Derrick Rose's Rollercoaster Season May Affect the Chicago Bulls in Playoffs

Despite a 26-game absence from the former MVP and two-time All-Star, Derrick Rose, the Bulls’ Bench Mob managed to win 18 of those games.

Their regular season came to an end last night with a 107-75 win against the Cavaliers without Rose, Kyle Korver and Luol Deng on the court. With a 50-16 record, the Bulls acquired the NBA’s top overall seed.

Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer were among many Bulls players who brought “stepping up” to a new level and performed tremendously this season without their point guard. It is evident that the Bulls have one of the best benches in the league. Their energy and teamwork contributed to many victories without Rose. 

How was Derrick Rose’s performance when he returned?

After missing 12 consecutive games, Derrick’s struggle to join the rest of his team was prominent in his last five games of the season. His lack of energy resulted in turnovers, fouls and poor shooting.

In his first matchup against the Knicks, he managed to put up 29 points; however, he went 8-26 from the field and managed to contribute to eight of the Bulls’ 20 turnovers. In the last 19 seconds of regulation Rose missed a pair of crucial free throws and jumpers allowing the Knicks to force the game into overtime, further defeating the Bulls 100-99.

As the leader of a team, Derrick Rose cannot be missing game-changing free throws and clutch shots, and he should not be committing eight turnovers. His failure to control the ball and his out-of-sync rhythm can be blamed on missing 40 percent of the Bulls season.  

His rusty play, again, truly shined in his next game against the Miami Heat where he went 1-13 from the field and 0-3 from the three-point line in 25 minutes of play. In the next matchup versus the Pistons, he had seven turnovers, four fouls, went 9-22 from the field and 1-4 from the three-point line. The next two games against the Mavericks and Pacers displayed, yet again, his inability to shoot the ball.

What does Rose need to do for playoffs?

Stay consistent and focused, be patient and execute plays. Because of his absence, his team was able to adapt without him. With excellent ball movement, every player participated equally and worked together.

When Rose is in the mix, his team depends solely on him to make the plays and baskets.

If the Bulls want to see success in the playoffs, every player needs to be involved in the game. What do you do when you don’t have a clear shot? PASS the ball.

As always, it will be Rose’s responsibility to set up the plays, but instead of attempting a basket with 20 seconds still left on the shot clock, he needs to utilize the time efficiently to avoid a 39 percent shooting average and 59 turnovers, which he committed in the 2011 playoffs. 

Stay Focused

 Derrick’s recent performances have been short on energy, probably because he is afraid to get hurt again. Well, when the point-guard is known for his “too big, too fast, too strong, too good” maneuvers to the basket, the chances of him drawing a hard foul are at an all-time high. Hard fouls are usually the only way to stop him. However, sometimes, he seems to be too concentrated on getting fouled as opposed to scoring. Either finish the play to the basket, pass the ball or score some shots beyond the arc.

To avoid injuries, Rose needs clean up on his three-point shooting. Rose shot 25 percent from three-point line in the playoffs last year and only managed to maintain a 31 percent three-point shooting average this season. The Bulls, especially Derrick, need to be more versatile with shooting if they want to give their opponent a difficult time defensively.

Rose’s attack to the basket is too typical and predictable. Mix it up.

The Bulls must play with consistency, high-energy and aggression if they want to see success in the playoffs. All eyes are on Derrick Rose, though. It is his job to stay focused, be patient and execute plays to engage his team.

The Bulls need Derrick Rose just as much as he needs them to win.