Regardless of how the Chicago Bulls season comes to an end it will be remembered not for the playoff run they put together without Derrick Rose, but rather the fact that the Bulls were without Derrick Rose.
It seems highly unlikely that Rose is going to see game-action this season. Despite being medically cleared and he himself stating that he was 95 percent ready to go; the Bulls are likely to finish their year without having any on-court contribution out of the former MVP.
Luckily for Bulls fans, their team seems poised to advance through to the second-round of the playoffs due in large part to gritty performances from Joakim Noah and Nate Robinson. Should the Bulls close out this series they then earn the inevitable task of trying to take four games off the defending NBA Champion Miami Heat.
For Chicagoans the damage is already done. Many are questioning Rose’s toughness, dedication and mental fortitude. Everyone believes that Rose could be playing, most-everyone believes that Rose should be playing. The Comcast sports media are quietly questioning the absence of the star-guard while over at non-Jerry Reinsdorf owned media outlets the questioning and criticisms have been far more vocal.
It is clear that the decision not to suit-up is that of Derrick Rose. Rose has deemed himself unfit to play; beit that he wants to be able to dunk off his left-foot, or his lateral quickness isn’t as good or that his mindset isn’t prepared to resume on-court activities. For whatever reason Rose is not clearing himself to resume his NBA career.
There is no doubt that Rose has consulted with his agents, lawyers, sponsors, coaches and medical professionals throughout the process, but perhaps the loudest voice in his ear is that of the players he has gone to battle with. Rose need not look any further than his co-hort, young-millionaire associates to know that rushing back to action when you aren’t 100% healthy can have long-term detrimental effects.
Rose has plenty of players to consult on the topic of recovery and missed games. There are plenty of players who have sat out and missed huge chunks of a season and in some cases whole seasons to ensure that they would return healthy. Blake Griffin for example sat out an entire year to recover and there are still lingering questions about the stability of his knee. Amar'e Stoudemire rushed himself back from surgery only to re-injure himself and miss further time. Now Stoudemire finds himself a fixture on the disabled list due to chronic knee pain. Indiana Pacer’s Danny Granger was medically cleared to resume play, which he did, only to play five games total before shutting himself down for the remainder of the season.
Is five games worth the risk to Rose? Are five games worth five years of salary? Another ACL or MCL tear for Rose and five games might be all Chicago hoop fans will get for their buck. Now there are success stories out there of players who have returned from similar like injuries.
The Utah Jazz’s Al Jefferson tore his ACL and he recovered after ten months and returned to the court. Once back in game action, Jefferson has failed to average double digit rebounding stats and saw a dramatic six-point drop in his scoring average. David West was carted off the court in a wheelchair only to return eleven months later and declare himself ready to go. West was never the same player and he too lost six points off his scoring average the following season.
There have been others who have torn their ACL’s are who are currently rehabbing as we speak. Time will tell how Rajon Rondo, Louis Williams and Nerlens Noel bounce back and it will be interesting to see if they face as much scrutiny as Rose has.
Bottom line is this. Not everyone is made up of Adrian Peterson-like pedigree and not everyone is able to regain strength and mobility after injury in the same manner. Chicagoans need to cool-it on the Rose criticism. The guy will play when he is healthy, not a minute before and not a minute later. The guy is an absolute competitor and to think anything else is doing the young-man a disservice.
Nobody has the Chicago Bulls running the table and winning an NBA Championship this season and that is with or without Rose on the court. Next year is a new year, one that will showcase a healthy and confident Derrick Rose. I realize that as sports fans we live in the now and we want our teams to win now, but one must accept the sacrifice today for the glory of tomorrow.
Derrick Rose is playing this the smart way, he isn’t soft, he never was soft and he never will be soft. Come opening-tip next season the doubters and hecklers will be out and so be it, but at the end of the day Bulls fans should be thankful and grateful for what Rose has done for the franchise as well as what he will do for it. Back-off Bulls fans!