Can the Chicago Bulls Really Win It All This Season?
The Chicago Bulls possess the talent to win a title, but can they actually pull it off this year?
Fans have been waiting quite a while for a championship. The last one came in 1998, back when Michael Jordan sank that memorable game-winning shot against the Utah Jazz.
The closest the Bulls have gotten to another title is the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat in five games.
Many believed Chicago would run away with the East this season, especially with the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers needing time to jell. However, the Atlanta Hawks have basically come out of nowhere to take over the conference.
While the 47-32 Bulls (fourth in the East) will not beat out the Hawks for the top seed, they certainly have a chance to win it all. What must happen in order for them to accomplish such a feat?
No More Injuries
Chicago can have a successful postseason if it can manage to stay injury-free. As always, that's a big—OK, maybe massive—if. For some reason, this particular group of players just can't stay healthy.
It's an understatement to say Derrick Rose has had an injury-plagued career. The 2011 MVP has missed a smorgasbord of games over the past few years, including 31 this season.
Rose's teammates have struggled to stay on the court as well, as six other Bulls players have missed at least 13 contests. Only Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic and Aaron Brooks have played over 70 games. The starting five of Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Gasol and Joakim Noah have only played 20 games together, going 15-5 in those contests.
If the Bulls can't stay away from the dreaded injury bug, they aren't going to get past the first round of the playoffs, let alone win an NBA championship.
Elite Defense Needs to Return
Chicago isn't playing the lockdown defense we've grown accustomed to seeing over recent years. Ever since Tom Thibodeau took over as head coach, the team hasn't finished a season worse than third in opponent points per game. This season, however, the Bulls are allowing 98.0 points a night, which ranks 10th.
Pippen Ain't Easy's Jacob Iden recently wrote about the Bulls' D (or lack thereof):
"This is the worst defensive team the Bulls have had since they hired Thibodeau. They have not grinded teams like they have in the past, and Thibs has been visibly distraught on numerous occasions during the season. They have shown flashes of being a great defensive team and their roster has the players to be a great defensive team, but they need to be much more consistent.
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The Bulls certainly possess the personnel to be a top-flight defensive club. Butler can put the clamps on the opposing team's best perimeter player. Meanwhile, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Noah and reserve Taj Gibson can take care of business in the interior.
During the playoffs, the Bulls will need to get back to their old ways if they hope to win this year's title. With each of the past 10 champions having finished the year with a top-10 defensive rating, "defense wins championships" isn't just a cliche in the NBA.
Solid Contributions from Derrick Rose
When the Bulls announced that Rose had suffered yet another meniscus tear, his long-term future appeared to be legitimately up in the air. Luckily, the injury didn't turn out to be as serious as many people thought, allowing him to make his return to the lineup on April 8 against the Orlando Magic.
Rose may never play at the same level that he did during his unbelievable 2010-11 campaign. We may never see the same guy who put up 25 points a night and played like an absolute megastar. Yet, he's still one of the game's better point guards when healthy.
Chicago doesn't need Rose to get back to that MVP caliber if it wants to contend for a title, but he can't be a non-factor, either. This season, the three-time All-Star has shown flashes of the player he used to be, scoring at least 20 points in 20 of the 48 contests in which he's appeared. He averaged a highly respectable 20.3 points during January, looking like a reasonable facsimile of his former self..
"The Bulls aren’t really going anywhere very far without him playing at some reasonable level," wrote Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
Can They Really Do It?
If the playoffs were to start today, the Bulls would have a first-round meeting with the Washington Wizards, who knocked them out in five games last postseason. While this year's iteration of the Wizards appears far more beatable, knocking off LeBron James and the Cavs wouldn't be so easy in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
If Chicago does grind its way past Cleveland and Atlanta to reach the NBA Finals, it'll have to face a dangerous Western Conference team such as the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs. As long as everyone stays healthy, however, there's no reason the Bulls can't hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy this June. They can beat anybody, as they've proven in victories against Golden State, San Antonio and Cleveland.
Their starting lineup is as good as anyone else's. Butler, Rose and Gasol form a nice offensive trio, with each being a 20-point scoring threat. Noah provides tough-nosed D and knows how to play the "point center" role. In addition, Dunleavy spaces the floor due to his outside shooting.
With the likes of Gibson, Brooks, Mirotic and Tony Snell (if he's included in the playoff rotation), the bench isn't too shabby either.
Perhaps Golden State and Cleveland have the best chance at winning it all. Count out D-Rose and the gang at your own peril, however.
All stats are from Basketball-Reference.com and accurate as of April 11.
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