It has come to that point for NBA fans where it seems already normal to hear news each week that Derrick Rose has hurt some part of his leg. Be it an ankle, hamstring, or a knee injury, the 2011 NBA MVP has had it all. Over the last two seasons, Rose has probably logged in more minutes in the operating room than on the hardcourt.
Suffice it to say, Rose just can’t catch a break. And yet, on go the Bulls, who are 8-3 going into their meeting with the Sacramento Kings tonight (read our preview of that game here). And while Rose’s team mates have looked unnerved at times by his struggles to stay on the court, they also seem to have moved past it. To put it bluntly: the Bulls look like championship contenders with or without Rose.
[sc:NBAArticles ]
Derrick Rose’s Health and the Chicago Bulls
The idea that the Bulls can contend even without Rose began to float last season when he played just 10 games because of another knee injury that cost him the rest of the season. The Bulls could have tanked afterwards. But they did not. Instead, the Bulls dug deep and fought their way into the playoffs, finishing the regular season fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 48-34 record despite scoring the fewest points in the league.
[sc:NBA240banner ]This season, on the other hand, began with Rose back in the Bulls’ lineup but has since then missed six games because of ankle and hamstring injuries. But just like last season, the Bulls generally looked stable, if not fine, without Rose. In six games without the star point guard, the Bulls were able to come up with a winning 4-2 record. Of those six games, none was more meaningful and more encouraging for the Bulls than their 105-89 demolition of the Los Angeles Clippers, a bonafide championship contender.
With all the said, the question remains: can the Bulls still be considered a championship contender without Rose? Yes and here are three reasons why:
Depth
Ever since Rose suffered that devastating knee injury in 2012, GM Gas Forman has always been under immense pressure to make the right move for the team. Forman can’t afford to wait for Rose to be fully healthy because no one exactly knows if that day will ever come. He had to make critical personnel decisions, one of which was amnestying Carlos Boozer.
By letting Boozer go, Forman was able to make enough cap room to sign Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, and Aaron Brooks, three players that improve the Bulls’ starting unit and bench. In Gasol and Joakim Noah, the Bulls have one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. Gasol is averaging 18.6 PPG and 10.6 RPG, while Noah puts up 8.2 PPG and 10.2 RPG. Noah had a slow start but is beginning to heat up, posting 10.0 PPG and 10.6 RPG over the last five games.
Mirotic is a solid backup to Gasol and Taj Gibson. Against the Clippers, Mirotic scored 12 points and seven rebounds in just 18 minutes of action. Brooks, meanwhile, was signed to shore up the backcourt depth and to serve as insurance in case someone is injured. He is averaging 10.4 PPG and 3.4 APG.
Tom Thibodeau
Thibodeau is a no-nonsense coach. For someone other than Thibodeau, the Bulls may have laid down their arms last season after Rose’s injury and went the way of the Philadelphia 76ers, embarrassing themselves on a nightly basis for the sake of increasing their chances for a top pick in the draft. As long as Thibs is handling the team, expect a competitive Bulls team regardless of who is on the floor.
Offense
Overall, the Bulls are now less dependent on Rose as far as scoring and playmaking are concerned. Hinrich and Brooks are capable of running the offense, while Jimmy Butler, Mirotic, Gasol and Noah give the Bulls the ability to make buckets either from the perimeter or from the post. In fact, the Bulls are sixth in offensive efficiency (106.8 points per 100 possessions) and 12th in scoring (102.5 PPG) in the NBA this season.This compared to a team that was 27th last season in offensive efficiency (99.7) and scored just 93.4 PPG.
Furthermore, the Bulls have fared better on offense this season with Rose in street clothes than in uniform. Chicago scored 101.8 PPG in five games that Rose played. In the other six games in which Rose was absent, the Bulls averaged 103.0 PPG.
Rose is a game-time decision for the Bulls against Sacramento tonight. Whether he plays or not may have less and less to do with whether the Bulls compete in this game and beyond than people think.
