Chicago Bulls: Game 3 Confirms Worries of Derrick Rose-Less Roster
If you hadn’t given up on the Chicago Bulls winning the NBA championship before, you had to have lost your rose-colored glasses after watching Game 3.
Without Derrick Rose, most had given up hope of a title run but still expected an extended stay in this rather one-sided first-round playoff series.
The Bulls offense ran stagnant for long stretches of Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, but Chicago still showed their ability to clamp down on defense.
No one on the Bulls roster was able to knock down a shot consistently. C.J. Watson and John Lucas III failed to inspire any confidence as replacements for Rose, shooting a combined 4-16 on the night.
The free-agent pickup that was supposed to put the Bulls over the top, Richard Hamilton, has proven to be a flop in his first year with the team.
Hamilton relied almost completely on drawing fouls to make up for his maladjusted shot. Luol Deng is having the worst shooting year of his career, which can be partially blamed on the torn ligament in his wrist.
And while Carlos Boozer was the best player on the court for the Bulls on Friday, he absolutely vanished in the fourth quarter (watch the fourth quarter film back and you’ll catch a few air balls).
The third quarter saw Joakim Noah plant his full body weight as his ankle rolled on a fast-break, marking him ineffective for the rest of the game—he is now doubtful to return for Game 4.
Despite all of this, the Bulls were still ahead 67-54 early in the fourth quarter, but once the 76ers realized the hole in the Bulls defense, they came back to the tune of 10 fourth quarter points.
Philadelphia’s Spencer Hawes took control of the game in Noah’s absence and was one of the key factors in the Bulls’ late collapse.
In the first three games of this series, the Bulls lost last season’s reigning MVP and now have lost the leader of the team’s stingy defense.
What was witnessed in the fourth quarter of Game 3 was a team left feeling hollow after fighting their way to the top of the league’s standings for the second season in a row.
Without Rose and Noah, the Bulls are left as a ship with no rudder. A once promising season will likely draw to a depressing end in the first round with nothing but questions left for the future.
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Kinesiologist: Derrick Rose Will Get Injured Again Within 18 Months
Chicago Bulls fans, already reeling from the loss of Derrick Rose for the 2012 NBA Playoffs due to a severe knee injury, will be crushed by the latest blog post from noted sports kinesiologist Zig Ziegler. After reviewing Rose’s injury history and game tape Ziegler pointed out the extreme risk of another injury Rose faces given his style of play:
Now, one thing to keep in mind is that some of Rose’s injuries occur because he plays fearlessly with reckless abandon. It is that style of play that now with an ACL and MCL injury could lead to more injuries from Rose. In addition to the risk of more injuries (next up is either a reoccurrence of the left ACL tear or a tear of the right ACL within 12 to 18 months (which is actually pretty common).
Predicting someone who has had a knee injury will have another one might sound like crying wolf but Ziegler isn’t just some random fan or sportswriter. He works regularly with elite athletes and accurately predicted the injuries to G…
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2012 NBA Playoffs: Derrick Rose’s Injury Will Be Too Much for Bulls to Overcome
Derrick Rose’s injury-induced absence from the Chicago Bulls‘ lineup proved too much to overcome as the Bulls dropped Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup to the Philadelphia 76ers. The loss illustrates the difficulty the Bulls will face in overcoming Rose’s injury to advance in the playoffs.
The Bulls struggled on the offensive end and missed Rose’s leadership as the 76ers ran away with the game in the second half. Without Rose’s offensive prowess and leadership, the Bulls are an incomplete team.
When Rose is out of the lineup, the Bulls struggle to score points. The 76ers were able to free their defense from focusing all of their attention on Rose. Not having to send extra defenders at Rose allowed them to matchup one-on-one and pressure the Bulls into difficult shots.
This was especially apparent in the third quarter as the Bulls suffered through a quarter-long scoring drought. The Bulls spent the third quarter bricking long jumpers and turning the ball over, allowing the 76ers to turn an eight-point deficit into a 14-point lead.
