write for me.

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At a glance

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Jazzy flavor

Here’s how this season’s statistics for Chicago’s three former Jazz players, who appeared in a combined 800 games in Utah through 2009-10, compare with their career numbers:

2011-12

Player Min FG% Pts Reb

Carlos Boozer 30.2 .528 15.0 8.4

Kyle Korver 23.1 .449 7.8 2.6

Ronnie Brewer 26.7 .423 7.7 3.2

Career

Player Min FG% Pts Reb

Carlos Boozer 32.5 .537 17.2 10.0

Kyle Korver 24.3 .432 9.6 2.8

Ronnie Brewer 25.4 .508 9.3 3.2

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When the Bulls visited Milwaukee last weekend, the Bucks coach thoughtfully considered my suggestion that the depth provided by Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver makes Chicago one of the NBA’s best teams. Skiles absorbed that theory like a guard standing in the lane and taking a charge. "Nothing against any of the other guys over there," he said, referencing the visitors’ locker room, "but Derrick Rose is what distinguishes that team."

Well, yeah, the Bulls do have the league’s reigning MVP, who proceeded to score 16 of the Bulls’ first 18 points that night.

Yet when Chicago routed New Jersey, Rose exited with back spasms after 11 minutes and Boozer, Brewer and Korver teamed for 44 points Monday.

Rose is a transcendent player, but he’s receiving considerable help from the ex-Jazzmen and others. Seven players have led the Bulls in scoring. More remarkably, 11 players have logged 29 or minutes in a game.

"When it’s like that, you feel more a part of the team," Korver said.

That’s not necessarily by design, as injuries have affected the Bulls as much as any team in the league. But even with a road-heavy schedule, they keep winning. Having posted an NBA-best 62-20 record in 2010-11, Chicago (21-6) is ahead of that pace, entering Wednesday’s game at New Orleans. After they complete this nine-game trip Sunday, the Bulls will play 23 of their remaining 36 games at home.

Whether they’re winning because of contributions from so many players or everybody’s just happy because they’re winning, the Bulls’ culture dictates that players accept the minutes and shots they get. "We’ve got a group of good dudes, man," Brewer said. "Everybody from top to bottom are great guys."

The team’s tone is set by Rose, a humble MVP if ever there was one.

"He’s a mega-superstar; it starts with him, the way he carries himself, the way he goes about being respectful to everybody," Boozer said.

Thanks to Rose, Boozer is a complementary player in Chicago, as opposed to being expected to carry the Jazz. He seems to welcome that job description, although he still received considerable criticism for a poor performance in the Eastern Conference finals in May, when a turf-toe injury limited him against Miami.

Boozer’s scoring is inconsistent, but he’s showing up every night after missing about one-third of the games in his six seasons with the Jazz. Korver and Brewer also have played every game. None of the three ever has done so for a full season, although Korver appeared in all 50 remaining games after joining the Jazz during the 2007-08 season.

The Bulls upgraded their roster by signing veteran guard Rip Hamilton, but he’s played only 11 games because of injuries. Since Jan. 30, when the team decided to rest Hamilton indefinitely, Korver has averaged 13.6 points in five games. The Jazz are the NBA’s worst 3-point shooting team (29 percent), so they miss Korver, who’s shooting 44 percent from that range.

When Brewer has replaced Hamilton as a starter, the Bulls are 15-4. In total minutes played, the three former Jazzmen rank among Chicago’s top six players.

"They’ve responded well," coach Tom Thibodeau said of Korver and Brewer. "We have a lot of confidence in our bench. … They’re not here by accident. They bring things that we’re looking for."

Skiles conceded, "Those other guys would be nice additions to any team."

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com