Chicago Bulls: 10 Bold Predictions for the Second Half of the NBA Season

The Chicago Bulls are sending two players to the All-Star game and appear poised to make another run at the top playoff spot in the Eastern Conference right now. But what will happen in the second half of the 2011-2012 NBA season?

Will Derrick Rose be healthy and regain his typical level of play? Will Richard Hamilton actually play? 

Who will break out for the team? Where will the Bulls finish? 

For answers to all these questions and more, read on and discover the 10 bold predictions for this team's second half of play. 

No One Will Question Luol Deng's All-Star Selection by the End of the Year

Luol Deng was selected as a reserve forward for the Eastern Conference in this year's All-Star Game, giving him his first berth in the game in what is now his eighth season since his Duke days. 

The Chicago Bulls forward is having a sensational season, but it hasn't quite been enough for him to escape scrutiny from NBA fans who think there may have been more deserving players in the East who were snubbed. 

By the end of the year, that won't be the case. 

Deng has stepped up during the absence of Derrick Rose from the Bulls' lineup, even if some of his numbers are lower than they have been in the past. But the versatile Sudanese forward is only getting better and better as the season progresses and he's going to have a stellar stat line when the 2011-20121 campaign draws to a close. 

It only makes sense that one of the best teams in the NBA should have multiple All-Star selections on the roster and Deng is only going to keep proving that he's the second-best player on the roster. 

Derrick Rose Will Work Himself Back Near the Top of the MVP Debate

Right now, Derrick Rose trails quite a few players on most reasonable MVP ballots. LeBron James is the runaway favorite and he's followed by a tier of players made up by Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant, though not necessarily in that particular order. 

The next group of players would be headlined by Rose, but would also include Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker and Dwight Howard, though those are once again not ordered in any way. 

Our reigning league MVP has put together another great season so far, but he's hurt drastically by the fact that he's had to sit out 10 games with back problems and other various ailments. Rose is averaging 22.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game in his 23 starts and he's earned himself a PER of 24.9. 

Those numbers are absolutely incredible and if he can stay healthy and maintain them, Rose will undoubtedly climb up into that upper tier of MVP candidates as the Bulls remain at or near the top of the Eastern Conference. 

Then again, would it really surprise anyone if the point guard got even better once he was healthy and not trying to play through the pain? 

Carlos Boozer Will Not Miss a Game

The Chicago Bulls have been one team that has been significantly hurt by the pesky injury imp. Only three players have suited up for every single game, and I'm not talking about Barney Stinson "suiting up," but actually putting on a jersey and getting on the court. Those players are Carlos Boozer, Omer Asik and Ronnie Brewer. 

If you aren't surprised that Boozer is on that list, you should be. The 30-year-old power forward has never played in every game during a season (he's peaked at 81 games played twice in his career) and he's coming off a 59-game campaign in his first season with the Bulls.

In fact, Boozer has rightfully earned the dreaded "injury-prone" label.

This season has been different, though, as the former All-Star has remained healthy while playing an efficient brand of basketball with slightly decreased minutes. Despite the compressed nature of 2011-2012, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that it stays this way and Boozer appears in all 66 games for the Bulls. 

Hey, you wanted bold predictions. 

Richard Hamilton Finally Makes an Impact

The one piece of the championship puzzle that the Chicago Bulls were missing last season was a quality shooting guard. So, like any other well-managed organization, the Bulls went out and solved that problem during the offseason by signing Richard Hamilton. 

But so far this year, Hamilton has only been on the court for 11 games as he's suffered a number of injuries, most recently one to his groin, that have kept him in street clothes. It seems likely that Hamilton will not play again until after the All-Star break. 

Once he's back on the court, the Bulls will finally have their entire nucleus healthy and ready to play together for what seems like the first time this season. 

Hamilton has averaged 14.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game so far this season in those 11 games and that kind of output would do wonders for an already potent Chicago squad. 

Jimmy Butler Will Earn a More Significant Role

Another option for the Chicago Bulls at the shooting guard position is Jimmy Butler, the 22-year-old rookie from Marquette. 

The last pick of the first round of the 2011 NBA draft, Butler is a great example of the archetypal rags-to-riches story as he's literally gone from homeless to employed on an NBA roster. 

