Derrick Rose has said he’s a 100 percent. We’ve seen him put down a through-legs-dunk on an eight-foot rim jumping off his left knee no problem. He recently called himself the best player in the NBA. However, we won’t know just how good Derrick Rose is until he’s back on the court and playing on that left leg. The question is, if Derrick Rose comes back as strong as before, will the Bulls return to the second best team in the east? The answer—Yes.
Derrick Rose led the Chicago Bulls to back-to-back #1 seeds in the 2010-2011 season and 2011-2012 season, winning league MVP in the former. Without Rose, the Bulls still finished fifth in the standings last season.
At first glance it appears the Bulls are behind the Nets and Pacers. Both teams made significant upgrades this offseason. The Nets added two Hall of Famers and solidified their bench. The Pacers added some important pieces such as Luis Scola, C.J. Watson and Chris Kopeland—all with the ability to score off the bench. Also, they’ll get scoring small forward Danny Granger back. However, the Bulls made an offseason pick up as well—Derrick Rose.
On their way to the fifth seed the Bulls proved without Rose they could move the ball, find open shots and continue to do the one thing they’re known for—play ridiculous defense. (Of course, moving the ball and finding open shots were pretty much the only things the Bulls could do on offense.) Now, that Derrick Rose is back, the Bulls have more options on offense. They can either use the constant ball movement type offense they used last season. They can also allow Rose to dominate the ball, drive to the basket and either pass or put the ball in for an easy lay-up. Rose also gives them a finisher in transition
The Bulls will continue to be the defensive juggernaut they were last season. However, the return of Derrick Rose fixes their other problem—offense. A strong offense led by an unstoppable point guard, combined with a defense that can shutdown almost any team in the league, will propel the Chicago Bulls back to the second best team in the Eastern Conference.
