Road is Difficult for Bulls as Rose Returns

Jimmy Butler and Rose appear to be the future for Chicago

The Return is finally upon us ladies and gentlemen. Derrick Rose will make his return to the court this Saturday in Indianapolis when the Bulls take on the Pacers in their first preseason game. The last time we saw Rose on the court he was lying on the hardwood grabbing his knee in the 2012 playoffs. Saying it was a hold-your-breath moment is an understatement and last year's will he or won't he play saga is well-chronicled. However, in 2013-14 it is all business for D.Rose and the Bulls.

The expectations are high for a healthy Bulls team this season. "Healthy" and "Bulls" are two words that aren't normally said in the same sentence due to the frequent injuries to star players. But Rose, Noah, Boozer and Deng are all healthy as Chicago starts the preseason and the time is now for this group.

The Eastern Conference is no walk in the park with Miami sitting atop the league, but the problems are greater than that. Indiana looks like a serious contender after pushing the Heat seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last season and they also have a healthy Danny Granger to go along with Roy Hibbert and Paul George. Brooklyn's roster is a lot older with the acquisitions of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry, but they figure to be a contender as well. Add in the Knicks and the Bulls and the East is a beast.

For Chicago, this is a huge year. The Bulls were close in 2011, but found out how difficult it will be to dethrone the Heat. In 2012 they fell in the first round after Rose's injury and last year they put up a valiant fight while bruised and battered, but were ousted by Miami in the semi-finals. Is this a championship team?

That's the question as the year begins and it needs to be answered by year's end. There are decisions that lie on the horizon for the Bulls and they involve some of their biggest stars. Luol Deng will become a free agent at the end of the season and Carlos Boozer's future is up in the air. If Chicago fails to make, at minimum, the conference finals then it would seem that the team should go in a different direction.

Much of the team's successes or failures will fall on Rose. The Bulls sorely missed his playmaking ability last season and he will surely free up open looks for others with his hard drives to the basket. All reports from camp are that his jump shot has drastically improved and his peers say he looks better than ever. That's all fine and good, but can he live up to the MVP-form of 2011? Fair or not, the bar is set that high, if not higher, for Chicago's brightest star.

Championship windows aren't open very long and the Bulls haven't exactly been handed the best situation. When this team was built no one could have predicted all the injuries or that the Heat would put together a superpower. However, this group is still capable of a deep postseason run and fans are hoping and expecting one this season.

For a team that will rely heavily on it's superstar, The Return is a big step in the right direction.