Oct 20, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) at Value City Arena. Cleveland won the game 107-98. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
The best case scenario for the Chicago Bulls is broken down in these situations.
1) Derrick Rose does not go down with injury…again.
Derrick Rose has to meet some goals. First the man must stay on the floor. Rose has been out of the NBA for two seasons save ten games with knee injuries. If he can stay on the floor, The Bulls have a chance to be a quality team that can contend. His presence on the floor changes the dynamic of the Bulls offense. The Cleveland game on Monday illustrated that quite nicely. His presence can open up so many opportunities for his teammates. Another important goal for Rose is to understand this dynamic and be able to use it to make his teammates better.
2) Pau Gasol is the player from the FIBA World Cup and not last year’s Laker.
I would ignore last year’s performance from Gasol in L.A. It was obvious that he had checked out after dealing with Mike D’Antoni’s system for so long. Even the coach being fired and a talk from Earvin “Magic” Johnson couldn’t convince him to stay.
In the FIBA World Cup this summer, Gasol destroyed everyone in his path. Even though Spain got upset, fans got a glimpse of what this man can do. Pau Gasol is still one of the most skilled big men in the NBA if used correctly. The Bulls need a low post presence in the playoffs and Gasol is just what the doctor ordered.
3) Tom Thibodeau uses his bench and monitors the minutes of his players.
This starts with the rookies, Nikola Mirotic’ and Doug McDermott. Simple and plain, the days of not using rookies are a thing of the past and Tom Thibodeau utilizes his bench which in turn keeps the core players (also read…Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose) fresh for the postseason.
4) SIGN JIMMY BUTLER BEFORE NOVEMBER 1, 2014!
Jimmy Butler needs to be in the long range plans of the Chicago Bulls…period. Before he got injured, Butler was in a zone for the preseason. If the Bulls don’t sign him, this will be a distraction the team does not need right now.