Rose can add to Chicago’s ‘thorns’ in the playoffs
Entering the pre-season many predicted the Bulls would have an underwhelming start, with a late surge for the play-offs upon Derrick Rose’s return. However, Chicago have proven the naysayers wrong, with an exquisite and superbly drilled defense, accompanied by the stepping up of Britain’s Luol Deng on the offensive end of the floor. Head Coach Tom Thibodeau has led the Bulls to a 30-20 record, placing them 4th in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago have proven they can win without the former MVP Rose, however, his return to the starting line-up certainly propels the Bulls into the championship contender discussion.
A number of issues affected the Bulls squad last season despite them attaining the league’s best record. These problems included an over-reliance on Rose to close out games and the lack of another top-level scoring option. This has been laid to bed this season with the increased scoring production from Deng and the emergence of a clutch scorer in Jimmy Butler. Chicago have amended the issues that plagued them last season.
Miami beat Chicago two years ago in the Eastern Conference Finals, however, this was an extremely close contest which was decided by two last second shots. This isn’t the same team that lost two years ago. Rose was the only player on that squad able to create his own shot, leading to Miami trapping and shutting down Rose’s play, effectively halting much of the Bull’s offensive production. The addition of Bellinelli, Robinson and Hamilton means Chicago will not suffer from similar problems in the upcoming play-offs.
Furthermore, in that play-off series with the Heat, Rose seemed fatigued, his body struggled to keep up with the gruelling NBA schedule and as such he struggled with his jumpshot, particularly from three-point range. A sprained ankle didn’t help his case. This season D-Rose will not be as physically broken down, Rose may begin to hit his stride whilst other superstars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade are slowing down courtesy of a rigourous 82 games.
Another aspect Rose brings to the Bulls which is so vital in the play-offs is that he can hit big shots in key games. In fact, Rose has made more game winning shots than anyone in the NBA since 2010 apart from Kevin Durant. A quality which is vital to winning championships.
Chicago’s championship hopes rests on how well Rose performs once he returns from injury, and also how quickly he rediscovers his MVP calibre style play. If Rose plays anywhere close to the level we were accustomed to witnessing last season, then this Chicago side is primed for a deep play-off run.
