Bullish

It's hard to imagine that the Bulls are in the playoffs, but even more difficult to fathom that they beat the Heat in the first game of the second round. If you've followed the NBA at all this year, you know that Derrick Rose is still out, despite the fact that he's been practicing (and according to his teammates, "dominating") and apparently cleared to play by the medical staff.

Expectations dropped for this year when D. Rose went out with his injury in last year's playoffs, but under the stalwart and thorough coaching of Thibodeau, the team just kept winning. Yes, they're in a relatively weak conference, but they're starting their bench at this point, and still winning games.

Here's where it gets dramatic.

From the information available to the general public, it appears that Rose could play. If he could play, many people think that he should play. If he's got lingering physical issues, then that's that, but then he should be forthright and shut it down now, instead of allowing his teammates and fans to hope for a return when it's really not an option. If it's just a mental thing, as he's stated to more than one press person, then there's no better way to get his head right than to get back in the game.

One interesting consideration is the fact that the team has been successful without him. They play solid defense and a few guys have emerged as genuine stars (Jimmy "Buckets" Butler, Nate Robinson) and superstars (Joakim Noah) in the absence of Rose. Inserting Rose into the mix right now could be disruptive to a team that appears to be on the same page. His style is to take a game over, where the rest of the team seems to be good at spreading it out amongst themselves.

And so, if the common thought is that Rose should play, but Thibodeau believes it would not be in the best interest of the team right now, then I would change my tune accordingly. It's hard to imagine that a team in such disarray, medically speaking, might not need a league MVP, but it's also not out of the realm of possibility with this team.

Even more perplexing is the fact that the Bulls have been without Rose all season, have been hit with other injuries, ineffective players (Rip Hamilton), the flu, and who knows what else. They have good core players and a good bench, but the glue that holds the whole thing together is Tom Thibodeau. His system works and he has the buy-in of his players. It's taken his depleted team from low expectations to the playoffs to looking like world-beaters against the Heat in round 2, game 1.

Meanwhile, coach of the year honors go to George Karl this year. Not Thibs. In fact, Thibs ranked 8th when the voting was done. This is one of the best coaching jobs I've seen through a season, and with the Nuggets already out of the playoffs, this seems like one of the most egregious oversights I can remember.

Ultimately, Thibs is not a magician and Jimmy Buckets can't play 48 minutes every game and continue to be effective. Joakim is playing with plantar fasciitis and Nate the Great has had down games, too. If Rose were to come back now, there's the possibility that his lift could carry the Bulls to another win against the Heat, but if he comes back and they lose the series (which is what almost everyone predicts), then there will be speculation that he distracted them when they were on a roll without him.

I like Derrick Rose a lot but I've had my doubts this year about just how essential he is - especially with his handlers, his Adidas contract, and his own propensity to allow drama to fester and swell. Sure, his team has his back and supports him, but he appears to be taking advantage of that courtesy and stretching it to the limit. Listen to sports radio for any length of time and there will be callers talking about trading Rose.

That seems like a stretch, even with this season playing out as it has, but it also seems difficult to imagine trading away anyone other than Boozer or Hamilton. They have to run out of bench guys eventually, right?