All fans and media think the Chicago Bulls can do to win a championship is wait for Derrick Rose to get healthy and find him a second superstar to team with. Are there other ways to help out the young point guard when he returns?
Bill Russell says Bulls can get way more out of Joakim Noah
Sadly Chicago fans aren't known for their patience when it comes to good things. The Bulls had a good team in 2011 that took the top seed in the NBA. They fought the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals a season before and were viewed as the only team that could stop LeBron James from getting to the championship series. However like any machine the Bulls lost their engine when Rose tore his ACL and no one got to see if Chicago could do it. Most experts now see the Bulls maybe making the playoffs but little else. They don't seem to have a strong enough roster to win without Rose. To Hall of Fame center Bill Russell, that is totally untrue. The eleven-time champion said Chicago has a second star in center Joakim Noah. While the fourth-year pro out of Florida has made his name in defense and rebounding, one piece of his game Russell says the Bulls haven't used enough is his passing. He stated a good passer is far more important to an offense than a good shooter. Noah was among the best in the league last season averaging 2.5 assists per game. If what Russell says is true then the Bulls might have a way to score more points without Rose.
Rose can learn from Adrian Peterson in making NBA return
Many athletes say that rushing back from an injury isn't the best idea but history shows it can have great benefits. The thing about Derrick Rose and his knee injury is everyone equates the star point guard with relying on his explosiveness to make plays on offense. In truth he proved in 2011-2012 he had a deadly shooting touch. While he continue rehab, which he says is going "well," his exercises on the court will focus more on shooting until the knee is sound enough to take the fierce movement that comes with playing basketball. What fans forget is experts have Rose pegged for a return after the All-Star break. The big fear is he won't trust the knee and will take far longer to return to the form that won him MVP two seasons ago. It may not take that much time. Rose can look around the sports world and find examples of players who returned to top form much faster. The latest inspiration is Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson who overcame a torn ACL and PCL to start the week 1 opener. He ended up with 17 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings won the game. Basketball is a different sport but it isn't so unreasonable to believe Rose can shake off the rust by next May, when the playoffs roll around. Then anything can happen.
The Chicago Bulls were a good team last season. Joakim Noah was part of it and Bill Russell thinks he can become a bigger part. His rise along with a focused return by Rose has a good chance of making their team a dark horse in the playoffs this coming season.
Photo Credit - Sports Grid
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