Chicago Bulls championship odds drastically change after Derrick Rose knee injury

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The Chicago Bulls were dealt a devastating blow on Tuesday with the news breaking of superstar Derrick Rose suffering yet another serious knee injury. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee that will require surgery, according to Adi Joseph of USA Today:

The Chicago Bulls point guard has a torn meniscus in his right knee, the team announced late Tuesday. Rose, whose previous two seasons were ended by knee injuries, needs surgery and has no timeline on his return.

With Rose potentially done for the rest of the season, the odds for the Bulls to win an NBA title this year have changed. Chicago is one of the most talented teams in the league from with the perfect mesh of young players and veterans, but without Rose in the backcourt, the team’s chances of winning a title at season’s end have drastically changed.

According to Sportsbook.ag, Chicago now sports 30 to 1 odds to win the 2015 NBA Finals.

Although the odds have changed with some sites like Bovada.lv having the Bulls as high as 9 to 1 to win it all in June before Rose went down with the knee injury, Chicago will still be a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference. All-Star Jimmy Butler has come into his own this season alongside two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol.

After a few subpar seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Gasol has bounced back as one of the best frontcourt players in the league this season after signing with the Bulls in free agency last summer.

In 54 games this season in Chicago, Gasol is averaging 18.3 points and 12.1 rebounds per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor. The 34-year-old has shown that he’s still got a lot left in the tank and will likely have to step up his game even more with Rose possibly done for the season.

It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out for the Bulls the rest of the way, but it is too early to count them out as legitimate title contenders in the East.