Final Thoughts on 2012-13 Chicago Bulls: Everybody Hurts

At long, long last, a very trying Bulls season concluded Wednesday night in Miami. While this campaign is destined to be remembered as "the year Derrick Rose didn't play a single game," the fact that this team not only made the playoffs but actually won a first-round series is a testament to the coaching abilities of Tom Thibodeau. Amazingly, Thibs finished eighth in the Coach of the Year voting, but he got maximum results from a minimal roster. And a banged up roster, at that. Nearly every member of this team battled through injuries while the league MVP from two seasons ago watched from the bench. 

There's certainly going to be people who have a hard time forgiving Rose for sitting out all year. How could he just sit and watch while teammates fought through their own pain and ailments? Couldn't he have played, even just for a few minutes, to energize his team and the hometown fans? Would it have made a difference? Much like the conclusion to the 2009-10 season, it felt like those holding out hope that Rose would return or that the remaining Bulls would overcome the odds were like poor ol' Candy.
 
Truth be told, I picked the Miami Heat at the beginning of this year and have yet to see anything that's going to make me change my mind from continuing to pick them as these playoffs finish up. While there were reports that Rose looked "dominating" in practice after being cleared by doctors, I am still not entirely comfortable demanding that he play if he feels that he's not ready. And whatever fans want to pretend that they'll never let him live this down, I'm going to guess that No. 1 is going to be welcomed back with open arms at the start of the next Bulls season.

Next year will also be interesting with LeBron James once again becoming a free agent at year's end, but he'll still be with the Heat in the meantime. If the Bulls are hoping to be legitamite contenders in the Eastern Conference next season, the organization will need to make moves that bolster the roster. With Luol Deng also entering his final year, do you package him with the supposedly high value Charlotte Bobcats draft pick to get some help? Would Nate Robinson be worth bringing back? What about Marco Belinelli? What position do you draft with the No. 20 pick? 

Chicago already has more than $70 million invested in eight players, so I don't know how much wiggle room the team has to work with. Aside from Rose, there isn't a player that I would deem as "untouchable," but I'm skeptical that there's going to be any attractive offers this off-season. If the same squad comes back next year with a healthier Rose, then there's a good chance the team will be considered one of the three or four best clubs in the conference. It will still take some kind of move, or at least a little more time, before the Bulls can actually get back to the NBA Finals though.