Even the casual basketball fan understood the magnitude of Derrick Rose’s latest injury and what it could mean to the Chicago Bulls for both this season and in the coming years. So when they dropped off the map in terms of the 2015 NBA Championship futures odds it really didn’t shock anybody.
However, the Bulls odds to win it all bounced back again this week when they moved from +2500 to +1600 to win it all. There are three key reasons for the change in perception when it comes to Chicago’s title hopes and not surprisingly the biggest of them all was the fact that Rose isn’t done for the year just yet.
Rose Will Be Back
Rose underwent knee surgery for a torn meniscus and one day later he was rehabbing the injured knee as he went to work focused on returning this season. Unlike some of the past injuries he has suffered, the window is still open for him to play basketball again before the playoffs get underway. There is a good chance that Rose will never be the MVP-caliber player that he was once after missing so much time and dealing with so many different injuries but he showed flashes of his previous self at times this season and is still a valuable contributor that makes the Bulls better. Rose will have his work cut out for him if he is going to play again this season but the chance that he does return and contribute has turned around the perception of this team’s title chances almost overnight.
Opportunities For Others
The latest of Rose’s injuries isn’t the only problem that Chicago is dealing with either as Jimmy Butler will miss the next three to four weeks with a left elbow sprain that won’t require surgery. The silver lining in it all could be that the Bulls will have to survive without two of their top scorers and that will force them to get creative and give some of their bench players a shot at a bigger role.
The Bulls are 7-3 over their past 10 games and the Eastern Conference isn’t exactly loaded, so there is reason to believe they could survive this upcoming stretch without both Butler and Rose. Aaron Brooks, Pau Gasol, Kirk Hinrich and even rookie Nikola Mirotic will be pressed in to bigger roles and if they respond favorably, it will provide valuable experience and help the depth of this team heading in to the postseason. Mirotic has already had a little bit of a coming out party as fantasy basketball players well know. He’s averaged 26 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 rebounds and a block per game in the month of March. Imagine him keeping this up with Rose and Butler back healthy…this team could be a problem.
Rest For The Weary?
Head coach Tom Thibodeau has taken a lot of heat for using his players too much and while getting them injured wasn’t his goal, it might be a blessing in disguise. More rest for Rose is a good thing while Butler has been leading the league in minutes prior to the injury. We could see his numbers fading in January and February, which might indicate fatigue was kicking in. Taj Gibson is a banger inside, so getting a couple of weeks off for him shouldn’t hurt either.
The Bulls brass wanted less of a workload on the frontline players and while this isn’t the way they wanted it done, this might still work out for them.
Nothing Is Lost Yet
Chicago has posted a ridiculous .789 win percentage when their starting five of Rose, Butler, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Mike Dunleavy plays and the fact that they could all be healthy come playoff time means this could very well be a blessing in disguise for this group. They have already been through so much as a team so far this season but adversity certainly does build character. They are also the most experienced playoff team in the conference, which could prove to be a key factor. Even though the days look dark right now in Chicago, we could see the Bulls surprise come playoff time as a legitimate NBA title contender.