A healthy Rose could have helped the Bulls end the scoring drought and bring the game back under control.
In addition to missing his offense, the Bulls were in desperate need of Rose’s leadership. As Game 2 began to slip away, the Bulls looked lost and unsure of how to respond to the 76ers’ run. No one on the team stepped up. There was no one there to say, “I got this.”
This is where the Bulls will miss Rose the most. Rose has the swagger necessary to put the team on his back and take over a game.
Rose’s injury will likely result in a shorter playoff run than the Bulls were hoping for. Yet, even without Rose, a first-round exit would be shocking.
Maybe the emotion of the night and the realization that Rose isn’t there to rescue them was too much for the Bulls to overcome in their first game since Rose’s injury. Maybe they’ll see the tape, be embarrassed at their performance and clean up their defense and rebounding issues before Game 3. The coaching staff might even make adjustments that allow the Bulls to be more efficient on the offensive end.
These are all things the Bulls can do to give themselves a better chance to win this series. But what they can’t do by looking at film is find a leader and go to guy in difficult situations. That was what Derrick Rose was for.
The Bulls can’t replace Rose. And not having Rose may prove too difficult a burden to overcome.
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How Derrick Rose Injury Gives Philadelphia 76ers the Edge in NBA Playoffs 2012
No one ever likes when a player gets hurt.
Especially when he is as good of a guy like Derrick Rose.
Rose is the reigning MVP of the NBA where his 2011 season made him a near unanimous selection. He is loved by his teammates, he is easy to cheer because he always has a good attitude, and this past year he had the most popular jersey. He is quickly becoming one of the faces of the NBA.
However, his coaches made a crucial error when he was left in Game 1 late against the Philadelphia 76ers.
With 1:10 to go and the Bulls up 12, Rose tore his ACL going up for a shot. It didn’t look like anyone touched him, just a severe stroke of bad luck for a guy who always seems like he has everything going his way.
The coaches’ lack of foresight may cost them dearly as they have to turn to journeyman guard C.J. Watson for the rest of the playoffs. While the Bulls fared well without Rose this season, going 18-9 without him, the playoffs are a different breed and the Bulls have yet to show who they really are without their leader.
The Sixers have played the Bulls well this season as well as last year. They beat the Bulls in Chicago last season with a full lineup and beat them in Philadelphia this year as well. They have competed well in the losses and those games could have went either way.
Without Rose, this is a golden opportunity for the Sixers to take advantage and even up the series tomorrow night in Chicago.
Despite their eighth-seeded ranking, the Sixers started the season 20-9 and very early on were considered to be the best team in the NBA. They were a unit on offense, but it was their stifling defense that won them games.
They were considered a team without a star player because no one guy stood out from the rest. Even though they eventually cooled off, they still managed a winning record (35-31), something they haven’t done in more than seven years.
In fact, the Bulls were only 15 wins better than them and the Sixers lost a lot of games they shouldn’t have. In reality, they may have only been five to 10 games better than the Sixers. The win-loss record should have very little bearing as to how good the Sixers really are compared to the Bulls.
Without Rose, the Sixers now face a team without their best player and one where they should no problem running all over. They should play like they did in January when they were beating good teams and silencing all the critics who thought they weren’t as good as they really were. The Sixers are at full strength and have had multiple days to reset and get re-energized for their game tomorrow.
This little series over in the Eastern Conference just got a bit more interesting.
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Derrick Rose: Is Tom Thibodeau Being Unfairly Blamed for Injury?
Who is to blame?
It is the question being asked around Chicago, since Derrick Rose went down hurt Saturday. With just over a minute to go in Game 1 on Saturday, Rose’s left knee buckled and resulted in him suffering a torn ACL. He will miss the remainder of the playoffs and is looking at six to nine months of rehab.
This is a huge blow to a fan base that was expecting this team to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals and possibly win the NBA championship.
