Do Chicago Bulls Really Need Healthy Derrick Rose to Contend for NBA Title?
The Chicago Bulls can be a dominant two-way force without a fully healthy Derrick Rose.
But the line separating really good teams from full-fledged contenders is one Chicago can only cross with the former MVP at his best.
After getting only 49 games out of Rose the past three seasons, the Bulls have learned to live without him. Thanks to a combination of internal development and external acquisitions, they have even started to thrive in his absence.
They are 8-3 on the season, having scored four of those victories while Rose was sidelined by ankle and hamstring injuries. They are one of only four clubs—one of only two in the Eastern Conference—with top-10 rankings in both offensive (eighth) and defensive (seventh) efficiency.
Those are the telltale markings of an elite NBA team. The fact that those numbers have largely been compiled without Rose's assistance highlights the tremendous depth on this roster.
"They may have two or three All-Stars minus Derrick," Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said, per Bleacher Report's Josh Martin, "so they're a good basketball team."
And Rivers' praise came before the Bulls, missing both Rose and Pau Gasol (calf), reeled off a double-digit road victory over the Clippers.
The Bulls have both star power and a deep supporting cast.
Gasol, the prized piece of Chicago's offseason haul, has seamlessly transitioned into his new home. The skilled 7-footer leads the team in rebounds (10.6) and blocks (2.5), while ranking second in scoring (18.6).
Chicago's only player pumping in more points is fourth-year swingman Jimmy Butler. The Marquette product, who is slated to hit restricted free agency at season's end, has exploded out of the gate. He currently holds career highs in points (21.3), field-goal percentage (50.8), rebounds (6.2), assists (3.9) and player efficiency rating (22.5).
"Jimmy Butler, what can you say?" coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after Butler tallied 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds against the Clippers. "When that game was on the line he made big play after big play. He's playing great basketball."
Center Joakim Noah, an All-Star in each of the last two seasons, has been rounding into form after undergoing left knee surgery over the summer. Learning to play alongside a low-post weapon like Gasol has been another adjustment Noah has had to make.
The high-motor big man has dished out six assists in five straight games and grabbed 12-plus rebounds two of his last four times out. As a defensive cog and offensive catalyst, he positively impacts the game in so many different ways.
Those are Chicago's stars. Add Rose's name to the mix, and it becomes an embarrassment of riches.
But the supporting cast might be equally impressive.
Taj Gibson remains one of the league's top reserves. He's shooting a career-best 56.9 percent from the field and has matched his previous high with 13.0 points a night. His energy level on both ends of the floor is as high as it's ever been, and his importance to Chicago's success hasn't diminished a bit despite all the new weapons around him.
"Taj is probably the most selfless player in the NBA," Noah said, per Bulls.com's Sam Smith. "A guy who is depended on all the time and never gets the credit he deserves. I appreciate everything he does. We can't get to where we want to get to without Taj."
Decorated rookie forward Nikola Mirotic has only found 12.1 minutes a night, which speaks volumes about this team's talent.
Ditto for rookie sharpshooter Doug McDermott and his 12.5 minutes per game. It's hard to find him time when veteran sniper Mike Dunleavy is converting his long-range looks at a 40.4 percent clip.
Kirk Hinrich is a pesky defender and a major three-point threat (39.5 percent). Aaron Brooks is a wildly effective scorer (19.4 points per 36 minutes on .483/.469/.789 shooting) and willing passer (6.3 assists per 36 minutes). Tony Snell adds to Chicago's collection of shooters and provides another athletic presence on the perimeter—if he's able to make it off the crowded bench.
With Thibodeau at the helm, the Bulls are always going to play a relentless brand of defense. And with all this added firepower, they can now frustrate their opponents on either end of the floor.
"We're scoring a lot of different ways," Noah said, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "I remember when the score was 81-76, just fiending to get a basket. Now we're scoring 100 every night. And I feel like it can get better."
That's where it all comes back to the 26-year-old face of the franchise.
The Bulls are showing how good they can be even when Rose isn't a constant presence in the lineup. But greatness only comes within the realm of possibilities once he can start logging significant minutes.
"As stacked as Chicago's roster may be," B/R's Josh Martin wrote, "this team would hardly have a prayer of competing for the franchise's seventh championship without a healthy and effective Rose leading the way."
There have already been signs of the impact Rose can make.
Individually, he has appeared understandably rusty. The career 46.0 percent shooter has hit only 43.3 percent of his attempts and just seven of his 24 threes. His 18.0 scoring average and 5.4 nightly assists trail his career numbers (20.8 and 6.7, respectively), but that decline has been a direct result of logging a career-low 28.0 minutes a night.
While Rose has had some issues with his shot, he has not had any trouble leading his team.
On the season, the Bulls have outscored their opponents by 6.4 points per 100 possessions. That's good enough for the sixth-highest net efficiency rating in the league. With Rose on the floor, that number jumps to 15.4, which easily tops the Dallas Mavericks' top mark of plus-12.6. Without Rose, the Bulls have a plus-3.3 net rating, which would check in at 10th overall.
And for the Rose haters conspiracy theorists out there, no, Rose hasn't planned his absences around avoiding the toughest tests. The five teams he has squared up with have a combined record of 27-31, a .466 winning percentage. The six games he missed came against clubs with a 23-43 record, only a .348 winning percentage.
Rose helps Chicago put constant pressure on a defense. He's still lightning-quick off the dribble and a devastating finisher at the basket (career-high 68.8 percent conversion rate inside of three feet).
He was a willing passer before he had help. In 2011-12, when Rose averaged 21.8 points and no other Bull topped 15.3, he had a 40.3 assist percentage. Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who has had a wealth of scorers around him, has never done better than 39.9.
The Bulls have other weapons, but they all become more powerful when Rose is involved.
Chicago needs Rose to make a championship run. He's a necessity, not a luxury.
That being said, the Bulls don't need him on the floor until he's physically and mentally ready to return. They have more than enough to keep pace in the Eastern Conference without him, especially with the Cleveland Cavaliers struggling to create any chemistry.
Chicago's depth doesn't make Rose expendable; it allows this team to play things as safe as it can with regard to his health.
"Everybody on the team, from subs to starters to stars, can play key roles this year," wrote Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes. "In the early going, depth and Thibodeau's 'we have enough' attitude can carry the load so the bigger names can rest and recover. As the season progresses, the rotation will shrink and the marquee players can start to take over."
The supporting cast is growing without Rose, and he is taking every step to put himself in the best possible position.
"[I'm] just trying to do everything right," he said, per ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell. "Eat right, hydrate right, stretch right, work on my flexibility, just trying to put everything on my side so at the end of the day I'm just trying to get better."
It's hard to ask for more patience from a franchise that has already spent two years waiting for his return. It's no easier to avoid thoughts of despair every time his body forces him off the floor.
Still, there's a chance this all works out for the better.
The Bulls are a two-way wrecking ball, destroying every team in their path regardless of who's sitting at the controls. The pieces are in place to contend for a title. If this rest period aids Rose in his recovery and helps develop the players behind him, Chicago's ceiling could continue to climb.
But Rose must be involved to help this team fulfill its massive potential. As has been the case for the last several years, Chicago's success once again hinges on his health.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
