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Bulls Now Favorites in Central Division

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The NBA season is just past the quarter pole at this point, and fans with Bulls tickets have to like the position their team is in. Through 24 games, the Bulls not only sport a 14-10 record, but they also lead the Central Division in the East, which many people ceded to Indiana during the offseason.

The Pacers were fresh off a competitive playoff series with the Heat, while the Bulls were forced to start the season with PG Derrick Rose. However, the Pacers have struggled far more than anyone could have imagined, as the team has found it difficult to score consistently without All-Star forward Danny Granger in the mix. C Roy Hibbert in particular has been ineffective this year after a breakout 2011-2012 campaign. The Bucks have played fairly well to open the season, but it remains to be seen if they can remain in the playoff hunt with so little playoff experience on the roster.

Cleveland and Detroit are still in the process of rebuilding and have already fallen out of the playoff picture altogether

The race for the division is tight right now, but the possible return of a former MVP in Rose gives the Bulls a trump card that the other teams in the Central cannot pull. It’s still not clear if or when Rose will return, but the general consensus is that he will be ready to go sometime after the All-Star break.

If the Bulls are still in the thick of the division race at that point, the addition of Rose should be more than enough to put them over the top down the stretch. While the Bulls have continued to play fantastic defense, ranking second in points allowed per game, their offense has been underwhelming, and the addition of a lethal scorer like Rose would make them a much more balanced, and dangerous, team. By getting off to a solid start without their best players, Chicago has given itself a great chance to not only return to the playoffs but make some noise once they get there too.