Does Derrick Rose's Resurgence Make Chicago Bulls NBA's Most Complete Team?
A perfect storm is brewing in the Windy City, where Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls are both forcing themselves back into the ranks of the NBA's elites.
After having most of the past two seasons stripped from him by devastating knee injuries, Rose is starting to flash his old superstar form with regularity. And with Chicago assembling the strongest supporting cast he has ever seen, it's getting easier to imagine this tale of adversity, patience and ultimate recovery producing a spectacular finish.
"If Derrick (Rose) is healthy, they're the best team in the Eastern Conference," Hall of Famer and current TNT analyst Charles Barkley said of the Bulls, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "They don't have any weaknesses. They have a great coach. And they're solid at every position."
Those comments might initially ring a tad hyperbolic, but the stat sheet suggests they are far from it.
Bolstered by top-10 efficiency rankings on both sides of the ball (sixth on offense, 10th on defense), the Bulls have rattled off five straight victories and eight wins over their past nine games. This hasn't been the result of a soft schedule, either. Over this stretch, the Bulls have dispatched the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards—four clubs that own a combined 86-29 record.
Since Dec. 10, the Bulls have outscored their opponents by a league-best 11.0 points per 100 possessions. Only two of their last eight wins have been decided by fewer than eight points.
"Right now there's a belief, a lot more than there was a couple weeks ago," Joakim Noah said, per Johnson. "As a player, there's nothing better than having that belief that when we're on and competing, nobody can mess with us. That's the feeling that we're starting to get."
There are myriad factors behind Chicago's rapid rise.
The Bulls have tightened the screws defensively, as Tom Thibodeau's teams have been known to do. Only two of their last nine opponents have cracked the century mark, the same number as those that have failed to top 80 points.
Chicago has controlled the glass at a startling rate, as Bulls radio producer Jeff Mangurten noted:
This offense has hummed at a level that makes it hard to believe this is the same team that finished the 2013-14 season ranked last in scoring (93.7 points per game) and shooting (43.2 field-goal percentage). The Bulls have averaged 105.1 points a night over this nine-game stretch and compiled an impressive .464/.382/.799 shooting slash.
It's impossible to overlook the contributions made by Rose during this climb.
Understandably rusty at the start of the year, the former MVP tallied just 15.6 points on 40.3 percent shooting over his first 12 outings. During his last seven games, he has posted 22.3 points and connected on 50.8 percent of his attempts from the field.
To put that last set of figures into context, only four players have averaged at least 22 points on 50 percent shooting this season: Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant.
"He has his swag back," Mike Dunleavy said of Rose, per Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune. "He's doing it in the fourth quarter against really good teams. It's good to see that look on his face and the look in his eyes."
When Rose is right, he can be one of the NBA's best solo acts.
In the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign, he launched the Bulls to an Eastern Conference-best 50-16 mark despite having limited help on the offensive end. His 21.8 points-per-game scoring average was more than six points higher than Chicago's second-best scorer (Luol Deng, 15.3). Rose nearly doubled the assist average (7.9) of the team's next-best setup man (C.J. Watson, 4.1).
The Bulls asked Rose to do everything then, and he somehow delivered.
What makes this team terrifying is that need no longer exists. The Bulls have other weapons that have proved to be just as potent.
Fourth-year swingman Jimmy Butler is on track to shatter his previous career highs across the board. He has never scored (21.6), rebounded (6.2) or assisted (3.4) like this, nor been this efficient (22.1 player efficiency rating) or this successful from the field (48.3 field-goal percentage).
Always a dominant defender, Butler has now found a way to make an equal impact on the opposite side. As future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant observed, per Cody Westerlund of CBSChicago.com, Butler's supreme work ethic is what made this type of production possible:
"When he first came into the league and we played in Chicago, I went out early to shoot and he was out there working out. At the time, he wasn’t a very consistent shooter. But he was out there working hard early, before anybody else got here. Looking at his game and the way he’s playing now, it’s clear he’s been doing that consistently over the years, because he’s playing extremely well. It’s not an accident. It’s not a hot streak. These are shots that he’s consistently making. He’s expanded his game.
"
Between Butler's ascension and Rose's recovery, the Bulls may be in possession of the league's best backcourt. And there aren't many, if any, frontcourts that are this deep or this talented.
Offseason addition Pau Gasol has fit like a glove, as evidenced by his 18.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. Noah has had to battle the injury bug at times, yet the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is the only player in the league averaging eight points, nine boards and four assists. Dunleavy has cashed in nearly two triples a night with a 39.8 percent success rate from beyond the arc.
Taj Gibson finished second in the 2013-14 Sixth Man of the Year voting, and his statistics (12.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 28.9 minutes) suggest he should once again be in the running. Then again, veteran Aaron Brooks (11.2 points, 3.3 assists, 43.3 percent three-point shooting) and rookie Nikola Mirotic (8.4 points, 5.3 rebounds in 18.3 minutes) are making their own cases as the league's top reserves.
The Bulls have a little of everything: shooters, slashers, interior scorers, expert passers, lockdown defenders, veterans, prospects and a host of two-way contributors. Considering how little time this roster has spent together due to injuries and the number of new faces, it's very possible this team has yet to play its best basketball.
Chicago won't waltz through the Eastern Conference, but it's tough to find another team with a ceiling this high.
The Atlanta Hawks can't match the Bulls' star power. The Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers have yet to play the type of defense needed to survive and advance in the postseason. The Wizards have depth, but their roster features an uncomfortable amount of players who either have yet to enter their primes or have already moved past them.
And none of those four teams has the type of playoff experience the Bulls possess.
The Western Conference presents a different, steeper set of challenges but may not have a team as complete as Chicago.
The Golden State Warriors have struggled to mask the absence of Andrew Bogut, and his injury history hints this could be an ongoing problem. Portland has a potent starting five, but depth remains a concern. Memphis doesn't pack much of a perimeter scoring punch outside of Mike Conley and Courtney Lee. The Houston Rockets have battled inefficient offense, and Josh Smith's arrival isn't likely to help.
Outside of the top four, the Los Angeles Clippers have yet to show they are built for playoff basketball. The Dallas Mavericks' high-powered offense may not compensate for their overly generous defense. The San Antonio Spurs don't look like the same team that sprinted to the title in June. Early injuries will put a tough playoff road in front of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and that's assuming they get in.
The Bulls, at full strength, have as much talent as any team in the league. But their season, like the last several, will ultimately hinge on Rose's health.
Chicago doesn't depend on him quite like it used to, but he is still the most important piece of this puzzle.
"As Rose settles into this new reality, he's maintained his role as the engine," wrote Blog A Bull's Ricky O'Donnell. "Everyone's life is easier when Derrick is pushing the pace and putting pressure on opposing defenses."
If Rose's body allows this sizzling stretch to be sustainable, the Bulls could be on the cusp of something special. Chicago's stock is soaring, and there may not be an external force capable of bringing it down.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