With his 6'6" frame, Butler is capable of becoming a true swingman and lining up at either shooting guard or small forward. His skill set is also perfectly tailored to playing a mix of the two positions. 

So far during his first season at the professional level, Butler hasn't received much playing time but he's looked pretty good when he's found himself on the court. With a 51.9 field-goal percentage and a 17.77 PER, Butler has averaged 7.7 minutes, 2.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.2 blocks and 0.4 steals per game. 

Head coach Tom Thibodeau is great at recognizing talent and this young man is going to find himself on the court more and more as the season progresses. 

Joakim Noah Will Make a Three-Pointer

Almost every player who spends multiple years in the league and plays a significant role on his team ends up making at least one three-pointer. Hell, even Shaquille O'Neal dropped in a shot from long-range once to beat the buzzer on Feb. 16, 1996 against the Milwaukee Bucks. To be fair, though, his form was horrific. 

It's only a matter of time before Joakim Noah, who is currently three-pointless in his four attempts from downtown, does the same. 

It's probably going to come on a lucky desperation heave as the clock expires or on a last-ditch effort on a kick-out as the shot clock goes off, but it's bound to happen. 

Why can't it happen this year? 

The Brian Scalabrine Jokes Will Get Old

Oh wait, they already have. 

Derrick Rose Finishes with Two of the Season's 10 Most Impressive Plays

Derrick Rose is one of the NBA's premier highlight producers, thanks to his versatility on the offensive end of the court, his flair for the dramatic, his ridiculous athleticism and his uncanny body control and ability to finish around the basket in heavy traffic. 

At least once a game, the reigning MVP drives into the lane and pinballs off a couple of defenders before somehow getting the ball to spin into the basket. At least one other time a game, Rose will elevate and angrily dunk the ball down through the rim for two points better than any guard not named Russell Westbrook. 

The man was born to win basketball games and look good doing it. 

But that said, it's no easy feat to have two of the season's 10 most impressive plays (unless your name happens to be Blake Griffin or LeBron James). Usually those are reserved for a variety of different players. 

Rose already has a few candidates for the top 10, most notably his crazy shot in traffic against the Boston Celtics, which recently came in at No. 5 on my list of the 10 best plays of the season's initial half.

Would you really bet against him producing another one? 

Finish the Season with No Back-to-Back Losses

The Chicago Bulls are currently 25-8 and sitting just behind the Miami Heat in the second spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Their eight losses have come in the following games: 

1. A 99-91 loss in an away game against the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 26, 2011. 

2. A 109-94 loss in an away game against the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 7, 2012. 

3. A 102-86 loss in an away game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 16, 2012. 

4. A 95-90 loss in a home game against the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 25, 2012. 

5. A 97-93 loss in an away game against the Miami Heat on Jan. 29, 2012. 

6. A 98-82 loss in an away game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 1, 2012. 

7. A 95-91 loss in an away game against the Boston Celtics on Feb. 12, 2012. 

8. A 97-85 loss in a home game against the New Jersey Nets on Feb. 18, 2012. 

There are three main takeaways from that short list of failures by the Bulls. 

The team doesn't lose many games at home, generally takes care of business against the bad teams in The Association and doesn't lose consecutive games. Most of the losses are well spaced out, with the exception of the fourth, fifth and sixth losses of the season, which all came with one victory in between each loss. 

In fact, to find the last set of back-to-back losses by this team, you have to go back to early February of last season, when the Bulls were defeated in consecutive away games by the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers. 

Chicago is going to lose more games. No team in the NBA is invulnerable. But they are too talented to lose often and they'll make it through the entire 2011-2012 campaign without the dreaded back-to-back red marks. 

The Chicago Bulls Will Finish with the Second-Best Record in the East

The vast majority of these predictions have been positive ones for the Chicago Bulls, but some people may view this as a negative prediction. And that's when you know you're truly an elite team. 

Chicago will maintain their current spot in the standings and finish at No. 2 in the Eastern Conference when it's all said and done. The Bulls are clearly better than the rest of the teams in the East, save one: the Miami Heat. 

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the rest of the team from South Beach are playing out of their minds right now and just seem to be on another level, one that only the Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder are currently on. 

Unless something drastically changes, it seems as though the Bulls will finish just one spot behind the Heat in the standings.