Rose: One and Done

By: Ryan Tuttle

Defending NBA MVP Derrick Rose is done. After being out for a lengthy period of time throughout this shortened season, Rose tore his ACL today, ending his season. Losing arguably the most dynamic player in the NBA, the Bulls are liable to suffer greatly from this loss.

The Bulls entered the NBA playoffs as the number one overall seed greatly in part of Rose’s contributions when on the court. At the same time though, Rose missed 27 games this year due to injuries to his back, groin, ankle, and knee. The Bulls are a team that can win without him, but “how much?” and “how far?” is their main concern.

During the regular season the Chicago Bulls fared pretty well without their best player, but the playoffs are a whole different animal. The 76ers did lose their game today, but do the Bulls really stand a chance on winning this series? I’d say so. There is a lack of talent on that Philadelphia team that should easily be surpassed by the rest of the Bulls squad. But that lack of talent doesn’t exist nearly as much on any other team they would face if they do indeed move on. One team that the Bulls would face is either the Atlanta Hawks or the Boston Celtics. The Hawks have a decent amount of young talent that may pose a problem for the Bulls. You can’t count out the old, but surging Celtics either. They have three future Hall of Famer’s in Garnett, Allen, and Pierce, as well as one of the best point guards in the league in Rondo. They are likely to outmatch the Bulls in remaining talent, but you can’t count them out yet.

The Bulls have a unique chemistry as a team with or without Rose in the lineup. They have the deepest team in the NBA. But deep doesn’t always outmatch talent. If the Bulls were to advance through the first two rounds in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals would be in store bringing the Miami Heat and their “Big 3” to Chicago. With that brings a challenge that would surpass any other they would face. The Bulls will be without the only “superstar” on their roster. The Heat carries two of the best players in the world in LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Those two alone could outmatch any team in the NBA. Player for player, the Heat are the better team, but the one thing they lack is chemistry. The problem many teams seem to have is chemistry. The Heat’s superstars have proven to not be the best “tandem”. One player always seems to outshine the other. That seems like a good problem to have right? Not always. It leads to them being indecisive when it comes to who will take the last shot in the finals seconds of a close game. Neither has been able to step up in that situation. Although having two of the top few players in the world, the Heat lack “that guy”.  The Bulls, have “that guy” and have the chemistry that Miami lacks. But the man they could always lean on for a clutch shot, or a great game on a daily basis is now done for the remainder of the season, and probably into next season as well.

It’s now hard to predict how far the Bulls will get in these playoffs. I still believe they could get past the 76ers and whoever their second round matchup would be, but it all comes down to one thing; chemistry. It couldn’t be stressed enough. It takes a team to win a Championship, not just talent. If the Bulls come together and play solid I still expect to see them in the conference finals. That’s where there toughest matchup will lie, and from there, it’s up to them to prove that they can play with the best, even without their best player. Derrick Rose is one of the best players in the NBA and probably makes the biggest “single-handed” impact on his team more so than any other player in the NBA. With him, the Bulls “ceiling” is never ending, they can beat anyone. Without him, they’ve proven to succeed, but as said before, the Playoffs are a whole different animal, and it’s where the stars always seem to shine.