Chicago Bulls: No Derrick Rose Means A Break-A-Bull Roster

It’s an incredibly unpopular idea. No fan base wants to root for it, let alone a proud sports city like Chicago that has a history of NBA success. But with the news that Derrick Rose will miss the remainder of the season because of his torn medial meniscus, it’s time to come to grips with the unthinkable. This Chicago Bulls roster was built to compete for a championship now. Not next year, now. Without Rose, those expectations aren’t realistic. It’s time to break up the Bulls.

It all starts with Luol Deng. Deng’s $14 million expiring contract was already a dark cloud hanging over the 2013-14 season after both sides were unable to come to an extension agreement over the summer, especially since the Bulls are over the luxury tax by almost $8 million. But now that Chicago is no longer in the title picture, the Bulls know there’s little reason for resigning the 28-year-old Deng to the kind of deal he could command from another team if he walks at the end of the season. Expect Chicago to actively pursue a trade for Deng that will bring in young assets or future draft picks while freeing up cap space.

It seems heartless to trade such a loyal and helpful player, especially since both sides wanted Deng to stay in Chicago, but this is a business. Rose won’t be back until November 2014 and by then, he will have played a grand total of 49 regular season games out of a possible 230 (21 percent) since 2011-12. Nobody can say for sure, but it looks like Rose’s MVP days are behind him. The Bulls have taken the long-term approach to Rose’s next return, choosing to repair the meniscus (which takes longer to come back from) rather than removing it entirely (which would only sideline him for a few weeks but could lead to knee issues later on, as Dwyane Wade knows).

It’s entirely possible for Derrick Rose to return and play again for the 2014-15 season, but he’ll have to reinvent his game and cut back on the thrilling athleticism that made him such a dynamic offensive force in the first place. Deng and the Bulls, as currently constructed, don’t have time to wait for that day to come. By the time Rose’s rehab process is complete, Deng and Boozer will be another year older. If Chicago is taking a long-term, safe approach to Rose’s next return, they should also take a long-term approach to building this team into title contenders again.

The roster turnover won’t stop with Deng; the Bulls would ideally like to trade Carlos Boozer as well. However, Boozer’s current contract makes that a bit tougher to find an enthusiastic suitor, since he’s owed $15.3 million this year and a whopping $16.8 million in 2014-15. If the deal is right, Chicago will absolutely pull the trigger on a Boozer deal. But if the Bulls can’t get what they want for the 32-year-old, they will look to amnesty him at the end of the season and free up even more cap space.

Taj Gibson is a trade commodity as well. Playing as Boozer’s backup has limited his production and offensive growth, but Gibson’s Per 36 Minutes numbers are noteworthy (13.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game so far this season) and he plays much better defense than Boozer. Gibson would likely command a contract bigger than Chicago would like with Deng and Boozer off the books, so it makes sense to move him while his trade value is still very high.

Why trade these pieces? We’ve already established that this team can’t win a title with the same roster while it waits for Rose’s next return. The contract situations and ages of too many key players are questionable and not financially sustainable. Trading Deng, Boozer and possibly even Gibson for future picks and young assets is about rebuilding and freeing up cap space for big-name free agents to pair with a healthy Derrick Rose (Carmelo Anthony and possibly even LeBron James come to mind). Unfortunately, this highlight of Chicago’s 2013-14 season should be the rout of Indiana and this:

But trading all these pieces is meaningless without the basic understanding of an even more unpopular opinion from the think tank: the Bulls’ best approach for the 2013-14 season is to tank. Chicago’s title window with this current roster closed before it ever really opened. With as bad as the East is this year, it will take a fully concerted effort to get a coveted top five pick. The Bulls could easily make the playoffs since only the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks seem like competent Eastern Conference teams so far. But we’ve already seen how far Chicago can go without Derrick Rose. In the 1996-97 season, the San Antonio Spurs lost David Robinson for most of the year and rather than rush him back, SAS tanked their way to Tim Duncan and eventually, four championships. So what’s the point of another second-round playoff loss compared to a lottery pick in the most loaded NBA draft in over a decade?

It’s time to blow this Chicago Bulls roster up. There are plenty of desperate teams vying for a playoff spot that would conceivably give up a late first round pick for Deng, and trading him and amnestying Boozer would free up a ton of cap space for next summer. That would allow Chicago to sign a max-level player and if the Bulls spend the rest of this season tanking, they could also add an incredibly talented, young piece to the mix as well. Pair a high first-round 2014 draft pick, a max-level free agent, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler, the overseas stud Nikola Mirotic, the potential of Tony Snell and Chicago’s first round pick from the Charlotte Bobcats…and suddenly the future isn’t so gloomy in the Windy City. They just have to blow it up and be Sorry For Jabari first.