Chicago Bulls’ point guard Derrick Rose has been nothing but great for the Bulls ever since he was taken as the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.  He has continued to improve and has basically put the Bulls on his back this season.  It looks like he is going to lead the Bulls to another playoff appearance this year.  Many people have been sleeping on Rose as an All-Star though, but I think he is more than deserving.  His stats are very good, but what makes them more impressive is that he is the leader or near the leader for his team in more than a few key statistical categories.  He is averaging 19.0 points (1st on team), 6.0 assists (1st), 3.7 rebounds (5th), 0.75 steals (3rd), and 35.9 minutes (2nd), while shooting 46.5% from the field (3rd).  While many believe Celtics’ point guard Rajon Rondo is having a better season, I think Rose has to do much more for his team especially when it comes to scoring the ball (Rose is averaging 5.2 points more a game than Rondo), as the Celtics are so much more loaded than the Bulls.  Without Rose, the Bulls would be terrible.  Without Rondo, the Celtics would still be a great team.  One thing I would like to see Rose get better at is defense.  He is so fast, quick, and strong that he should be a much better defender than he is at the moment.  With so many physical gifts and a great understanding of the game already, there is no reason Rose can’t end up as an elite defender.

The Chicago Bulls franchise started in 1966 and although their 33-48 record is the best ever by a first-year franchise, they struggled their first few years like most expansion teams do.  Then a 6′8″ silky smooth wing with “Love” joined the team.  His name was Bob Love, and he was acquired in a trade from Milwaukee in the 1968-’69 season.  His first full season with the Bulls came the next year in the 1969-’70 season.  That season Love led the Bulls in scoring with 21.0 points per game, helping the Bulls to a franchise high in wins (39) and a franchise record of 114.9 points per game, a mark that will likely never be broken.  Love continued to get better, and as he improved so did the Bulls.  With a hard-nosed and defensive-minded guard named Jerry Sloan to lean on, Love and the Bulls went on to five-straight winning seasons from 1970 to 1975.  Their best record came in the 1971-’72 season, where they went 57-25 for the third best record in the league.  Love averaged a career high 25.8 points along with 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists that year.  In the 1974-’75 season the Bulls won their first Division Title, the only Division Title the Bulls have ever won outside the Michael Jordan era.

Love was with the Bulls from 1968-1977, playing 592 career games for them.  In his Bulls career he averaged 21.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.  Love was the first true star for the Bulls franchise, and he held nearly every franchise scoring record before that guy named Jordan came along.  What most people don’t know about Love was that he had a debilitating stuttering problem, so much so that he struggled to find work after his playing days (he even worked as a busboy).  He eventually took speech therapy classes that helped him overcome his problem, and then went on to become the Bulls Director of Community Relations in 1993 and a motivational speaker for troubled youths.

The Bulls are looking to move 23-year old forward Tyrus Thomas before the trade deadline next month. He has played in 12 games (3 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 23.7 minutes, 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.7 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 237 games (95 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 20.1 minutes, 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game. The Bulls better be careful trading a player with the upside of Thomas making sure they get back what he is worth.

Scott Pippen played 12 years for the Bulls and he won six NBA Championships in that time. He often likes to point out that Michael Jordan never won a title without him and that is true. Pippen doesn’t belong in the same breath as Jordan as a player but he is absolutely right about what he said. Pippen played in 856 games (743 starts) for the Bulls and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.9 blocked shots per game. I’m pretty sure that Pippen would have scored a lot more points if he played for a different team early in his career but he was a perfect fit being the #2 guy behind Michael Jordan.

Taj Gibson and James Johnson look like keepers for the Bulls. Taj Gibson makes the most of his time on the court. He has played in 33 games (21 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 24.5 minutes, 8.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. I really like his game around the basket as he looks like he’s going to be a outstanding rebounder in this league. James Johnson has not been near as impressive as Gibson but I still see enough to make me think that he can produce for them down the road. He has played in 25 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 10.3 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Johnson’s main problem has been his shooting as he is only hitting 35.9% of his shots from the floor. Until his shot improves he will likely continue to get sporadic playing time.