It was odd to be reminded that it's been one calendar year since the ACL injury occurred that ended Derrick Rose's playoff run last year for the Bulls. The skeptics have been many and have taken their side on both ends of the argument (should he come back this year or should he shut it down until next season ?). So much has been made of the #RETURN ... We've seen the countless Adidas commercials (which I partly blame for the pressure Derrick's been under to return) and we've been hearing since before the season started how he was "ahead of schedule" in his rehab and was targeting a come back some time after the All Star break. Even MORE pressure was placed on the 24 year old's shoulders when Ricky Rubio and Iman Shumpert (who suffered his injury on the same day as Rose) have come back from similar injuries some time ago (Shumpert is helping his Knicks in the Playoffs right now against Boston). I was cool either way. If he was able to come back during the regular season and was comfortable doing so, fine. If he wanted to make his 2013 debut during the Playoffs (on a minutes count), I'm fine with that as well. What I'm not fine with is how so many of the fan base (and media as well) have turned on Rose because of his reluctance to even test the knee out in LIVE game action.
The comments made by Derrick's brother Reggie (about the Bulls inability to surround Rose with quality players) were asinine and poorly timed (with Luol Deng and Joakim Noah being named All-Stars and the team in the middle of the Playoff Race, at the time). He undoubtedly bought MORE attention to his younger brother and made people question his basketball character (something that had NOT been questioned by the very same fan base that idolizes him). People began to wonder if the "mental" struggles Rose is dealing with in his rehab are real or is this him taking a stand in light of Reggie's comments ? I think if we're REAL with ourselves (especially Bulls fans) we'd ALL agree that Derrick has absolutely NO choice but to come back ready to go to work to start next season, if he doesn't come back during these Playoffs. He will have absolutely NO reason not to. So what he's been rumored to look lights out practice after practice and has been dunking for months. The ACL is fine. Let's not forget that he missed 27 of 66 games last year with various leg injuries before tearing his ACL in the 1st game of the Playoffs against the Sixers last year. I'm more concerned about him pulling a groin or a hamstring than I am him re-injuring his ACL, to be honest. So what Doctors "cleared him" months ago and he's been performing all sorts of Basketball related activities. What's the real "rush" ? What if he does have a setback or even worse re-injure the same knee and experience instantaneous decline like Gilbert Arenas (who returned from a similar injury pre-maturely) ? Is THAT what we want ? The decision has ALWAYS been Derrick's to make. That doesn't change because the Bulls have been extremely competitive without him, does it ? I think he's closer to returning than some may think ...
The irony is the 5th seeded Bulls are up (3-1) over the 4th seeded Nets with a chance to close the series out Monday night in Brooklyn. Also ironic is the fact that Kirk Hinrich will be out with a calf injury forcing Coach Thibs to start Nate Robinson who has run extremely hot and cold in his stint with the Bulls. If Robinson gets into foul trouble, Thibs may be reluctant to go to 1st year guard Marquis Teague and look to Marco Belinelli in a pinch, if forced to. How about the fact that Rose has watched his teammate Joakim Noah play inspired basketball despite laboring with painful plantar fasciitis ? Would he NOT be urged to play when his embattled team needs him most ? Let's say the Bulls win one of the next 3 games (if necessary) who would they face next ? The same team that Rose watched celebrate winning a Championship from his couch just a year ago (the Miami Heat) a team he desperately wants to beat. Hollywood couldn't script this any better for Rose if he asked them to ... Don't be surprised if the caption on the #RETURN changes from "coming soon" to "now playing" ...
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