Every year it seems that the Chicago Bulls are in the talk to compete for an NBA championship. The Bulls are always mentioned among the other favorites in the Eastern Conference, and rightfully so; this team has been a juggernaut in terms of defense and depth, two very important parts that a team must have in order to be considered a threat to win it all. The one thing that has plagued this team for the past few years, however, is offense, as the Bulls have struggled to find consistent ways to score the basketball, particularly from behind the three-point line.
One major reason behind why the offense has lacked firepower is because the Bulls’ star point guard Derrick Rose has been out with multiple injuries over the last two seasons, having only played in 10 games over that span for the Bulls. Rose just hasn’t been the same player since his 2010-11 season that resulted in an MVP award, and considering the Bulls are paying him a max contract, that is hurting the team significantly in more than one way.
For starters, the Bulls have been without the player that is the engine behind their offense. Rose’s ability to penetrate and draw the double team creates so many opportunities for the other players on his team, and many of them rely on being set up for a spot-up jump shot, easy layup or dunk because they are not as adept at creating their own offense.
Rose is the key creator for the Bulls, and it is hard to imagine Chicago having a lot of success without such an integral part of the offense. Not only can Rose set up plays for others, but he is one of the best scorers in the game when healthy, capable of putting up points from almost every area on the floor with efficiency. Offensive weapons like Rose don’t come around very often, but unfortunately he has not been able to showcase his talents in full in quite a long time.
Financially speaking, Rose being limited has hurt the team in a big way off the court. If Rose cannot play and be a contributor, then all of that money that he is being paid is technically being wasted. If Rose is healthy, he deserves all the money he can get, but if Rose cannot be counted on to have a strong impact and earn his contract, then the Bulls are really in a rough spot.
Being unable to use those dollars to upgrade the position and remain as competitive has eliminated the team from contention for multiple years now, and if that pattern stays true then the Bulls will be forced to examine other options regarding their superstar player.
If Rose’s latest comments about saving himself for life after basketball are to be taken seriously, then the argument can be made that Rose has lost faith in himself and his ability to stay healthy. Maybe Rose just doesn’t want to put championships over his potential future, or maybe he simply doesn’t care about the game as much as the general public has thought. Either way, between his spotty health and performance and those words that he recently uttered, the Bulls cannot trust Rose anymore.
Whether a trade is the answer — and I don’t know what team would gamble on him at this point — or just cutting him from the roster and taking the financial hit (the team is going to have to take a major blow one way or the other if he is not playing and healthy), the Bulls cannot go forward with Rose as their franchise player.
Chicago has enough pieces in place to not have to go through a rebuild if they were to move on from Rose, but the search for a new point guard has to begin now. The Chicago fans deserve better, and with a championship potentially in sight, the Bulls do not have a minute to waste.
Nathan Grubel is an NBA writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @The_Only_Grubes, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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