Roundtable: Are the Bulls for real?

Derrick Rose not only helped the Bulls return to the playoffs, but he also has them thinking they can topple the reigning champions. Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

SI.com NBA writers analyze the latest news and address hot topics from around the league each week.

1. The Bulls are giving the Celtics a much tougher fight than many expected in the first round. Are we witnessing the rise of a new Eastern Conference power or merely a young team taking advantage of an injured one?

Jack McCallum: Why does this question sound familiar? Ah, yes, because we were asking the same thing a couple of years ago when it seemed like the Deng-Hinrich-Gordon-Nocioni combo was going to produce a power along the lines of, say, the balanced Detroit Pistons of the early 2000s. It didn't happen.

But though I'm not fully on the Chicago bandwagon yet, I think it could happen. For two reasons: The East is still weak, and Derrick Rose is the real deal, a transformative player. The Bulls should be disappointed if they do not leapfrog into the top four of the conference next season.

Chris Mannix: I'm going to straddle the fence on this one and say both. No question Chicago is better than everyone thought. Brad Miller and John Salmons have given the Bulls toughness and scoring, respectively. Meanwhile, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas have become one of the most active frontcourts in the league. But Boston's locker room looks like a medical ward. Its front line has been decimated by injuries -- consider that the return of reserve forward Brian Scalabrine is a heavily discussed topic in Boston -- and the defense just doesn't function without Kevin Garnett. Depending on how they play their cards in the offseason, the Bulls could be a team to watch in 2009-10, but we shouldn't read too much into this series against a Boston team that, if healthy, would probably win this series in five games.

Steve Aschburner: Chicago has a real future with this group, assuming Luol Deng returns to his '06-07 form and it finds someone willing to specialize as a defensive stopper. Andres Nocioni, especially the before-he-got-paid version, would be perfect in this mix. I'm convinced that Rose can blossom as a floor leader, and his heart pumps Prestone in terms of his ability to stay cool and calm under pressure. Noah has shown me more than I expected, and Thomas, if he can consistently hit a 15-foot shot and defend on the ball (he's fine as a dunker and a weakside shot blocker), sounds ready to grow up as a player, too. They still fill the stands at United Center, so I'm assuming the financial commitment to win exists. So I'm buying this stock.

Scott Howard-Cooper: Rising star -- Rose -- yes. Rising power, no. It's impossible to rely on one starter, Ben Gordon, as part of the future because he's about to become a free agent. It's impossible to rely on two other starters, Noah and Thomas, because they're Noah and Thomas. The Bulls are pulling together a nice series, but let's hope this isn't what qualifies as a rising power.

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2. Put on your GM cap for a moment. Ron Artest is a free agent this summer. Considering how well, and quietly, he has helped the Rockets keep winning without Tracy McGrady, would you have any reservations about signing him to a lucrative deal?

Jack McCallum: Of course I'd have reservations. There are maybe three players in the league -- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant -- about whom you don't have some reservations about signing or re-signing, be they reservations based on injury, chemistry or aging. Artest's history is that he's beloved when he arrives at a franchise, and all kinds of "Wow, Ronnie is such a great guy, we can't believe some of the stuff that was written about him" stories come out before he starts screwing up. It happened in both Indiana and Sacramento.

But, ultimately, the Rockets should (and will) re-sign him. I do believe he's a good guy at heart, perhaps he's matured, and without McGrady (whom they should get rid of), Artest is an absolutely necessary cog in their machine.

Chris Mannix: You always have some reservations when you are talking about hitching your wagon to Artest, but in this situation, they are minimal. Artest has been a solid citizen this season and arguably the Rockets' most valuable player. He's scored when he has needed to, and when paired with Shane Battier, he gives Houston the toughest 1-2 defensive tandem in the league. When you factor in that Yao Ming loves him, it's a slam dunk. There will be a market for the 29-year-old Artest this summer, but with the fractured economy and with teams clearing cap space for '10, I think Artest will be back.

Steve Aschburner: Despite his quirks and past distractions, as well as what I find to be his frequently aggravating shot selection, I've been convinced that he plays hard, he plays defense and he wants to win, which puts him ahead of many more user-friendly players in one, two or all three of those categories.

Scott Howard-Cooper: It's Artest. Of course I have reservations. My reservations have reservations. Artest is only worth the risk if he's the potential difference between winning a championship and falling just short, and even then I'm thinking three guaranteed years, max. There's no reason for a pretty good team or a lottery team to make a deal. No way I'm blowing Executive of the Year for a long tour of the Ron-Ron funhouse.