Chicago Bulls: How Important Is the No. 1 Seed?
After yesterday's ugly and quite perplexing home loss to the lowly New Jersey Nets, the Bulls fell to 25-8 and now trail the Miami Heat for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
In an Eastern Conference race that will most likely be tight the whole season, an inexplicable loss hurts.
If the Bulls are serious about locking up the No. 1 seed in the East for the second straight year, they can't suffer home losses to one of the league's worst squads (even if Derrick Rose is injured).
A loss like this makes us consider how important it is for the Bulls to secure the No. 1 seed in the East for the playoffs. Losses like yesterday will loom large if they fall a game or two short.
With that said, how much does the No. 1 seed matter? Last year, they won a league-best 62 games and had home-court advantage against the star-studded Heat. But they lost the series in five games, with two of those losses occurring at the United Center.
Right now, the Bulls appear to be at a point where they must analyze how valuable the No. 1 seed is. Is it worth playing Derrick Rose, who continues to battle back spasms, through the pain to seek to surpass the Heat for the conference's top spot?
Or should the Bulls err on the side of caution and allow Rose to rest until he's completely healed (which they seem to be doing)?
Furthermore, how should they handle their other injuries? Is it time to rush Rip Hamilton back, whose groin injury seems to be lingering for an extra long period of time?
It would obviously be foolish to rush Rose and Hamilton back and witness them both re-aggravate their injuries, and to then potentially limp into the playoffs.
But it could also be detrimental to watch the Bulls willingly surrender the No. 1 spot to Miami. Let's be honest—the Bulls are going to need every advantage to beat the Heat in the playoffs, and home-court advantage is surely helpful.
We all know that health is more important than the No. 1 seed, but there is such a thing as taking too much time to return from an injury. Chicago seems to be doing this with Rose and Hamilton, and in the process, they could very easily bid farewell to any shot at home-court advantage deep in the playoffs.
If Rose and Hamilton are at 90 percent right now, they should be on the floor. Handing Miami the No. 1 seed could prove pivotal come the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat are clearly loaded and undoubtedly on a mission. The Bulls are going to need every break they can find.
The No. 1 seed may seem like a petty concern at this point, but after the Bulls drop the first two games in Miami during the Eastern Conference Finals, it won't seem like a minor issue.
It's time for the Bulls to assemble their most prized core and pursue the No. 1 spot. Something as seemingly small as this could be the difference between another frustrating playoff ending and hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy.
