Chicago Bulls Must Be Careful of Becoming Too Dependent on Derrick Rose Again

Derrick Rose is in an elite class of NBA players who can impose their will on any opposing defense.

He is so gifted that even the most breathtaking things he does come as no surprise to anyone who regularly follows professional basketball.

There’s no question that a player of his caliber should be the one a team builds around, and that’s exactly what the Chicago Bulls have done.

Rose has been the man in Chicago since he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Bulls in 2008.

The NBA championship hopes of the City of Big Shoulders have been carried on his anatomical equivalent, and right now the team seems to be on the cusp of returning to their former championship glory.

The Bulls found themselves in the close-but-not-quite category last year after being ousted in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Rose took that series loss very personally and even publicly blamed himself for the team’s failings.

Now, Rose and the Bulls are back with their sights firmly set on an NBA championship.

The team has shown improved play across the board and look more than capable of making a serious title run.

Their offensive attack has been more balanced, and for the most part, has not required a tremendous effort from Rose. Well, not until recently.

Prior to the January 25th game against the Indiana Pacers, Rose was averaging around 16 field-goal attempts per game; however, in their last four games, he has shooting to the tune of 22.7 attempts.

His free-throw attempts have nearly doubled, jumping from 6.6 attempts per game to an even 11 in the last four contests.

Over that same span, Rose’s assist average has dipped from what used to be around eight per game to five per game.

Now, in games like the ones against the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers, it is understandable for Rose to take the load upon himself and will his team to victory.

When considering the other side of the coin, however, there is no reason for Rose to be on floor for 41 minutes against the likes of the Washington Wizards, especially in the closing minutes all the way down to the buzzer.

While it might seem like the team is trying to continue their winning ways, they also look like they are falling back into the same routine of relying too much on Rose.

Granted, the Bulls have been going through an injury spell, and the absence of Luol Deng has had more of an effect than most would have anticipated, but coach Tom Thibodeau has to get away from this Rose reliance that has been prominent over the last few games.

Chicago has the personnel to win in ways that don’t require Rose to put up 20-plus shots and dominate the ball.

He is already playing with an injury that can flare up at any moment, so it makes little sense to let him go full-throttle, especially against the likes of the Wizards and Bucks.

As for the rest of the team, the complacency they have shown of late is counterproductive to the team’s long-term goals.

It’s easy to sit in awe of Rose’s athletic creativity, but it does very little for team growth to sit and wait for him to do something as opposed to helping create something for themselves or another teammate.

Old habits die hard, and the Bulls seem like they haven’t quite kicked their D-Rose habit.

These are the kind of relapses that can cost this good team dearly in the postseason.

If they find themselves in an elimination game against the likes of the Miami Heat, they can write off pulling out a win.

During this chaotic stretch of playing without key players, the focus should be on figuring out how to adjust as a team and not resorting to the same style that has already proven to be ineffective in the postseason.

The Bulls' championship hopes are more dependent on the team being able to execute as a unit and not Rose being able to do what he already does on nightly basis.