Can Derrick Rose lead Bulls to title even at less than 100 percent?

While the Chicago Bulls are just one win—or a Miami Heat loss—away from clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, there’s clearly a concern about the health of star point guard Derrick Rose. Rose has battled a multitude of injuries this season, missing 26 of the Bulls’ 64 games, and just hasn’t looked like himself at times, especially late in the season.

Writes the Chicago Sun-Times, “Nobody expects (Rose) to be playing at an MVP level against the Pacers on Wednesday and Cavaliers on Thursday. ... The best-case scenario involves him returning as close as possible to 100 percent while the playoffs are under way.”

“He’s been out a long time,” coach Tom Thibodeau said, per the Sun-Times. “He’s finding his way, like Rip (Hamilton) has finally gotten comfortable after going through the extended period off. Derrick is going through the same thing. What Derrick has done in the past, he’s gotten up to speed very quickly. Hopefully, that will be the case this time around.”

Rose’s teammates, meanwhile, are confident in his ability to lead the team even if he’s not 100 percent.

“He’s matured so much that he still knows how to be effective even though he’s not 100 percent,” forward Luol Deng said. “Last game (against Dallas, when Rose had 11 points and eight assists in a 93-83 Bulls win), even though he wasn’t attacking or anything, he was still running the offense, running the team. He did a great job doing that.”

Added center Joakim Noah, “Derrick is a tough player. He demands a lot of attention out there on the court. Just having him on the court definitely helps us.”