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Chicago Bulls: 5 reasons they’re legitimate title contenders

By Evan Massey

Feb 20, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 30, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) reacts on the court in the second half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) reacts on the court in the second half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

1. The Return of Derrick Rose

Perhaps the most obvious key for the Chicago Bulls is superstar point guard Derrick Rose. Seeing him go down with yet another knee injury earlier this season was rough, but he chose to trim the meniscus rather than have it repaired. That sped up his recovery process and also will give him much more comfort when he comes back due to the fact that he can’t hurt it like that again.

During the 46 games that he played this season before getting hurt again, he averaged 18.4 points, 5.0 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.

He was finally starting to regain his full confidence and get back to being the superstar that he was before all the injuries when he went down with his latest setback. It was a major disappointment, but it also shows that he is still more than capable of getting his feet back under him and returning to the dominant basketball that he used to play.

Chicago is confident that he will come back and be the type of starting point guard that they need. If he can do that, then the Bulls are going to be even more difficult to defend against in a seven-game series.

Next: 2. Emergence of New Star in Jimmy Butler

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