Why Haven’t The Chicago Bulls Given Derrick Rose Some Scoring Help?

The Chicago Bulls (post Michael Jordan) are known for their gritty, never-back-down attitude that is a mirror image of their coach, Tom Thibadeau. 

 

However, the main reason that the Bulls haven’t advanced to the next level of great-to-elite teams in the league is because of their lack of offensive output, particularly in the playoffs. 

Which could be a big reason why I could see star point guard Derrick Rose leaving for a better situation to possibly win a championship if the Bulls don’t correct the situation soon. 

Could Chicago Bulls All-Star Derrick Rose leave Chicago if the team doesn’t give him another legit scoring option?

Rose is a local product and has been a dominant powerhouse since he has come into the league in 2009 and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Rose has become the unquestioned leader of the Bulls and is counted on to have the most points, assists, steals and more each night. 

The problem comes when teams lock in on Rose and make him have to battle through screens and zone defense, he has to kick it out to guys like Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, and Marco Ballinelli before he left for San Antonio in the offseason. 

I am a fan of SG Luol Deng, but Deng is a solid player who can average right around 18-19 points a game, but in today’s world of the NBA, you have to have a true clutch shooter who can get 25 points per game consistently and outside of Rose, the Bulls are lacking in that area. 

My fear for Bulls fans is if GM Jerry Krause and Owner Jerry Reinsdorf don’t wake up soon and get Rose some help to take the pressure off a bit, Rose could look at other teams where he has more talent to work off of and have a more realistic chance to win an NBA Championship. 

Rose is coming off of a major ACL injury that made him miss the entire 2012-13 season, and during this preseason, the former all-star averaged 27 points per game during the last 3 games, but he will need some assistance to keep defenses honest while he is getting back in complete game shape and gaining more confidence in his game. 

Where Rose’s situation is different than what LeBron James went through in 2010 when he was choosing between Cleveland and Miami, Chicago is a top-3 media market in the United States (as Rose himself can attest to based on his shoe deal with Adidas) and a star player can come to Chicago, team up with Rose, gain or keep their stardom and become one of the top players in the league in terms of endorsements, commercials and other opportunities to expand their brand, a situation that the city of Cleveland couldn’t come close to offering LeBron at the time. 

Rose is in the prime of his career right now, and the longer that the Bulls organization believes that Carlos Boozer, Deng and Jimmy Butler are going to be able to help Rose in going up against the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets and others, its going to begin to creep in that the Bulls need another star or risk losing the most important player to the Bulls organization since Jordan left in 1998. 

There are two deals that I think could make the Bulls a contender in the immediate future: 

1) Trade Luol Deng to Los Angeles for Pau Gasol; work on being able to sign Gasol to a long-term deal. 

With bringing in Gasol, yes, you lose some of the defensive intensity from Deng, as well as his ability to guard anyone on the court, but Gasol’s offense would be the true catalyst in the deal. Gasol can shoot from the outside but also post up on the block giving the Bulls the ability to grind out games late with having both Gasol and Boozer able to get forwards and centers in foul trouble. 

2) Bring in Carmelo Anthony this offseason if Anthony opts out and becomes a free agent. 

If Anthony is matched up with Rose, the Bulls instantly become the best team in the East. Again, like Gasol, Anthony is not a great defensive player by any stretch of the imagination, but that’s not why you bring in a player like Carmelo. Anthony is instantly guaranteed to bring in 25-30 per night and if Rose continues at his pace and the role players just do their jobs and bring in 10-15 per night along with bringing in the defensive intensity, the Bulls become a true threat to the Miami Heat’s NBA Championship reign. 

If the Bulls can make one of those moves or if a player becomes available soon that the team can make a trade for, that will show Rose that the organization is truly committed to winning a championship. Right now, its just Rose and a bunch of good, scrappy guys who will get bounced in the first round again. 


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