NBA Playoffs 2012: What Derrick Rose's Injury Means for LeBron James - Bleacher Report

I'm sure you know by now that Derrick Rose's run in the 2012 NBA playoffs is over, thanks to a torn ACL in the Bulls' first-round matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.

While the debate will go on surrounding who's to blame for the reigning MVP's season-ending injury and how losing their star point guard will impact the Chicago Bulls' pursuit of a 2012 NBA title, there's no doubt that it has a significant impact on the outcome of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Before Rose's injury, we all thought fans were destined to see a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat.

Now that Rose is out though, the Eastern Conference title looks like it's not going to be going through Chicago anymore.

The shift of the Eastern Conference now focuses to the number two team in the Eastâ€"the Miami Heat.

While the Eastern Conference title now appears to be rolling straight through South Beach, there's no doubt that Derrick Rose's torn ACL will have a huge impact on one player, and that player is LeBron James.

There are quite a few things that Rose's torn ACL means for LeBron James and the first thing it means is that LeBron's path to a second straight NBA Finals just got that much easier.

LeBron and the Heat are a shoe-in for the 2012 NBA Finals

Even with Derrick Rose, the Bulls still were set up to have their hands full with the Miami Heat if both teams met up in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Marc Serota/Getty Images

While the Bulls and Heat split their regular-season series, there's no doubt that without Derrick Rose the Bulls lose any kind of backcourt advantage they may have had with him.

Now that the Bulls are without their star point guard, the focus of the East shifts to just how easy of a road the Heat have to make it to the NBA Finals.

With the Bulls' playoff future in question, the next best team beside the Heat in the East is the Boston Celtics, and while the C's have had the Heat's number in the regular season, I'd still put my money on the Heat to take that potential ECF matchup.

While it's great for the Heat and their fans that the Heat's path to the 2012 NBA Finals just got a little easier, it certainly will have an impact on LeBron's 2012 legacy.

A 2012 NBA title for LeBron will be tainted, at least a little

For argument's sake, let's say that LeBron and the Heat run through the playoff competition and win the 2012 NBA championship.  

If that happens, it will be a step in the right direction for LeBron's epic legacy, but there's no doubt that LeBron's critics will point to Rose's absence as a reason to discount his first ring.

Any true competitor will tell you that winning is that much sweeter when you've beaten the best at their best, and unfortunately, LeBron doesn't have that luxury this season as one of his biggest competitors is out of the playoff picture.

If LeBron hoists the 2012 Larry O'Brien championship trophy at the end of the season, his biggest critics will point to the fact that he didn't have to beat the best to win his first ring, and they will use that to tarnish the foundation of his NBA legacy.

While it shouldn't matter who LeBron beats on his way to his first NBA championship, the fact of the matter is that it will matter, and it will complicate LeBron's legacy that much more.

With that being said, Derrick Rose's torn ACL not only complicates the potential legacy of a 2012 NBA title for LeBron, it also robs NBA fans of the best and most competitive possible Eastern Conference Finals matchup.

While Rose's injury certainly impacts the Chicago Bulls and their playoff success the most, the impact Rose's torn ACL has on LeBron is a close second.