Can We Now Start the Season? Ready for the Return of Derrick Rose? Bulls Championship Chances..

FROM MY LIVING ROOM—Get ready…for Derrick Rose.

I feel like I just read the crappy part of the book where we are obligated to read the character development of the less important characters. But it’s crucial for the plot. In the Mice of Men, Lenny and George were at the fore, but we needed to read about Curly to truly despise him. HBO does this as handsomely as anyone in their many mini epics—Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones as of late. 

We realize we need to watch or experience these scenes but are not particularly excited to do so. For the Chicago Bulls and this shoulder-shrugging run, Thursday night’s triumph over the Boston Celtics on national TV was a nice appetizer before the main course.  It makes Rose’s return on Sunday so much richer, just like a great book.

Look, the Boston Celtics are done. Have been. Everyone knows it, except for Danny Ainge, who wants two-first rounders, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin  for Ray Allen or Paul Pierce. They are still talented enough to remain competitive but they’re a first round out in this NBA. And if the East weren’t so top-heavy and bottom-thin, they would be out of the playoffs. 

Nevertheless, this was a quality win for the Bulls who—HOPEFULLY—have played their last game without Derrick Rose this season. Even Rip Hamilton was useful in this contest, despite shooting 1 for 5 in the first half. He remained aggressive and continued to run some of those patented floppy and back screen sets. He even dunked.

“Holy shit,” I uttered, while I was nursing pork chop leftovers from Wednesday.

I just turned 31 and every time I try to dunk, it hurts like hell. I never really could, mostly bragging to my wife that I can dunk a tennis ball or softball at 25. But when working out or shooting around, I try it and it hurts like hell. There are muscles that you didn’t know existed and when you try to launch your body that hard (plus the added 10 pounds), your knees and quads feel like they’re going to burst.

Then again, I’m not a professional athlete. But it was nice to see Hamilton actually begin to work himself into the game and he does give the Bulls another bona fide offensive option that could be intriguing by the playoffs.

But it makes me think: Could this all workout? Could Derrick Rose return to MVP form by season’s end? 

Could Rip Hamilton remain in the game and return to his normal self (because we haven’t yet seen it in a Bulls’ uniform)? Could Luol Deng be counted on with that balky wrist? Will Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer melt again against real competition?

Will the Bulls hit shots? Will Kyle Korver ever catch a ball?

Will Omer Asik deliver some of the crucial defense we saw last year? What about Derrick’s shooting?

Hey, I can keep going. They’re all real concerns and unknowns, and yet, here we are with the best record in the NBA with the best strategist in the NBA and the MVP on his way back Sunday. Shouldn’t we be doing happy dances or Jersey Shore-esque  fist pumps?

Why doesn’t it feel like we can get out of our own way when it comes to Bulls’ bliss?

Maybe this goes back to the idea ignorance is bliss and smart and miserable thing.

“Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.”- Ernest Hemingway.

But I don’t believe that really, so what category does that put me in?

Where the Miami Heat Stand…

In the midst of this stretch has been the unsteady and questionable play of the Miami Heat. They’ve regressed from their cousin earlier this season. In small doses they show why they’re the best team in the NBA. Most of the time, they vacillate between “holy-shit-did-you-see-that?” to “they’re not perfect—hey, once we get Rip back” play.

However, if you’re a Heat fan, you have to be concerned about the team’s rebounding. LeBron James is a marvel, an incredible force, but he can only expend so much energy on both ends, and the team is vulnerable on the glass.

I’m not a huge metrics guy, but look at this piece. It shows that NBA champions tend to lead the NBA in rebounding differential. The Bulls are the best; the Heat are not even close.

In other words, am I becoming a believer in the Bulls chances to win a title? Didn’t I just say they were the third best team behind the Thunder and Heat the other day?

Put it this way, you can’t assess a team without its most important piece, nor its second or third piece, and frankly we haven’t had the opportunity to do just that this year. The Bulls are close to a title, but there are still barriers in front of them.

If they can only get out of their own way.

Contact Mike Mitchell at michaelkennethmitchell@gmail.com.