Bulls will be desperate for Rose to return after horror show in OKC.
The Chicago Bulls fell to a 102-72 loss against Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, which saw them fall to 32-24 for the season and drop to sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Without the services of star point guard Derrick Rose all season after his ACL tear in the play-offs last year, the Bulls have performed admirably in his absence.
Bringing in Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson in the off-season after breaking up the famous ‘Bench Mob’, the Bulls are still firmly in play-off contention and are likely to feature in the post-season.
However, without Rose that is as far as it goes as yet again, after coming up against a powerhouse in the NBA they failed miserably.
On Thursday night, Chicago found themselves in a similar situation when faced with the Miami Heat. LeBron James and Co. enjoyed an easy night in the ‘Windy City’, coasting to a 86-67 win despite a display littered with turnovers.
The atmosphere around the United Center was soured slightly prior to tip-off in that game, with Rose’s brother, Reggie, publicly criticising the Bulls front office for their lack of movement before the trade deadline.
“What have you pieced together? Have you made any moves? Have you made any trades to get better? You know all roads to the championship lead through Miami,” he told ESPN Chicago.
While All-Stars Joakim Noah and Luol Deng escaped his wrath, he practically aimed his criticism at the rest of the roster. While it isn’t his place to tell the media that, perhaps he does have a point.
In Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls have a coach that will simply not allow them to fall away from the play-off picture. He prides himself on defense, but it is the offense that drastically requires improvement.
However, without Rose they don’t have the roster to compete with the ‘big boys’. If the former MVP isn’t ready to return before the end of the season, the Bulls may as well start planning for next year.
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