Can You Win a Title With Derrick Rose As Your Best Player

[SilkkTheShocker]

Say he comes back to play like he did pre-injury. Do you feel you can win a title with him as your best player?

[Hank]

[tikay0]

[Hank]

[BlackWhiteGreen]

It obviously depends on who the teammates are. A healthy pre-injury Rose is top 10, but if he has 2 top 20 teammates then they have little excuses for not winning the title. With the team he currently has? No, I don't think he can.

[tikay0]

[Hank]

[poido123]

....

[SilkkTheShocker]

What makes you think they can't? I mean, they are beating good teams without Rose, and they beat the Heat without Rose last time they played. People need to realise this is a much different team to last year, and definately different to the team that played 2 years ago in the finals against the Heat. Noah and Deng are in their prime, guys like butler are making huge strides, Nate and Marco have provided some good scoring punch and Boozer is looking much more comfortable in the system. I think a healthy Bulls team is good enough to take Miami in a series, and alot will depend on how easily Rose gets settled in after long injury layoff. They will need some luck in the matchups in the finals, they do not want to take on a physical pacers team, or even Philly with Bynum...They need an easier run, so they are fresh and ready to take down the Heat, but they will need a good finals run to do it.

Deng might be in his prime, but that guy gets absolutely demolished by LeBron. Like historically, LeBron has owned his soul.

[Graviton]

Healthy Bulls can beat any West team, problem is Lebron James and Miami. When you have 3 all-stars that can all score vs 1 all star it doesn't matter if that 1 star is Shaq. Bulls just don't have the fire power to beat the Heat. They may eventually get a championship when Wade declines and Lebron is 30+, but they have little chance now.

Deng can't shoot or create his own shot, and his defense is useless vs Lebron. He has no idea how to guard superstars. Butler is a much better defender.

Hamilton/Bellineli will be slaughtered by Wade, Bulls SG situation is still terrible.

Boozer vanishes in the playoffs vs quick/long PFs like Bosh, bad matchup there too.

Noah/Rose are their only advantages, but Miami has the advantage in other 3 positions. Heat also have better shooters, better bench and just as good a defense on top of better offense with 3pt shooting and fastbreak edge.

Bulls win games by outworking their opponents, problem is everyone plays hard in the playoffs and that edge isn't there.

[poido123]

It obviously depends on who the teammates are. A healthy pre-injury Rose is top 10, but if he has 2 top 20 teammates then they have little excuses for not winning the title. With the team he currently has? No, I don't think he can.

What makes you think they can't? I mean, they are beating good teams without Rose, and they beat the Heat without Rose last time they played. People need to realise this is a much different team to last year, and definately different to the team that played 2 years ago in the finals against the Heat. Noah and Deng are in their prime, guys like butler are making huge strides, Nate and Marco have provided some good scoring punch and Boozer is looking much more comfortable in the system. I think a healthy Bulls team is good enough to take Miami in a series, and alot will depend on how easily Rose gets settled in after long injury layoff. They will need some luck in the matchups in the finals, they do not want to take on a physical pacers team, or even Philly with Bynum...They need an easier run, so they are fresh and ready to take down the Heat, but they will need a good finals run to do it.

[tikay0]

[LoneyROY7]

Shout-out to Derrick Rose, man that ni**a nice.

[BlackWhiteGreen]

What makes you think they can't? I mean, they are beating good teams without Rose, and they beat the Heat without Rose last time they played. People need to realise this is a much different team to last year, and definately different to the team that played 2 years ago in the finals against the Heat. Noah and Deng are in their prime, guys like butler are making huge strides, Nate and Marco have provided some good scoring punch and Boozer is looking much more comfortable in the system. I think a healthy Bulls team is good enough to take Miami in a series, and alot will depend on how easily Rose gets settled in after long injury layoff. They will need some luck in the matchups in the finals, they do not want to take on a physical pacers team, or even Philly with Bynum...They need an easier run, so they are fresh and ready to take down the Heat, but they will need a good finals run to do it.

Well, for a start, Rose hasn't played a game with this years' team, compared to the efficient machine that is the Heat. He'll need reintegrating, the offense will have to be worked back around him. You're also saying they'll need luck and good matchups to win, which is true, but then that's another variant - at present they'd match up against Atlanta, then New York and Miami without homecourt, and wouldn't have homecourt against the Thunder or Clippers in the Finals. That's a fair amount of luck needed to get an easier run, like Milwaukee then Brooklyn before Miami, and even then, it comes down to the same issues that team had against Miami in 2011 - there isn't a dominant wing scorer, Boozer disappears and it winds up being 1-on-5 offensively and you just can't win 4 games in a series against Miami like that.

If Miami weren't in their path I'd say they have a puncher's chance, although I like NYK to give them a big scare off their insane offensive potential. As it is, they won't get past the conference finals.

[poido123]

Deng might be in his prime, but that guy gets absolutely demolished by LeBron. Like historically, LeBron has owned his soul.

History is meant to be broken. If Deng's soul is owned by Lebron as you say, a strong improvement on that would help Bulls chances immensely right? Let's not forget that series 2 years ago was close, this is a more experienced and cohesive unit now. Key players are playing their best basketball, guys like Marco, Nate, Butler have been great, all that is left now is for Rose to get back and play near his best or better...