Derrick Rose Injury: Why League's Best Bench Has Chance in Playoffs

Conventional wisdom strongly suggests that the Chicago Bulls' postseason fate has been sealed with Derrick Rose's torn ACL.

It's one thing for this team to stay atop the Eastern Conference during the regular season, but the playoffs are a different story entirely.

So the story goes.

The fact is, Chicago's bench has had something to say about conventional wisdom all season long, and that does count for something. Tom Thibodeau's squad plays like a basketball team should play—it shares the ball unselfishly and defends relentlessly.

Doubters will concede as much only to suggest that Chicago's offense won't come through in the clutch. To be sure, there's something to be said for these fears. The Bulls lack a great playmaker without their reigning MVP.

The good news for Chicago is that this team has learned to operate without that facilitating floor general. Rose missed 27 games this season, giving C.J Watson and John Lucas III regular playing time at the point.

While starters like Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Richard Hamilton may be asked to pick up most of the scoring load, it's worth remembering that Watson, Kyle Korver, Taj Gibson and Ronnie Brewer averaged over 32 combined points a contest this season.

That's the definition of a deep bench unit.

Make no mistake, that bench does more than just score. Gibson gives the Bulls one of the best backup power forwards in the league. He's a guy who aggressively attacks the offensive glass and averages over a block per game. Brewer gives Chicago a stopper on the wing that most teams would love to have in the starting lineup.

Korver's range speaks for itself.

These aren't the most glamorous names, but they're the kind of players who can give the team an edge, even in apparently dire circumstances.

With the Atlanta Hawks up a game on the Boston Celtics, Chicago could find itself opposite a worn down team in the second round (should it get by the Philadelphia 76ers, of course). In a slowed down grind of a series, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Bulls emerge victorious in either scenario.

The Miami Heat pose a significantly greater challenge. However, you can be sure that Chicago will still feature a nine-deep rotation that's motivated by a deep-seated desire to win one for Rose, and an even deeper need to win one for themselves.

This is a proud team, and it's not about to go down in these playoffs without a fight—a fight it might even be able to win.