The Chicago Bulls are coming into the season with plenty of anticipation as Derrick Rose makes his return from injury and while his knee pain while playing with Team USA is not being called serious, the team may consider a trade again with Taj Gibson during the year if that flares up to get some more scoring support for Rose and Pau Gasol on offense.
According to ESPN.com, Rose is dealing with some knee pain and he will be sitting out of practice and will not start for Team USA when they play against the Dominican Republic. Doctors say that the pain in Rose's knee is normal for his recovery and that he is not dealing with serious issues in his knee right now. Bulls fans have dealt with two seasons of Rose not being healthy and now they are hoping that he can last through the FIBA World Cup and the NBA season as he returns.
Rose tore his ACL back in April of 2012 and he then had the medial meniscus in his right knee torn after that and he missed the rest of the 2013-14 season. Rose played in the first game against Brazil for Team USA and then he sat out practices after that. Doctors have said that the pain he is feeling is normal and that part of it is also soreness, but the Bulls are hoping that it stays that way. Rose could be the key to everything, as he is still trying to get back to that MVP form he was at before he was injured.
The Bulls have made some strong moves this offseason while adding Pau Gasol and Aaron Brooks and they should be right in the mix again in the east. Rose being healthy is the key and that could be the difference between another playoff run and a championship chance. The Bulls feel that they have as strong of a core of players as anyone in the east and while the Cavaliers are getting Kevin Love, the Bulls think that they are a deeper team.
The Bulls come into the season after being the first ranked team in point per game allowed, but they were last in the league in scoring. Losing Rose last season was a big part of that and that is another reason why the team has to be prepared if they lose him again. Gasol is a strong scorer from the front court, but he can't be relied on every night to drop 20 and while Aaron Brooks is a better backup than DJ Augustin last season, the Bulls need Rose to stay healthy.
