Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls' 2011 Season: Fans Should Revise Expectations

When the Chicago Bulls missed out on the LeBron James sweepstakes, they were widely accepted to be the fifth-best team in the Eastern Conference when the 2010-2011 season began.

It was supposed to be a bloodbath between Miami and Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. If it wasn't either of those two, Atlanta and Orlando were supposed to be there. Everyone received more respect than the Bulls.

Even ESPN NBA analyst John Hollinger had the Bucks beating the Bulls for the Central Division title.

The Bulls proceeded to beat every NBA team in the regular season, win all but one divisional game and swept the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks during the regular season. The Bulls won 62 games, led by Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau and MVP Derrick Rose. The Bulls hold the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA playoffs.

It's time for NBA fans and analysts to revise their expectations of the Bulls this season. Even if they do end up losing to the Miami Heat, it's time for many fans and analysts to realize that very few had them where they are now, at the beginning of the season. The fact that the Bulls have played this well—for a team that was only supposed to win 50 games and reach the second round—has far exceeded expectations set upon them by the media and their fans.

The Miami Heat were supposed to be in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the fact they got there and are likely to win it, should surprise no one.

The Bulls have to acquire a consistent second scorer to team up with Derrick Rose in the backcourt. To do so, they can move guards like Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver. They also have two first-round picks as assets going forward, along with big men Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Omer Asik. The Bulls also have Charlotte's lottery pick from the Tyrus Thomas trade from last season.

If the Bulls do end up losing to the Heat, fans should be upset, but they should also be proud of what the Bulls did this season. Fans, look forward to the offseason. With the draft and trades, the Bulls will improve their roster for the second straight summer.