April 09--With due respect to the port-a-potties the Cubs installed at Wrigley Field, no Chicago team produced more relief this week than the Bulls and Blackhawks.
Derrick Rose returned to playing games Wednesday night in Orlando, Fla., a day after Patrick Kane swatted slap shots at practice. Both superstars confronted injuries Feb. 24 within hours of each other; Rose announced surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee and Kane broke his collarbone. The White Sox should have hidden the keys to Chris Sale's truck that night.
Fate was the culprit in Rose's case but Chicagoans forever will blame Alex Petrovic of the Panthers for Kane's cross-check into the boards. The confluence of sports calamity marked the city's coldest day of winter, regardless of temperature.
With April arrived the warmth of anticipation created by the pending availability of both players for the playoffs -- Rose resumed play with a minutes limit and Kane could come back as early as the first round of the NHL playoffs. Their presence dramatically alters Chicago's postseason landscape.
From this seat in the press box, where opinions are plenty and the food is free, one big-picture observation about the teams' respective postseasons sounds illogical but really makes perfect sense.
The Blackhawks have a better chance of winning a championship than the Bulls do. But the Bulls have a better chance of going deeper in the playoffs than the Blackhawks. Both statements have as much to do with the NHL's Western Conference and the NBA's Eastern Conference as they do with the Blackhawks or Bulls.
Whose postseason will last longer?
First, examine the Hawks. Something significant happened Tuesday night bigger than their 2-1 loss to the Wild. Minnesota's Jason Zucker played, and scored, 57 days after breaking his collarbone. Zucker's injury occurred Feb. 9 -- 15 days before Kane's. If Kane heals at a similarly fast pace, then April 22 would be 57 days post-injury. On April 22, 2014, the Hawks beat the Blues in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. That timetable encourages Hawks fans and coach Joel Quenneville's comments have done little to quell the enthusiasm.
The Hawks cannot exhale when Kane returns, waiting for him to don a cape. But if Kane scores and sets up others with his usual flair, the Hawks likely will regain the offense they have lacked. Past layoffs suggest Kane's assimilation into the mix figures to go smoother than Rose's. Before the injury, Kane was playing at an MVP level and re-inserting a winger that dangerous into the second line makes the Hawks as deep as anybody.
Yet the overall depth of the Western Conference, combined with the flukiness of hockey, makes a first-round exit for the Hawks as conceivable as a Stanley Cup championship. The Blues, Predators and Wild -- all possibilities -- are all capable. Parity is more than a concept in the NHL; it's the reason winning the Cup represents the toughest tournament in pro sports.
That said, forget about worrying where the Hawks finish and home ice. You need a study guide and a tutor to understand the NHL's playoff system but the Hawks, when focused and healthy, can beat any opponent anywhere. That's proven. Home ice matters, in theory, to give teams an advantage in case of a Game 7. That so-called edge rendered itself moot in Game 7 of last year's Western Conference finals at the United Center against the Kings. Speaking of the Kings, if they fail to make the playoffs as now appears likely, that also will establish the Hawks as the team with the best combination of postseason experience and talent.
As for the Bulls, everybody needs to maintain realistic expectations for Rose, who should worry more about facilitating than firing 3-point shots. Nikola Mirotic emerged as a closer while Rose was gone. Jimmy Butler can take the big shots. Pau Gasol never stopped being the team's MVP. Psychologically, Rose's return provides confidence even if consistency initially will elude him. They were a .500 team without Rose but remain the East's most legitimate threat to the Cavaliers with him, even in a diminished state, as long as the Bulls, um, do their jobs.
If the Bulls remain the No. 3 seed, the Bucks look beatable in an opening round no matter how much rust Rose accumulated. That would set up a second-round matchup with a Cavs team the Bulls would like to avoid as long as possible because LeBron James has ended too many of their seasons. If the Bulls somehow slip into the No. 4 seed -- unlikely with the Raptors struggling -- then it's easier to imagine them beating the Wizards and Hawks in successive series than any scenario involving James and the Cavs.
That recent history makes it difficult to envision the Bulls making the NBA Finals. And the Blackhawks' history makes it hard to rule out a return to the Cup final. It all could depend on what's in the stars.
dhaugh@tribpub.com
