There’s a reason Derrick Rose has refused to do any recruiting of fellow All-Stars who enter the free agent fray.
Maybe Rose has known all along what many of the critics who suggested he wasn’t worthy of his MVP trophy last season (yes John Schuhmann, I’m talking about you!) have been screaming about since last season, these Bulls are much more about the collective than they are about any one player.
And that’s not to diminish the greatness of Rose. But the numbers, in this case, do not lie. The Bulls are a robust 13-5 without Rose this season and after watching them dismantle the Hawks last night (above) with Rose on the sideline, it’s become pretty obvious that whatever Tom Thibodeau and his staff have cooked up in Chicago is clearly not predicated solely on Rose stirring the pot.
It’s clear Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and the fellas are perfectly capable of handling things offensively if Rose is unavailable.
Rose got the MVP last season because he carried the team who had injuries to pretty much everyone else. This season, he's the one who has been injured and the team is stepping up. This season is the second year the whole group has been together, giving them a lot more trust in each other. We didn't have that last year, and it's making a big difference.
We can say 'numbers don't lie' here too. When across the league assist numbers are down, and turnovers are up, Chicago's A/TO ratio is higher. And we're right at the top of the league in team assists; while missing 2 key guys who can get the other guys easy buckets. Those numbers don't lie.
Good players learn from other good players. Why is it a surprise that the highest IQ position is so deep on the Bulls? CJ and Lucas practice against Derrick every day, and get coached by one of the best living coaches. Why is our passing so much better? Well, you have one of the best passing swingmen hurt, he has to help the team grow in other ways.
It's a recipe that most GMs can't seem to figure out, and not to the credit of Pax, we managed to bring in a few key players that took our young guys up a notch. Brad Miller being vital to how Noah performs.
Good players learn from other good players. Why is it a surprise that the highest IQ position is so deep on the Bulls? CJ and Lucas practice against Derrick every day, and get coached by one of the best living coaches. Why is our passing so much better? Well, you have one of the best passing swingmen hurt, he has to help the team grow in other ways.
It's a recipe that most GMs can't seem to figure out, and not to the credit of Pax, we managed to bring in a few key players that took our young guys up a notch. Brad Miller being vital to how Noah performs.
Bulls keep winning without Derrick Rose
