The Point of Divergence
Derrick Rose was already carrying expectations that very few 23-year-old point guards had ever faced. One year earlier, he had become the youngest Most Valuable Player in NBA history, averaging 25.0 points and 7.7 assists while leading Chicago to 62 wins and the league's best record. The Bulls reached the Eastern Conference Finals before Miami eliminated them in five games, with LeBron James increasingly taking the defensive assignment on Rose late in the series. The following season was more difficult. The lockout compressed the schedule, and a collection of toe, back, groin, ankle and foot problems limited Rose to 39 of Chicago's 66 regular-season games. Even so, the Bulls went 50-16 and again finished with the NBA's best record. Rose averaged 21.8 points and a career-high 7.9 assists when he played. Chicago entered the 2012 playoffs believing it had another legitimate chance to get through Miami. On April 28, the Bulls opened against Philadelphia at the United Center. Rose had 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as Chicago built a comfortable fourth-quarter lead. With 1:22 remaining and Chicago ahead 99-87, Rose drove into the lane, came to a jump stop and saw Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen rotating toward him. He changed his mind in the air and passed instead of shooting. In reality, his left knee failed during the sequence. The MRI confirmed a torn ACL. Chicago won the game 103-91, but the injury ended Rose's season, and the top-seeded Bulls eventually lost the series in six games. That is where this history changes. Rose makes the same drive and the same read, but his left knee holds. He lands, runs back on defense and finishes the game. Chicago's season continues.
The Playoff Run Chicago Never Got
Philadelphia had enough defense and athleticism to bother Chicago, but without Rose disappearing from the series, the matchup looked very different. The Bulls still had flaws. Their half-court offense could become too dependent on Rose late in the shot clock, and Philadelphia could load defenders into the paint knowing Chicago did not have another elite perimeter creator. What the 76ers could no longer do was force C.J. Watson and John Lucas into replacing an MVP. Chicago survived the series in six games. Boston waited in the second round, and although the Celtics were older, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen still had enough talent and experience to make Chicago work for everything. That series exposed the same concern Miami had revealed one year earlier. Chicago could defend almost anyone. Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and Ömer Aşık gave Tom Thibodeau several defensive options. The problem came when opponents loaded multiple defenders toward Rose and dared somebody else to create. The Bulls nevertheless survived Boston in seven and returned to the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami. Chicago was better prepared for the Heat than it had been in 2011, but Miami still had James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The difference in perimeter creation ultimately decided the series. Miami used James on Rose in important possessions, switched aggressively and forced Chicago's other guards to make plays. Rip Hamilton could still score, but he was 34. Deng was valuable without being an isolation creator, and Carlos Boozer could punish some mismatches without solving the problem from the perimeter. Miami won in six and went on to win the championship. Chicago's season did not end with questions about Rose's knee. It ended with a clearer basketball problem: the Bulls needed another creator so Rose would not have to generate nearly everything himself.
Chicago Goes Looking for Another CreatorPREMIUM
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THE DISCUSSION
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