Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (Photo : Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters)
The Chicago Bulls might have taken a step back in the Eastern Conference playoff race after sustaining myriad of injuries, but ESPN NBA insider Chad Ford isn't counting them out yet as a championship contender this season.
During Wednesday's chat session on ESPN Sports Nation, Ford stressed that it's premature to consider the Bulls a second-tier contender despite losing several key components on the team, including starting point guard Derek Rose (knee), shooting guard Jimmy Butler (elbow), and reserve power forward Taj Gibson (ankle).
Ford believed that the Bulls still have the talent to compete against any other team outside the Eastern Conference-leader Atlanta Hawks and the surging Cleveland Cavaliers. Moreover, the ESPN analyst thinks the Bulls could even pull off a big surprise against the top-two Eastern Conference teams, if Rose returns just in time and plays well coming off the injury.
"Well, luckily, the East isn't particularly strong this year. I would like Atlanta and Cleveland both better if the Bulls don't have Rose. But after those two, I think they can be competitive with the other top teams in the East even without Rose. They have the talent. And if they get Rose back by the playoffs and he can make a Russell Westbrook like recovery, I think they have a shot to win the East still."
Although Rose has been injury-prone the past three seasons, Ford is still hopeful that the former NBA MVP can be able to recapture his old explosive self and become a driving force behind the Bulls' championship run.
"Move on to what? Players like Derrick Rose just don't grow on trees. I'm sure, if he was easily replacable, they'd do it. But even when he was rusty and not 100 percent himself this year, he was still a pretty awesome NBA player. I think the key thing, still, is patience. See what the doctors say. Chances are he bounces back from this. He has the character and the work ethic. I think it would be a huge mistake to write him off."
At 42-28, the Bulls are still pretty much in the thick of the fight for a better positioning in the Eastern Conference playoff. Rose, who averaged 18.5 points and 5.0 assists before he underwent a procedure to remove a slight MCL tear in his right knee, was expected to miss four to six weeks after the surgery, although head coach Tim Thibodeau told the media last week that Rose is slightly ahead of schedule as to his recovery.