Many fans have pointed the finger at head coach Tom Thibodeau. Some have blamed the condensed schedule, due to the lockout. Others have just tossed it up to this not being Rose’s year as he missed 27 regular-season games. Could this be the result of all these injuries?
There is a good case to be made for any of these possible causes. Maybe it is some combination causing a perfect storm.
Should Rose have been in the game?
I was at the game and was openly questioning why Rose was still in the game. During the fourth quarter, the Bulls held a 20-point lead and at the time of the injury the Bulls were still up 12. The 76ers had pulled most of their starters, and while the bench was making a run, it was clear the game was over.
However, Thibodeau felt the score was going the other way and the game was in doubt. Proof of such thinking is that fellow starters Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng were on the floor with Rose. Richard Hamilton was the only starter not in the game.
The old saying is the lead is never safe, and Thibodeau also said that Rose needed to play to get back in rhythm. Wouldn’t 35 minutes of action been fine instead of the 37 minutes he played?
There is a great case to be made that perhaps Rose suffered so many injuries this season because there was no down time. Normally a team would play five games every two weeks in a regular season. Sometimes this season teams were playing eight to 10 games every two weeks.
The condensed schedule also put more pressure on a player to return quickly, in order to not miss as many games. Missing a month meant missing a quarter of the season.
It is very possible that none of his previous injuries had fully healed, causing him to over compensate, which then resulted in this new injury.
There is also the pressure Thibodeau puts on every game. Could him playing Rose too many minutes throughout the year have caused this?
Could it be Rose’s own fault?
What if he decided to sit or shut him down for an extended part of the season?
Personally, I think it is all these things and they should share the blame evenly. However, Thibodeau has been receiving the brunt of it because it’s hard to blame the hurt guy or injuries or the schedule.
With all that being said, I will still stand by my immediate reaction once I heard word of the injury. It is probably unfair but as a fan it is hard to support the reasoning for why Rose was in the game.
What do you think, Bulls fans? Who is to blame for this injury or is it just bad luck? Sound off below.
Make sure to follow me on Twitter @dachicagofan, and check out my weekly Bulls podcast every Wednesday on my site, The MG Experience.
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Shaq, Barkley, Magic: Derrick Rose knee injury ruins Bulls
“This kills their championship aspirations,” says Sir Charles, as he and other NBA TV analysts assess the impact of Saturday’s ligament tear
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Why Blaming Tom Thibodeau for Derrick Rose’s Injury Is Insane
There are three certainties in this world: death, taxes and the fact that someone has to take the blame for everything. In the case of Derrick Rose‘s season-ending knee injury, it’s none other than head coach Tom Thibodeau, who has taken the majority of criticism sent Chicago’s way.
While it’s understandable for the blame to rest on the shoulders of the man who left Rose on the floor, it’s hardly rational to ignore the surrounding factors. For instance, Derrick Rose has not closed out many games this season due to his surplus of injuries. He’s also attempting to send a message by taking the “no plays off” approach.
A mentality the Bulls should continue to enforce, even with Rose’s injury throwing up the caution flags.
In contrast to that theory, the Bulls could have rested Rose. Upon doing so, his late-game status would be questionable at best, as he’s missed close to half of the Bulls’ games, games that have often come down to the final few possessions.
Therefore, the answer is yes. Thibodeau is to blame for attempting to keep Derrick Rose in the game until the final whistle. But he’s also to thank for the Bulls holding the NBA‘s best record despite Rose’s absence.
So you tell me, which one is more important?
Rather than crumbling under pressure and trembling at adversity, this Chicago Bulls team is entirely ready to take on the rest of the Eastern Conference. Thibodeau has disciplined his team to play hard from buzzer to buzzer, and due to that fact, Derrick Rose’s injury is what every coach refers to as a “good injury.”
In other words, it’s an injury that occurred due to effort and hustle. An injury that can only be accredited to the proper values of a professional basketball player.
