Chicago
Bulls

Bulls Team Report

Updated: May 27, 2012 05:31 EST

Not many NBA teams have experienced such a rapid and sudden fall.

The Bulls began the 2012 playoffs with the league's top overall seed and championship aspirations, but everything fell apart when guard Derrick Rose suffered a torn ACL with a little more than a minute remaining in Game 1 against Philadelphia. A few days later, the Bulls were eliminated 4-2 in the first round by the No. 8 seeded Sixers.

"I am disappointed in the loss, but I'm not disappointed in our team," coach Tom Thibodeau said after the Bulls' crushing 79-78 defeat in Game 6. "They battled all year long. I feel for them because I've seen their commitment. When you have a group to commit to something like that, then you've got something special. I think we had that."

To make matters worse, Rose figures to miss the first half of next season, while the team's other all-star, forward Luol Deng, is expected to have surgery on his left wrist after the Olympics this summer.

So even in the best-case scenario, the Bulls will be without their two best players for the first two months of next season. The worst case is Rose misses all of next season rehabbing his left knee.

"Obviously, short term, we're going to take a hit," general manager Gar Forman said. "Our thinking in general long term won't change at all."

The rest of the Bulls' starters are under contract for next season -- forward Carlos Boozer, center Joakim Noah and guard Richard Hamilton. Also expected back are forwards Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler, while the team plans to re-sign restricted free agent center Omer Asik.

Elsewhere on the roster, the Bulls have some decisions to make. Guards C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer all have contract options for next season, and there's a decent chance all three of them will be let go as the payroll approaches the luxury-tax threshold.

At the same time, the Bulls need to find players to fill in for Rose and Deng, as well as an eventual replacement for Hamilton at shooting guard. Forman has said he thinks the Bulls will be willing to pay the tax next season if it makes basketball sense.

But already, some are wondering if the Bulls should forget about next season and plan on gaining a lottery pick. More likely, they'll hope things work out well enough to grab a playoff spot. Even if they're No. 8, the team could be close to full strength by the end of the year.

"We'll get through it," Thibodeau said. "We want (Rose) to prioritize his health right now. When he's ready to come back, he comes back. There will be no pressure on him to come back soon. When he's ready, he's ready. We'll move forward from there."

SEASON HIGHLIGHT: A single moment is difficult to identify. One might be Feb. 29, when the full-strength Bulls showed what they were capable of by winning at San Antonio 96-89 behind 29 points from Derrick Rose. On the other side of the spectrum were two short-handed home wins over Miami, once when Rose was out and once when he was limited by an ankle injury.

TURNING POINT: This might have been the turning point to the entire NBA season, when guard Derrick Rose suffered a torn ACL with a little more than a minute remaining in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against Philadelphia. The Bulls were the top overall seed in the playoffs for the second straight year, but without Rose, they lasted just six games against the Sixers.

--Forward Luol Deng played most of last season with a torn ligament in his left wrist, an injury that probably needs surgical attention. But he doesn't plan to pass on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play for Great Britain at the London Olympics this summer.

If he postpones surgery until after the Olympics, he'll likely miss the first month or two of the next NBA season.

"I just know I've got the Olympics ahead of me," he said. "Since I was a kid growing up, it's something I wanted an opportunity to be a part of. The fact that it's in my hometown that I grew up in, in a country that gave me the opportunity to even be here, I'm looking forward to it."

Deng feels as if he owes Britain for giving asylum to his large family several years ago. Deng was born in Sudan, but his family fled to Egypt to escape a civil war when Luol was young. A few years later, they were granted the opportunity to move to London, which Deng considers his hometown.

--The most important step in the Bulls' offseason already happened on May 12 when guard Derrick Rose had surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. Team physician Dr. Brian Cole said there were no surprises and everything went well. Besides replacing the ACL, doctors also repaired a couple of small meniscus tears.

The prognosis is a recovery time of eight to 12 months. If it turns out to be the high end of that estimate, Rose could miss all of next season, but doctors would prefer to see him start testing the knee sooner than that.

"Statistically, he should be that player and then some. That doesn't mean it's guaranteed," Cole said. "Getting all the things to heal appropriately is really our goal in the early phases. Then it's rehab, conditioning and getting his brain connected to his knee, basically. The longest amount of time is really required for that purpose, to get everything connected again and sort of hardwired from a neurologic point of view."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's important for everyone to regroup mentally and make another run at it. Derrick is going to come back (from knee surgery). Like (coach Tom) Thibodeau always says, 'We are very privileged people doing what we love to. Let's go out there, get better this summer. Come back hungrier than ever and make a run.' " -- Center Joakim Noah after the Bulls' early playoff exit.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Guard Derrick Rose. It would be easy to say he wasn't as valuable, since he missed 27 games in the regular season because of various injuries. But when Rose was lost to a knee injury during the playoffs, the Bulls went from championship aspirations to first-round elimination. Yes, Rose means that much.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Guard Richard Hamilton. There are several candidates for this title, especially if playoff losses carry extra weight. As a whole, though, Hamilton's veteran experience was supposed to be the missing piece to the championship puzzle. He played in just 28 games during the regular season and didn't look much like his old self when he was on the floor.

BIGGEST NEEDS: Good health, for starters. This season was ruined by injuries, and the next one will be a challenge as Derrick Rose and most likely Luol Deng will be recovering from surgeries when training camp opens. With Rose and Deng out, the Bulls will need another wing player or two and possibly an upgrade at backup point guard -- someone who can start the first three months of next season and maybe longer.

FREE AGENT FOCUS: The most significant free agent this summer is center Omer Asik. He's restricted, and the Bulls plan to match any reasonable offer for the Turkish big man. The unrestricted free agents are guards John Lucas III and Mike James, along with forward Brian Scalabrine.

PLAYER NOTES:

--C Joakim Noah tried his best but couldn't make it back from a sprained left ankle well enough to help the Bulls avoid elimination in Game 6 of the playoffs at Philadelphia. Noah turned the ankle badly in the third quarter of Game 3. That was when the Bulls squandered a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. Noah ended up sitting out the final three games of the year.

--G C.J. Watson had a minor procedure done on both feet when the season ended to help alleviate plantar fasciitis. The Bulls never disclosed the injury during the season, but coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned a few times that Watson was playing through pain. After stepping in for the injured Derrick Rose at starting point guard, Watson had a rough series against the 76ers, shooting 24 percent from the field and making an ill-advised pass to center Omer Asik, the team's worst free-throw shooter, with Game 6 on the line.

--F Jimmy Butler didn't play much in the first-round playoff series against Philadelphia, but the 6-7 rookie from Marquette is expected to take over the role of defensive stopper next season. The Bulls were impressed with Butler's defensive skills this season, and he'll probably inherit the role his best friend on the team, Ronnie Brewer, held the last two years.

MEDICAL WATCH:

--G Derrick Rose (torn anterior cruciate ligament, left knee) had surgery on May 12, and doctors are planning a rehabilitation of 8-12 months. Realistically, doctors expect Rose to return to the court in the middle of next season and hopefully be close to full strength before it ends.

--F Luol Deng (torn ligament in left wrist) needs surgery but plans to wait until after the London Olympics. That means he won't be ready for the start of next season.

--G C.J. Watson (minor foot surgery) was suffering from plantar fasciitis at the end of the season and had surgery to help correct it. He should be fine well before training camp.