Chicago in the top tier .... Um , yeah when did Rose show us he was the same MVP caliber player he was before sitting out a year ?! Among other questions .... Article lost me with that.
Rose has looked pretty good in the limited minutes he has had in the preseason. Also, the Bulls surrounding pieces, and their defense is much better than in previous years. They dont need Rose to be 2011 Rose this year to have a chance at winning big, they just need him to be able to break the defense down especially late in games. Also underrated is the development of Jimmy Butler. This guy is going to be a player in the league. He can do alot of the things on both ends of the court, and is a lock down defender... oh and he looks drastically improved on the offensive end. Also dont overlook the Mike Dunleavy Jr. acquisition. He's really going to help their offensive spacing and has a much more versatile game than Kyle Korver. The Bulls are going to be a very good team this year. Maybe not favorites to win it all, but I wouldn't be shocked if they won more than 50 games this year, and game the Heat a run for their money in the ECF.
That may well all be true .... But I still don't put them in the same tier as Miami or San Antonio. I'd put them in the second tier along with OKC (without WestBrick , otherwise they go up to the top tier) LAC , GSW , Houston , Brooklyn , Memphis & Indiana. They have to prove it to be mentioned with those elite clubs.
