NBA Playoffs 2012: 5 Reasons the Chicago Bulls Will Be Fine Without Derrick Rose

The 2012 NBA playoffs tipped off on an auspicious note with the Chicago Bulls—the team that ended the regular season with the best record—fittingly getting the proceedings underway. It all seemed to have fallen in place for the Bulls, with Coach Thibodeau having a full strength squad to pick from.

Derrick Rose, who suffered five different injuries throughout the regular season, seemed to have recovered and was raring to go in pursuit of getting the Windy City her first championship ring in the post-Jordan era.

All those dreams came crashing down on one harmless move to the basket, which saw the inevitable happen. Derrick Rose, on what looked like a routine play, tore not just his ACL but probably the hopes of millions of Bulls fans the world over.

How well will the Bulls do in the absence of the reigning MVP? If the regular season is anything to go by, then the 18-9 record should definitely be propitious.

It is worth noting, though, that the Bulls did even better with Rose in the lineup, ending with a 32-7 record. But the regular season and the playoffs are two entirely different ball games. The playoffs is where tenacity and persistence prevail. It is probably why Rose was on the floor in the dying moments of what seemed like a wrapped-up game.

Could these traits turn out to be the ultimate answer to the Bulls’ woes? Can they still make that deep playoff run? Five reasons why I think they can, follow.

Rip Hamilton

The mention of Rip Hamilton in this article might be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. If Rose suffered injury setbacks, then Hamilton definitely had his share of appointments with the doctor, which saw him make only 28 appearances—compared to Rose’s 39.

What Hamilton brings to the court is his immense experience, not just of the post-season variety but also of winning a ring. He is the only Bull—aside from Brian Scalabrine—with an NBA championship. He has been there and done that.

For the majority of the 28 games that he has played, he has been the ultimate team player, rotating the ball well, making that extra pass should the situation demand it, and taking that open shot when it was good to be taken. His regular season numbers of 11.6 points and 3 assists per game might make your eyes pop out, but given his pedigree, you surely want to look beyond them.

He was considered to be the missing piece that the Chicago Bulls needed to get past Miami in the Eastern Conference finals and make that championship run. Hamilton will surely have to be more than just a missing piece and take over as the leader of the team in Rose’s absence.

Boozer and Noah

Carlos Boozer got a lot of stick at the end of last season for being lethargic and non-existent at times, especially during the playoffs. Coach Thibodeau, on the other hand, has always backed the forward.

He has admirably stepped up for the Bulls, especially when Rose has been injured. He definitely hasn’t been the Boozer he was signed to be: the leader of the team taking up the brunt of the scoring. But who needs him to be that on a Chicago Bulls roster that includes the reigning MVP?

What Boozer has been is what Thibs has wanted him to be: a solid team player and someone who steps up when the time is right—like he did with 31 points against the Suns in Rose’s absence.

His season averages of 15 points and 8.5 rebounds are below his career numbers but are nevertheless still solid. The fact that he played each and every regular season game should bode well for Chicago.

Joakim Noah, when the season started off, wasn’t the Noah everyone became used to in terms of numbers. He went from being in All Star contention in 2011 to a mediocre center in the early part of this season. But he more than made up for these lapses with his energy on and off the floor. The Bulls are always as pumped up as Noah, and after the 2012 All-Star break, the crowd got accustomed to more of Noah’s “gun dance celebration” which could only mean that Noah was also adding to the Bulls' total.

His hustle on the boards is absolutely priceless for the Bulls, and given that he is a winner (having won NCAA championship twice with the University of Florida), he should more than elevate the Bulls in the absence of Derrick Rose.

The Bench Mob

Chicago has one of the deepest benches in the NBA. It is no coincidence that this team has held its own, in spite of missing as many as three starters on some nights.

The reason the bench has been so prolific is due to the fact that every player on the team knows his role and sticks to the plan chalked out by Thibodeau.

Whenever Korver has started at small forward, his meticulousness and work ethic have been similar to that of Luol Deng. When he comes off the bench, he provides the impact scoring with quick threes that turn the game. He is as clutch as clutch can be, ample proof of which can be found in the high-pressure free throws and threes that he has made in the dying moments of close games.

Brewer brings the same intensity, and the 43 games that he has started vindicate the faith that Thibodeau has had in him.

What Taj Gibson and Omer Asik serve the United Center faithful each night is a ‘block party’. These two bigs are good enough to be the starters on more than half of the NBA teams.

The rookie Jimmy Butler has stepped up on numerous occasions with lionhearted defensive efforts of his own.

The Backup Point Guards

Rose is one of the most elite point guards in the league. But the only reason the Bulls have had production at that position in his absence is the elevation of the backup point guards.

Since moving to Chicago, C.J. Watson has fit into the role of backing up Rose so well that there have been talks of how good he could be elsewhere as a starter. He might not be as aesthetic, but he still gets the job done with or without Rose.

John Lucas III was posterized by LeBron James in the first regular season meeting between the Bulls and Heat.

However, the lasting image that I have of the duo is that of Lucas nailing the fadeaway over Lebron in the fourth quarter of the second regular season game, a game the Bulls won just on energy with a depleted squad against a full strength Heat team. The atmosphere was no less than a playoff game.

So, as far apart a regular season and a playoff game might be from each other, that night at the United Center on March 14 came close to being one of the latter, and the Bulls more than held their own.

Rose is vital, but his three backups average a combined 22 points (C.J. Watson (9.7), John Lucas (7.5), Mike James (4.8)). That should give any fan a lot of hope. These guys have played under pressure and delivered, and although they might not be as good individually as Derrick Rose, their production as a collective unit matches that of Rose.

Coach Thibodeau

It would be a travesty if Tom Thibodeau did not get selected as the Coach of the Year. If I am Gar Forman, I am already getting out my checkbook to offer Thibodeau the highest contract that I can offer.

Derrick Rose has been the best player on the team and has gotten all the attention—and deservedly so—but Thibs has been the true hero for this Bulls resurgence. Thibodeau transformed Bulls from mediocre to relevant.

He is a disciplinarian. Joakim Noah has said on multiple occasions, albeit jokingly, that Thibodeau’s regime is a dictatorship, not a democracy. That pretty much sums up the scrupulousness of Thibodeau.

He has a system in place and makes sure every player abides by it. It helps his cause that the best player is the first one to fall in line. It is no coincidence that the team plays great defense. The Bulls lead the league in total rebounds and love to share the ball, ending the regular season at fifth in total assists. They have also been the stingiest in terms of points allowed and are second in terms of the opponents’ field goal percentage.

While teams like the Lakers and Thunder almost always thrive on one-on-one match ups, the Bulls are a breath of fresh air with their team first mentality.

Any credit that pertains to the team must go to the coach, and the fact that the Bulls are the best team in the NBA (both team stats and regular season standings reflect that) implies that Thibodeau must get a large chunk of that credit.

Sam Smith suggested on bulls.com that since Red Auerbach never got the Coach of the Year honors more than once, he is finding it hard to have Thibodeau repeating and in the process becoming the first coach in the NBA to do so.

Yes, the great Auerbach was one of the greatest coaches this era has seen, but having said that, every year must be analyzed individually with only the best coach from that year ending up as the Coach of the Year, and when it comes to this season and what Thibs has done with his injury-ravaged roster, he surely has been the best, and he definitely is the reason the Bulls will go deep in the playoffs!

The Larry O’Brien Trophy might not come home for a seventh time just yet, but the run would surely be worthy of one, and there surely would be no lack of commitment on the way.

"In Thobodeau we trust!"