Have Chicago Bulls Turned the Corner On Early-Season Struggles?

After struggling through the first few games of the season, it looks like the Chicago Bulls have turned things around.

Chicago lost to the Miami Heat by 12 points on opening night and then barely beat the New York Knicks, thanks to a crazy game-winning bucket by Derrick Rose.

And after an embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Bulls were simply destroyed by the Indiana Pacers 97-80 down in Indianapolis.

Fortunately, Chicago would put together a five-game win streak, its first since March 2012.

Along the way, they managed to stomp the Utah Jazz by 24 points and get revenge on the rival Pacers, smashing them 110-94 in Chicago.

Things were starting to look great for the Bulls. They were playing like a legit title contender, which is what most people labeled them entering the season.

However, a nightmare would occur during a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Not only did they blow a 21-point lead, the Bulls also lost Rose, their franchise point guard, for probably the rest of the season.

Rose, who tore his right meniscus, is required to have surgery and is out indefinitely, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

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Instead, Rose was headed back to Chicago on Sunday, facing more surgery early this week and uncertainty after an MRI exam confirmed a medial meniscus tear to his right knee. The Bulls said Rose will be sidelined indefinitely.

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The former MVP, of course, missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in April 2012. He worked extremely hard to come back this year, only to suffer yet another devastating knee injury after just 10 games.

Hopefully, Rose will have a speedy recovery and go on to play many more seasons in the Association.

Meanwhile, the Bulls can still be a quality team without Rose, though it won’t be an easy task. Let's look at two reasons the team has been able to win thus far this season.

Championship-Caliber Defense

Chicago's D wasn't so stellar through the first four games of the season, allowing 98 points per game. That had to tick off head coach Tom Thibodeau, who preaches defense on a daily basis.

The Bulls would eventually get their act together, though. During their five-game win streak, opponents averaged just 81.8 points per game.

Chicago basically shut down Paul George in its huge victory over the Pacers. The early MVP candidate was held to only 12 points on a measly 3-of-14 shooting from the field. George had entered the game averaging roughly 25 points per contest. He and Lance Stephenson missed all seven of their attempts from beyond the arc.

Now that's what you call suffocating defense, which is sure to please Coach Thibs.

The Bulls managed to knock off the Charlotte Bobcats, despite shooting only 36 percent from the field. When you can win a game with that type of lousy shooting, you know your defense is something special.

Chicago is currently allowing 90.5 points per contest, which ranks third in the league. Even without Rose, the Bulls' defense should remain solid.

Jimmy Butler, who is out due to a toe injury, should return to the lineup soon. He and Luol Deng easily form one of the league's top defensive wing duos. Plus, Joakim Noah brings fantastic D to the table, as do guys like Kirk Hinrich, who will replace Rose in the starting lineup, and reserve big man Taj Gibson.

Three-Point Shooting

Chicago isn’t the most dangerous outside shooting team around, but their ability to knock down threes has helped them this year.

The Pacers victory is a great example of this, as the Bulls hit 11 of their 19 attempts from downtown. Rose hit six of those.

While Rose will be out for a while, the Bulls still have guys who can shoot the three. Mike Dunleavy, who was signed during the offseason, is a shooting machine, and that’s the main reason the team went out and scooped him up.

After a disappointing start to the season, Dunleavy eventually caught fire. He is currently shooting a red-hot 51.6 percent from three-point land.

Against the Bobcats, the Bulls hit six of their 12 three-point attempts. Deng knocked down a huge trey with 27 seconds remaining in the game.

 

Where Are They Going Now?

Well, the Bulls definitely aren’t title contenders without Mr. Rose leading the way. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. They’re not going to win their first championship since the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen era, at least not this season anyway.

However, that doesn’t mean they can’t reach the playoffs. The Bulls know how to win without Rose. Last season, they won 45 games and actually made it past the first round while Rose was wearing street clothes.

Nate Robinson, who is now a member of the Denver Nuggets, was instrumental in Chicago’s success last season. While his scoring will be missed, the Bulls roster still includes several talented pieces.

As long as Noah and Deng can continue to stay healthy, as well as Butler and Hinrich, the Bulls should be just fine.

Not looking very aggressive thus far on the offensive end, Butler needs to step up and help Carlos Boozer and Deng in the scoring department. And it’s imperative that Dunleavy continues to shoot well, too.

Perhaps, youngsters Marquis Teague and Tony Snell will end up contributing to the team.  

Look for the Bulls to play their typical Thibodeau-coached defense and earn a postseason berth once again.

Stats used in this article are from basketballrefernce.com and accurate as of 11-24-13.