First Pick Blog

All-Star point guard and reigning MVP Derrick Rose finally returned to the Bulls starting roster after missing five straight games with lingering back spasms. In his return, he scored 23 points as well as six assists and five rebounds in 35 minutes. He looked good running the floor with his elite speed, and his jumper looked good, adding two 3-pointers.

Now, what does that mean for the Bulls, who have the second best record in the east after the heat? Not as much as you may think. Yes, the Bulls need a healthy Rose to make a run for their first title since the Jordan era. However, they are 6-3 without Rose this year, and Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and especially Luol Deng, who will join Rose in the All-Star game this year, have been fantastic in his absence. Backup point guard CJ Watson is a premier three-point shooter, and though he lacks the athleticism of Rose, he is a starting-caliber guard that many teams (Lakers!) would love to have as a starter.
The three losses without Rose have a lot to do with other injuries, specifically to Watson, Deng, and the starting two-guard Richard Hamilton, who, when he straps on the mask, can flat out score. When your scoring options at guard are 36-year-old Mike James ad 5’11” John Lucas III, you can foresee some problems. Those three losses have less to do with Rose’s absence and more to do with the fact that the Bulls’ first THREE options at guard were injured. Still, they went 6-3 without the reigning MVP, which by the definition of that award is impressive. It’s also impressive that most of those games were on the road. Deng also became the first Bulls forward to have 20 points and 10 assists in two consecutive games since Scottie Pippen.
Now, I want to reiterate this is not at all a dis on Rose’s importance to this team. It is paramount that he is healthy come playoff time. Just look at the rest of this team, though. Deng, Noah, and guard Ronnie Brewer are some of the best defensive players in the league. So is Taj Gibson off the bench. The Bulls may not have the Big Three, but they have eight players that are starting caliber players in the NBA. This team is incredibly different from the Jordan-led Bulls of the 90s, but it gives Chicagoans a feeling of déjà vu.

This team is built to win it all. They have the best on-ball defenders of any team in the NBA (Brewer, Deng and Noah), a star player (D-Rose), multiple scoring options (Rose, Deng, Boozer and Watson off the bench), tough post play and rebounding (Noah and Taj Gibson) and the veteran experienced in the finals (Rip Hamilton). Plus, they didn’t destroy the city of Cleveland to get this team, so what’s not to love?
The Chicago Bulls are among the favorites to win the title, and they should be America’s favorite. The 2011-2012 Chicago Bulls play the game the way it’s meant to be played, hard and as a team. That’s why the loss of D-Rose isn’t crippling to this team. They’ll use depth, sweat and motivation to win, even if their MVP isn’t able to showcase his talents on the court.

By Adam Pope

With the NBA all-star festivities looming, I think it’s time to recognize some of the least-recognized contributors in the NBA. These guys aren’t All-Stars, but they are consistent and among the leaders in a few key stats in this lockout-shortened season.

These five players are to the NBA what “Hey Hey What Can I Do” was to Led Zeppelin. I present to you my 2011-2012 NBA all-underrated team.

PG: Jose Calderon

This has been the year of the point guards, starting with the Chris Paul trade fiasco before the season began. Then it was Rubio fever as he finally arrived from overseas and gave the Timberwolves life with his flashy passing. Now, it’s Linsanity, a term which will probably be in the dictionary by the end of the week, when he becomes mayor of New York City. Even 38-year-old Steve Nash leads the league in assists per game. But underneath all the hype and ridiculous ESPN coverage, there has been Calderon, steadily performing at an NBA level. Calderon is fourth in the league in assists per game, with 8.7. Stop and think, who does he even pass it to? He has singlehandedly kept the awful Raptors in plenty of games. He’s finally started to take over games, too, putting up 30 against Kobe and the Lakers and then 25 and a near triple double when matched up with Lin, shooting better than him with half the turnovers.

SG: Mario Chalmers

Just imagine what Chalmers could do if he was allowed to play the 2-guard on a team that didn’t have LeBron, D-Wade, and Chris Bosh. Instead, Chalmers runs an awkward point in which the Big Three just try to take the ball from him. Despite that, he averages 11.0 points per game in 28 minutes, while shooting 51% from the field. As long as he is with the Heat, he will never get the attention he deserves unless he kills LeBron and hides his body in his locker. As much as I hate his alma mater (Eat more Jayhawk), I love Chalmers in a 2-guard role as a catch-and-shoot player, taking advantage of his 46% 3-point shooting this season. If I had to choose a player on the Heat to take a big shot in the 4^th quarter, I’m not choosing Wade or LeBron, I’m choosing Chalmers.

SF: Thaddeus Young

*This spot should probably belong to Danilo Gallinari, but with the season he was having before his injury, too many people realized how good of a player he is for him to be on this list.

The Sixers are off to a 20-9 start without any true stars, though Andre Iguodala is an All-Star. The team uses role and niche players to win games, and Thaddeus Young is one of the most important ones. Young can play the 3 or the 4 off the bench for Philadelphia, though he could start almost anywhere, and is averaging 12.8 point per game in just 28 minutes, including a few 20-point games. Young has owned the shot from the elbow since Spencer Hawes’ injury and is 12^th in the League in shooting percentage with 52%. He also turns the ball over less than once a game. Look for his stats to rise with more playing time.

PF: Anderson Varejao

The 6’11” Brazilian is one of two silver linings of the Cavaliers, the other being Kyrie Irving’s impressive rookie season. Varejao was averaging 10.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game before he fractured his wrist against the Bucks on Feb. 10. He was fifth in the league in rebounding average, ninth with 14 double-doubles, and one of only five players this year to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game. The other four are All-Stars. I’d make the case that Varejao deserved the reserve center position for the East All-Stars over Roy Hibbert, though Varejao’s injury would have kept him out anyways.

C: Marcin Gortat

After coming over from Orlando in the Hedo Turkoglu trade last season, Gortat has established himself as a solid starting center in the NBA and he’s one of the main reasons Steve Nash leads the league in assists. He also owns the undisputed title for the largest nose in the NBA, nearly reaching Nigel Thornberry status. All joking aside, however, Gortat is averaging 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and is fifth in double-doubles with 17, including a stretch where he had a double-double in 14 of 15 games and only Kevin Love has had a longer double-double streak this season. Gortat has capitalized on his first chance to start, averaging 33 minutes a game this season, compared to 18 in his career. He is also very good at defending without fouling, averaging only 2 fouls per game.

By Adam Pope