Chicago Bulls · Franchise era 6 of 7
The D-Rose Bulls: the Chicago Bulls story
Franchise era
2008–09—2015–16
The D-Rose Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The story in one sentence
Rose became the youngest MVP, Chicago won 62 games and reached the 2011 conference finals. His ACL injury changed the ceiling, but Noah, Butler and the defense kept the era competitive.
A hometown MVP and Thibodeau defense
Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for searching for the next era.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2008–09
What came before
The immediate teardown produced years of losses before Hinrich, Gordon and Deng restored playoff basketball and a new defensive edge.
2011
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks
2011
Eastern Conference Finals: Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat
2015
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers
After 2015–16
What came next
Chicago moved from Butler's final season through the LaVine–DeRozan teams and into another attempt to build a sustainable young core.
The core
Faces of the chapter
Watch the history