Derrick Rose Return News Update: Chicago Bulls Roster More Geared To Win Championship Next Season When Rose Comes Back From Injury

With Derrick Rose returning from his long knee rehabilitation and the acquisition of solid shooters, the current Chicago Bulls roster appears more geared towards give the defending NBA champion Miami Heat and other title contenders a run for their money next season.

The Bulls are back in the title hunt after grinding out the 2012-13 season without their franchise player. The absence of Rose did not stop the Bulls from creating some buzz for next season after stunning the Brooklyn Nets in a feisty seven-game series in the first round and then giving Miami a gut-check in a physical series in the second round.

However, Rose's return just brings a different dynamic to the Bulls as team. With D-Rose running the show again, the Bulls will have back one of the most explosive point guards in the NBA and a go-to guy to lean on in clutch situations.

Of course, there will be doubts on Rose's current condition given the severity of the injury (torn ACL) he suffered. Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau provided an optimistic evaluation of Rose's workout this summer, but other than that, everything was still uncertain with regards to the superstar's return progress.

But all of these qualms were put to rest after a video showing D-Rose doing his bread-and-butter crossover against a Japanese League player went viral in the Internet. Although one-on-one basketball is way different from organized five-on-five games, Rose was still able to show his explosiveness and crisp movements.

The Bulls championship campaign will not solely lean on D-Rose. Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and the developing Jimmy Butler will also play critical roles in this upcoming season's grind.

The frontcourt trio of Noah, Boozer and Deng is expected to provide their usual big numbers along with the toughness on both ends of the floor, but Butler is set to become the x-factor for this ball club, finally giving Rose a backcourt partner that can create his own shot and play hard-nosed defense from the perimeter.

Though losing a couple of hardworking guys like Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson to free agency might upset some Bulls fans, Mike Dunleavy, rookie Tony Snell and Erik Murphy will be counted on to provide quality minutes off the bench. The same goes for Taj Gibson, Nazr Muhammad and second-year guard Marquis Teague, who showed great improvement during the summer league.

In short, the Bulls have a more stacked unit than they had three years ago when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Oklahoma City Thunder may still have better rosters on paper, but the Bulls' current set of players are well suited for D-Rose's playing style.