April 15, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (1) drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the second quarter at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
A sigh of relief has been heard all across the world, those sighs are coming from Chicago Bulls fans who are ecstatic that Derrick Rose has returned to team practices as of December, 20th.
Everybody is buzzing about Rose’s big return, and every little update we receive on his rehab, or what he is limited to at team practices takes the excitement to a whole other level. Rose’s teammates however, seem to be coping with the excitement a lot differently then what we all would expect.
Rose’s pending return to practice was an all around positive, the Bulls beat the Knicks at the Garden 110-106, although the following night resulted in a blowout at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, followed by yet another blowout this time by Lin-sanity and the Houston Rockets on Christmas day.
With Rose back in the picture it seems as if the Bulls have taken on this new mindset that soon enough Rose will be back to save the day, and perhaps they’re starting to drag on and play lazy.
Coach Tom Thibodeau ordered Rose to stay away from teammates at the start of the season, he wanted his players to develop that mindset that there is no such thing as Derrick Rose, and that they must pick up the extra work load on the offense, as well as facilitate his brand of defense. Defensively the Bulls are on top, not quite as good as the last two seasons, but still very good; however offensively they are 23rd in the league’s rankings.
Sure enough when Rose returns to leading his team’s offense the Bulls will dominate, as long as Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer can remain healthy themselves. Rose runs the backcourt; and if for some reason we lose Noah or Boozer for a stint the frontcourt would suffer tremendously.
Chicago then could easily find themselves on a downward spiral to rock bottom that not even Derrick Rose could lift them from.
The Bulls organization has hit their CBA limit, Rip Hamilton and Nate Robinson’s futures in Chicago seem uncertain, along with Rose set to return in one to two months his offensive load will increase and the need for the two inconsistent guards will decline. Although they are the Bulls’ top two scorers; Rip and Nate would be battling for a roster spot and rotational secondary positions.
Rip Hamiltion’s health is the biggest factor and if you take a look at all the big moments in which Robinson has came through for the team, you would think it’s a no brainier on who should stay. Robinson may not play up to Thibs’ standards on the defensive end, but there is always room for improvement.
The return of Chicago’s own Derrick Rose is lingering and will be here before we know it, Bulls fans have been patient and stuck with the team no matter what. The team players could learn a thing or two from Bulls fans; they have to stay loyal to the team, do whatever it takes to win, and most importantly they must regroup and regain their focus.
Just because Rose is on the verge of return, that does not exactly mean that the season is saved. The Bulls still have a lot of work to do and plenty of bumps in the road to overcome.