Just when I overlook his brilliance, he slaps me with a reminder that he's still an all-time great player doing things that point guards rarely do.
Derrick Rose doesn't look 100 percent healed to me and it doesn't help that he clapped knees with speedster Tony Parker (anyone who has experienced this before, cringed on their couch like they just inhaled mustard through their nose), but he's still the most explosive player in the game next to LeBron James...and still the fastest.
Of course this doesn’t matter because LeBron is having his best season as a pro and does deserve to be the MVP. Though, to look at LeBron, you still wonder just how good Rose would be if he had a player nearly as good as Chris Bosh to turn to on offense, let alone Dwyane Wade.
But that’s sort of like wondering what it would be like if you were born somewhere else and hadn’t decided to major in journalism (that’s called self deprecation). Chris Paul, LeBron and Russell Westbrook get all those toys (Jack Nicholson's Joker) and Rose has to dump off to a shy Kyle Korver in important situations. Noah doesn't want the ball, nor does Taj...and Boozer isn't even on the court. Deng, who has become a good spot-up shooter and a wonderful beta star, isn't what we'd call a scorer.
Nevertheless, this was fun. It was one to savor in a season where too few match-ups were worth our times.
In many ways, it’s been a grind for fans to watch this—New Orleans, Charlotte, Detroit, Toronto and then, just when a matchup might have mattered, Derrick Rose was down.
This win doesn’t necessarily bring them closer to the promise land. It functions more of a sigh of relief. With so much uncertainty and shoulder-shrugging performances, you like to see your best player take over in consecutive nights and do it under difficult circumstances.
He dazzled like it was 2011.And as the Tom Thibodeau script goes: They beat the hell out of the slow, small San Antonio Spurs on the boards with another inspired Joakim Noah performance that should be expected every outing—not just sometimes.
I’ve made it clear a few times that I don’t think Noah is a star, but a very useful/important player that gives the Bulls an advantage against teams like Miami. Though, he simply hasn’t demonstrated this kind of pluckiness in the 2011 playoffs (when he seemed to be hurt and still ailing) and didn’t return any better to start this season.
He is a frustrating player because his gifts aren’t a product of touch or confidence, they’re really a matter of professionalism in the off-season. He doesn’t do a good enough job staying in shape, which is why he’s finally rounded into form halfway through this truncated season.
But again, when things tighten up: Is it going to be Carlos Boozer or Taj Gibson? Sure, Boozer has been a decent offensive option these past 20 games, but he doesn’t seem to hold up when the Bulls play a big-boy team like the Spurs.
The Rip Hamilton thing hasn’t catapulted the way…well, no one really expected much from his return, but another terrible shooting night doesn’t lift my confidence. He’ll shoot better, but I’m concerned about his health. How hurt is he really?
He looks tight—not the usual fluid, wiggly style that basketball heads are accustomed to seeing.
Taj Gibson has given the Bulls another lift, reinforcing Thibodeau’s belief in defense before offense. While Gibson has been a disappointment this season, he is still a crucial fallback option when the team can’t expect much from Boozer.
How good would Derrick Rose be with a real stretch four? I’m talking about a Danillo Gallinari-Andre Bargnani-Kevin-Love type. You see that he has to run his pick and roll through Joakim Noah (who can’t shoot) or Luol Deng, who usually brings the opposition’s most athletic defender with them to help blitz Rose.
The best way to exploit these match-ups is to have Rose paired with a four who can stretch the court. While Boozer is typically a good face up shooter, he needs to have the ball in certain spots on the floor and doesn’t really threaten to dive. We should also keep in mind that the league has changed: low-post scorers aren't really pivot players anymore. Court spacing is really the objective and that's why Miami can take advantage of the Bulls' deficiencies.
Boozer doesn’t have a shooter’s release either, which would mean he could get rid of it faster. While the Bulls are a championship contender this season, I wonder how interested they would be in bringing Nikola Mirotic from Europe sooner than planned.
On Wednesday, Derrick, at one point, had to carry the load with four non-scorers on the court--Ronnie Brewer, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Deng, who did end up hitting two crucial shots on a night when he couldn’t score or create.
As the trade deadline nears, a lot goes unknown with this Bulls team (primarily health). But at least you know they have the game’s best closer and one of its finest players.
Contact Mike Mitchell at michaelkennethmitchell@gmail.com
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