Derrick Rose’s return may lead the Bulls back to their 2011-12 form.
On Fire
It was hard to leave the Pelicans off of the On Fire section for this week’s article after they have started the season 6-0, adding two more wins after last week’s article. However, the Bulls (6-0) have won 3 wins over the past week, two of them by convincing fashion. Aside from this past Friday’s 103-98 victory over the Pacers (the second of the season for the Bulls), they have allowed no more than 87 points in any contest thus far. Even for preseason basketball, that type of defensive prowess is pretty impressive. Derrick Rose is averaging 26 points on 62% from the field as well as 5 assists per contest over the past three games. Boozer has posted two double-doubles over the same span, and the team is shooting 42% from downtown.
It’s very likely that this translates to the regular season, and barring any major setbacks, the Bulls are primed for another 60+ win season. It’s not foolish to think that this team can legitimately challenge the Heat in the East when healthy.
Ice Cold
Even though the Celtics have had a nearly abysmal start to the preseason, aside from the blowout win against the Knicks, their team isn’t expected to dominate the league as in past years. However, the Detroit Pistons (2-4) are expected to perform well enough to be a playoff contender and possibly more, after signing Josh Smith in the offseason and making a trade for Brandon Jennings as well. With double-digit losses to the Bulls and Cavaliers, neither of which is a bad team, and a tough loss to the Orlando Magic in which Detroit erased an 18-point Magic lead only to lose off of a layup by Kyle O’Quinn with :38 left in the game, the Pistons struggled to show that they were playoff worthy during this 2nd week of preseason (and meaningless, to some) basketball. Detroit has two more exhibitions (tonight vs. Washington and Thursday vs. Minnesota) before the regular season begins, so hopefully a lot of practice between now and then will give the team an opportunity to work out some of the kinks that have been on display over the past week.
By no means is this 2-4 start an indication of things to come, as this team is simply too talented to only win a third of its regular season games. Andre Drummond appears to be ready for a breakout season, as discussed in our recent One on One article, and Josh Smith has played with versatility, adding numbers in almost every main statistical category each game (including several turnovers, unfortunately). If Jennings, who I believe to be the x-factor, can be a solid floor general and make wise shooting decisions this year, this team could definitely ascend to the postseason once again and live up to the hype around their offseason activities.
By Jon Elliott
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