Can the Chicago Bulls win the NBA Championship?

The Chicago Bulls ended the first half on a four-game winning streak, including a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers: the team most feel is their biggest competition in the Eastern Conference. Can the Bulls ride that mid-season momentum to a title?

Derrick Rose raises the Larry O’Brien Trophy and the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award above his head and thanks to the city of Chicago for their loyal support after defeating the Golden State Warriors in six games to win the organization’s seventh NBA Championship.

Rose was pre-ACL tear self in the six games against the Warriors, averaging over 28 points, seven assists and five rebounds per game to win his first Finals MVP.

First and foremost, stay healthy

The biggest key to the future success of the Bulls is to find a way to stay at full strength heading into the warmer months. Chicago has been plagued by injuries not only in recent seasons (see Rose, Derrick), but also during this season’s first half as well.

Dec 6, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy (34) takes a shot during the second half against the Golden State Warriors at the United Center. The Warriors won 112-102. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

In the first 54 games of the season, Bulls starters have missed a combined 49(!) games, with Mike Dunleavy Jr. missing 19 games by himself. Rose has missed time with ankle and knee soreness, while backcourt running mate Jimmy Butler is currently battling a shoulder issue.

One upside has been the health of Joakim Noah. After struggling throughout the entire first half, Noah closed strong with an eight-game stretch that saw him score in double-digits three times and saw him grab 10+ rebounds in five of those contests.

The entire roster’s health is vital, but the knee strength of the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year might just be the most important piece to the health puzzle.

Balancing the rotation

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau is the most stubborn coach in the NBA. Nobody’s going to deny that.

But something that Thibodeau has been denying is giving his role guys a chance to balance his rotation and provide a pop off the bench.

More from Da Windy City

There’s no reason a 6’10” rookie that is capable of knock down perimeter jump shots should only be playing an average of 17 minutes per game. Is Nikola Mirotic a “work in progress”? Yes, he is.

Players get better when they’re actually playing. Mirotic needs to be given a chance to play extended minutes in Thibodeau’s rotation for his own growth and for the Bulls to be able to space the floor for Rose’s penetration offensively.

And while we’re on the subject, Doug McDermott needs to be given the same opportunity. There’s no reason for the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history to be sitting at the end of the Bulls bench night after night.

The organization traded two picks to get this guy. Why not give him a chance to prove himself after a rough start to the season that saw him shoot under 30 percent from long range?

Offense raises analytical stats, defense hangs banners

Since Thibodeau’s arrival in Chicago before the 2010-11 season, the Chicago Bulls have been the team that the other 29 organizations in the NBA have feared to played against.

Why?

Because of Thibodeau’s suffocating defensive scheme that forces teams to take countless contested two-pointers and allowed nothing around the basket.

So, where is that suffocating defense? You’ll have to look down the stat charts to find the Bulls sitting at 12th in the NBA, giving up 99.1 points per game. In the previous four seasons, the Bulls have finished no lower than third in that category.

For the Bulls to reign supreme in June, they have to do the dirty work in February, March and April. The offense is light-years ahead of where it was last season, but the defense has taken a hit.

That has to change in the second half of the season.

Next: Derrick Rose's Top 10 Performances of the Season (so far)

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