Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler vs The Splash Brothers

The 2014-15 season was the first full season in which Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler played significant time with one another, and the results were rather good. Both players missed significant portions of time during the season with injuries, but when they both suited up, the Bulls compiled a record of 28-17.

By now we’ve all heard about the rumored friction the two had against the Cavaliers in the playoffs, but Butler has already squashed those rumors, repeatedly saying the two have a great relationship and are looking forward to the upcoming season.

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Both players had strong playoff runs as both averaged 20 points per game; Butler 22.9 and Rose 20.3. The two superstars play very well off each other, and with the offense that Fred Hoiberg will be installing, Rose and Butler have a chance to lead the Bulls to the promise land.

Rose and Butler are among one of the best back-court duos in the NBA. The clear number one back-court in the NBA is the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, aka The Splash Brothers. The duo led the Warriors to the NBA title, while Curry won the regular season MVP award. Thompson had an amazing year as well as he averaged above 20 points per game, and oh yeah, scored 37 points in one quarter against the Kings.

The Warriors and Bulls played twice in the 2014-15 season, with both teams winning on the opposing teams’ floor. Butler did not suit up for game 2 in Golden State, but that was fine, because Rose came to the rescue by scoring 30 points and hitting the game winner in Thompson’s face. He did have 11 turnovers that game but winning is all that matters in this business. Curry and Rose had a great duel in this game, and Thompson was solid as well. Each player showed why they are on elite status, with Rose and Curry leading the way, and Rose having the last laugh.

So, how do Rose and Butler stack up with the Splash Bro’s entering the season, and who will be crowned the best back-court in 2015?

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Starting off with Rose and Curry, there is no debating who the better shooter is. Rose has been a poor shooter since he entered the league, and while he’s gotten better over the years, he’s not even close to the same class or range of Curry. Curry shot 44.3 percent from long-range last season while Rose was at a putrid 28 percent. Once Curry passes half-court, defenders have to be up on him right away because he can shoot from just about anywhere. Curry has the best handles in the NBA as well and can get by defenders with his creative ball handling and deceptive speed.

Rose has the clear size, strength and explosion assets over Curry. Rose is not as explosive as he was before his knee injuries, but he’s still pretty damn fast. When Rose is in rhythm and is in attack mode, there is no one who can stop him from getting to the basket. Rose was in clear attack mode during the playoffs as he was getting to the rim with ease and showed us that burst of speed we used to see before the injuries. When healthy, Rose is still one of the top players in the NBA.

Most fans and experts would undoubtedly take Curry over Rose and that is fair since Rose has missed 2 out of the last 3 years, and played inconsistent all of last year. Curry is the reigning MVP and world champion so he’s on top of the mountain now.

Rose must prove this upcoming year that he can be consistent with his level of play, and I think he will. This off-season, he didn’t have to rehab an injury and could actually work on his game for the first time since the off-season of 2011. He’s also going to be in an offensive system that suits his game perfectly. Fred Hoiberg’s up tempo offense will let Rose play freely and loose. Hoiberg has stated that Rose is elite when he is going downhill, so expect Hoiberg to drill that notion into Derrick’s head all season. Attack, attack, attack!

Jimmy Butler has improved on his shot immensely since he entered the league, but he’s not on the same level as Thompson’s shooting skills. Thompson is the clear better shooter but Butler has the edge in ability to get to the paint and cause havoc. Butler and Thompson are both stout wing defenders and can defend any of the elite wing players in the game. Butler took a huge jump this past season by averaging 20 points per game and establishing himself as an all-star two guard.

The clear difference between Rose and Butler and the splash bro’s is that Thompson and Curry are both snipers from the arc and rely on their jump shots a lot, while Rose and Butler are drivers and more explosive going to the basket. Not to say Curry and Thompson can’t get to the hoop as well, but Rose has one of the quickest first step’s this game as ever seen, and Butler knows how to draw fouls at an elite rate. In a sense, the splash bro’s are more comfortable on the perimeter where as the Bulls’ dynamic back-court prefers to live in the paint.

Yes, Rose shot a ton of three’s this past year and that angered many Bulls fans, but don’t get it twisted; he still is a driver at heart, and when its crunch time, best believe DRose will be in attack mode. The Bulls’ offensive system should be more fluid and fast paced under Hoiberg. Hoiberg in a sense is going to install a similar offense that Warriors coach Steve Kerr did in his rookie season as coach. Bulls fans can only hope that the results are the same and that a ring comes back to the windy city.

Curry and Thompson are the best back-court in the NBA at the moment and no one can argue that after the season they had and the way those two can flat-out shoot the ball. Rose and Butler have to improve their chemistry with one another and that will occur as they play with each other more. They have to grow together as men and battle through adversity.

They have a ways to go in overtaking Curry and Thompson as the best back-court duo in the league. It’s not all about scoring, its how each duo makes their teammates better on the floor and how they impact the outcome of games. Curry and Thompson are NBA champions and are the clear favorite to repeat by most experts. Butler and Rose meanwhile have to crack the impossible code of beating LeBron James in the playoffs  just to reach the NBA finals. The Bulls are 0-4 vs LeBron since 2010 in the playoffs.

Here’s to hoping that the Bulls can get to the finals and clash with the Warriors. That would provide the platform for Rose and Butler to show the world that they can be better than the splash brothers and rule the NBA back-court game.