The Chicago Bulls have been shocking the world for the past few years. Even with the injuries of Derrick Rose, which cost him almost two years of his career so far, the Bulls have still been contending at a high level in the NBA. The Bulls captured the number four seed this season in the NBA, and were only one win away from being the three seed. Many make the claim that the Bulls only were successful because they were in a weaker East Conference, but the Bulls not only won against a handful of Western Conference teams, but they even blew out some of those teams in the regular season such as the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors.
But when it came playoff time, the Bulls just weren’t ready to step up to that next level without their All-Star point guard, Derrick Rose. The Chicago was able to succeed in the regular season because of their strong will and intensified defense, but the thing about the playoffs is that defense is something that everyone steps us, so that’s why you need offense; which is something Chicago does not have without Derrick Rose. The Bulls were ranked dead last in offense in the 2013/2014 season, ESPN says, and so when that increased defensive pressure came in the playoffs this year, they weren’t able to play with that same fire and heart that guided them through the regular season.
Joakim Noah emerged as one of the greatest passing centers the NBA has seen in a while, but even with that, Noah is not a point guard. The offense can’t play through him because that’s simply not the role of a center, and it never should be. Passing from the post is not the type of offense that’ll get you through the playoffs, with how tight defense is. And Joakim Noah did that a lot.
The Bulls need Rose to return to facilitate the offense. They need his playmaking, and definitely his scoring, but that’s the problem.
The Bulls depend on just one person to handle most of the scoring, and that is why Derrick Rose won’t be healthy for much longer if he has to return once again with so much of the team’s load on his back. That’s why the Bulls number one priority should be to attain some scorers.
The Bulls have reportedly been in the hunt for guys at the likes of Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love, and that would be great for not only the Bulls, but Derrick Rose. It would take so much of the scoring pressure off of him, and it’d help him not have to force himself to try and get to the level where he was in 2011, when he won the NBA MVP award. It would give him time to slowly get his game back, instead of rushing it to keep the Bulls up and running, then end up getting injured again.
With a healthy Rose, the Bulls can return to being even bigger contenders than they were when Derrick Rose was the best point guard in the league, due to the much improved game of Joakim Noah. Many people are already counting out Rose to fall to his third injury and become a bust in the NBA, but if the Bulls make the right moves this offseason, than the chances of that are very slim. The free agent market this offseason is looking too great for the Bulls to pass out on, so let’s just hope the front office has the same mindset as well so Chicago can add a seventh trophy next to the other six that are beginning to gather dust since 1998.
