Chicago Bulls: Would They Truly Be Contenders with Derrick Rose?

Ever since the Chicago Bulls went down 3-1 in their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, analysts have been quick to say that the Bulls are just exposing that they were not built for and not ready for a long championship run. They point to Rip Hamilton and Luol Deng not coming through in the final few minutes and say this is proof. 

What basketball fans fail to realize is that the reason that this team is failing is not a product of how they were built, it's the fact that the two players they rely on most are gone. 

On the offensive side of the court, Derrick Rose is the catalyst. Even when he is not playing well, he provides so much for this basketball team. In this series, the Bulls have had trouble getting offensive rebounds at the same rate that they usually do.

There's no reason that the loss of a point guard should affect that, however, the offensive rebounding game is built around Rose's drives to the basket.

Even when Rose misses, the opposition has committed a big man to defending Rose, so there is one less player on the floor to rebound, and the Bulls frontcourt can capitalize on that

In the same way, the Bulls defense is built around Joakim Noah. The Bulls have many above-average perimeter defenders, such as Deng and Ronnie Brewer, but the defense is built around the frontcourt presence of Noah.

When perimeter defenders defend against the drive, they funnel their man towards Noah to trap. While Omer Asik is a very good player, he is not Noah when it comes to stopping the drive. 

Many would point to the fact that the Bulls are dependent on two players as a negative. However, this is not true. Every team in the league relies on one player heavily, including the title contenders.

If the San Antonio Spurs lost Tony Parker, would they be a title contender? If the Miami Heat lost LeBron James, would they be a title contender? If the Oklahoma City Thunder lost Kevin Durant, would they be a title contender?

The obvious answer to all of those questions is no. 

A comparison to these Bulls would be the Cleveland Cavaliers during the LeBron James era.

When LeBron left, the team absolutely fell apart. This was not because the team around LeBron was weak, it was because the team around LeBron was built to play around LeBron. When they had to perform without, they couldn't produce. 

Hamilton, Deng and Carlos Boozer are players who have the ability to play effectively off of Rose, and can fill in the holes around him. However, they are not players who are meant to or have the ability to play as the star on a team. 

This Bulls team is created to perform and thrive in the playoffs around Rose and Noah. With the loss of their driving forces on both offense and defense, it's not surprising that this team has struggled to produce.

However, with these players on the team, this team would clearly be a title contender and perhaps even the favorite to win the title.