The Bulls are Back

He drove right with Bryan Russell guarding him, stepped back (maybe a push-off) and drained the game winning shot to beat the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. That was Michael Jordan's last shot as a Bull and it also signaled the end of the Chicago dynasty. After that sixth title Jordan retired from the game, Phil Jackson left for Los Angeles and Scottie Pippen signed with the Rockets. The following year the new-look Bulls drafted Elton Brand out of Duke and Ron Artest from St. John's. For years the Bulls suffered through losing seasons with terrible draft picks (i.e.- Marcus Fizer, Eddy Curry, Michael Ruffin, Jake Voskuhl) and frequent head coaching changes. It was a nightmare in Chicago.

In 2003 the Bulls hired Scott Skiles and, along with some smarter draft picks made strides. However, after awhile Skiles was fired and the next coach, Vinny Del Negro, met the same fate. In 2010-11 its obvious that former Number 1 pick Derrick Rose and center Joakim Noah are a solid young core and new head coach Tom Thibodeau seems to be the right man for the job. The Bulls also had one of the best offseasons of teams not named the Miami Heat by signing Carlos Boozer, a low post scoring threat they have desperately needed. Sharpshooter Kyle Korver and slasher, Ronnie Brewer also signed in Chicago.

Superstars like Bosh, LeBron and Wade were available this summer and LeBron and Wade expressed interest in the Bulls. At the beginning of the summer I was hoping and wishing that one of them would come to Chicago to team up with Rose and Noah and I was disappointed when LeBron said he was taking his talents to South Beach and not the Windy City. However, as the season goes on it is more and more apparent that the Bulls don't need one of those superstar scorers. When the trade talks started heating up for Carmelo Anthony it has been said that Chicago is one of his preferred destinations yet you won't see Bulls fans throwing out the Welcome mat for him. These days Bulls fans are pretty content with their team. Rose has shouldered much of the scoring load, averaging 24.4 points per game but the offense is fluid and moves through everybody before a shot goes up. The Bulls do not have a player who stalls the offense such as a LeBron or Carmelo. Signing one of those players would hurt the chemistry Chicago has because once the ball gets in their hands the offense stops and it becomes a game of one-on-one. In the NBA teams need a guy who can go one-on-one at the end of the shot clock and the Bulls have their man in Rose but at the same time he understands to move the ball.

The signing of Carlos Boozer has given the Bulls a low post presence that they needed and, although they haven't been on the floor together that much, he has meshed with Joakim Noah nicely. Boozer has missed 18 games due to a broken wrist and an ankle sprain while Noah has been sitting out since the middle of December. Together the two average nearly 22 rebounds a game and complement each other well. Boozer rebounds and does the scoring while Noah is content with rebounding, bringing energy and being a defensive presence. Those two along with solid backups Kurt Thomas, who scored 20 points in a game this season for the first time since 2005, and Omer Asik make up a group of big men that can contend with Boston and Orlando in the East. Boozer's offense down low will be very valuable come playoff time when the team must play series and Rose can't do it all by himself.

And then there is Rose, the former Number 1 pick who graduated from Chicago's very own Simeon High. We are watching him improve every year and now in his third season D-Rose looks like a frontrunner for the MVP, an award that hasn't been in Chicago since 1998 when Jordan won his fifth. Derrick Rose is everything a superstar these days is not. He is humble and always looks at his accomplishments as a team. He deflects praise because he knows there is still work to done. As far as this Bulls team has come there is still a great journey ahead and Rose, despite being only 22, realizes that. He works hard on all areas of his game and it shows. For example, Rose shot 22% and 26% from 3-point land in his first two seasons. He averaged just 0.8 attempts from downtown last year but this year that number is up to 4.2 and he is hitting better than 37% of those.

A championship team needs a leader and Rose is that guy for the Bulls who are still a young team compared to perrenial greats such as the Lakers and Celtics. Boozer is a proven low post scorer and rebounder while Noah is the energy player who does everything in between. Chicago has a deep bench and good role players. At 33-14 the have one of the best records and Noah isn't even playing. The Bulls are back among the NBA's elite but now the question is: when will they win that 7th NBA title?