Thibodeau is not to blame. He’s to praise for a brilliant season, a stellar coaching job and the fact that the Bulls will not lay down and die upon their star’s injury.
Tom Thibodeau remains an elite coach who has only made the right decisions.
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Why Chicago Bulls Can Still Win the Title Without Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose is out for the remainder of the season, but the Bulls, as a whole, are still alive.
While Rose’s absence does hinder Chicago’s pursuit of an NBA title this year, it far from kills it.
After a regular season laden with turmoil and uncertainty, the Bulls finished tied for the league’s best record, proving that their as formidable opponent as any.
With or without Rose.
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NBA Playoffs 2012: What Derrick Rose’s Injury Means for LeBron James
I’m sure you know by now that Derrick Rose‘s run in the 2012 NBA playoffs is over, thanks to a torn ACL in the Bulls’ first-round matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.
While the debate will go on surrounding who’s to blame for the reigning MVP’s season-ending injury and how losing their star point guard will impact the Chicago Bulls‘ pursuit of a 2012 NBA title, there’s no doubt that it has a significant impact on the outcome of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Before Rose’s injury, we all thought fans were destined to see a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat.
Now that Rose is out though, the Eastern Conference title looks like it’s not going to be going through Chicago anymore.
The shift of the Eastern Conference now focuses to the number two team in the East—the Miami Heat.
While the Eastern Conference title now appears to be rolling straight through South Beach, there’s no doubt that Derrick Rose’s torn ACL will have a huge impact on one player, and that player is LeBron James.
There are quite a few things that Rose’s torn ACL means for LeBron James and the first thing it means is that LeBron’s path to a second straight NBA Finals just got that much easier.
LeBron and the Heat are a shoe-in for the 2012 NBA Finals
Even with Derrick Rose, the Bulls still were set up to have their hands full with the Miami Heat if both teams met up in the Eastern Conference Finals.
While the Bulls and Heat split their regular-season series, there’s no doubt that without Derrick Rose the Bulls lose any kind of backcourt advantage they may have had with him.
Now that the Bulls are without their star point guard, the focus of the East shifts to just how easy of a road the Heat have to make it to the NBA Finals.
With the Bulls’ playoff future in question, the next best team beside the Heat in the East is the Boston Celtics, and while the C’s have had the Heat’s number in the regular season, I’d still put my money on the Heat to take that potential ECF matchup.
While it’s great for the Heat and their fans that the Heat’s path to the 2012 NBA Finals just got a little easier, it certainly will have an impact on LeBron’s 2012 legacy.
A 2012 NBA title for LeBron will be tainted, at least a little
For argument’s sake, let’s say that LeBron and the Heat run through the playoff competition and win the 2012 NBA championship.
If that happens, it will be a step in the right direction for LeBron’s epic legacy, but there’s no doubt that LeBron’s critics will point to Rose’s absence as a reason to discount his first ring.
Any true competitor will tell you that winning is that much sweeter when you’ve beaten the best at their best, and unfortunately, LeBron doesn’t have that luxury this season as one of his biggest competitors is out of the playoff picture.
If LeBron hoists the 2012 Larry O’Brien championship trophy at the end of the season, his biggest critics will point to the fact that he didn’t have to beat the best to win his first ring, and they will use that to tarnish the foundation of his NBA legacy.
While it shouldn’t matter who LeBron beats on his way to his first NBA championship, the fact of the matter is that it will matter, and it will complicate LeBron’s legacy that much more.
With that being said, Derrick Rose’s torn ACL not only complicates the potential legacy of a 2012 NBA title for LeBron, it also robs NBA fans of the best and most competitive possible Eastern Conference Finals matchup.
While Rose’s injury certainly impacts the Chicago Bulls and their playoff success the most, the impact Rose’s torn ACL has on LeBron is a close second.
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NBA community reacts to Derrick Rose’s injury
Fellow Bulls fans aren’t the only ones hurting for Derrick Rose after he tore his ACL. Fellow NBA players showed their support on Twitter.
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