Will Derrick Rose Return to the Bulls this season? Does it even matter?

 

By: Joe Boozell

Chicago Bulls executives, coaches, players, and fans alike have been awaiting the answer to a common question all off-season long: Will Derrick Rose be available to play in the 2012-2013 campaign? And if so, when?

Most would be befuddled by the response: Does it really matter?

Coming off a disappointing first round exit courtesy of the Philadelphia 76ers in last year’s playoffs, the Bulls underwent an “Extreme Makeover: Bench Mob” edition this offseason, much to the dismay of many fans.

Gone are fan favorites Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), Omer Asik (Houston Rockets), Ronnie Brewer (New York Knicks), and C.J. Watson (Brooklyn Nets).

In are NBA veterans Kirk Hinrich (formerly with the Atlanta Hawks), Nazr Mohammed (Oklahoma City Thunder), Marco Belinelli (New Orleans Hornets), and Nate Robinson (Golden State Warriors); among others.

Not to be Gar Foreman’s personal apologist, but Bulls fans: quit wasting your anger in regards to the dismantling of the Bench Mob. If anything, be upset that Carlos Boozer is being paid about as much per season as the Thunder’s James Harden, Kendrick Perkins, and Serge Ibaka combined.

In simpler terms: the Bulls are going nowhere by keeping their current core intact…..fast. With or without Rose. What makes you think a likely less explosive former MVP is going to be able to outmatch LeBron James and the defending NBA champion Miami Heat when he couldn’t, when fully healthy, two years ago? Not to mention, the Heat are only getting better, with the addition of sharpshooters Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis this offseason.

Thus, the logical, yet frustrating answer to those who are hell-bent on “competing” year after year:

Start over. With the exception of Rose and Coach Tom Thibodeau.

Sorry, but success in this industry is measured in championships, not the amount of times a team can win a decent amount of regular season games only to be ousted in the first or second round of the playoffs. Just ask the Atlanta Hawks.

No, I’d rather root for a team like the San Antonio Spurs in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. Or, for the newer basketball fan, the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the Charlotte Bobcats protected 1st round pick that has the potential to be the #1 overall pick in 2016, or at the very least, a very valuable trade commodity, the Bulls do have options to turn those model franchises into their own reality.

While wounded, Rose should still be thought of as a “superstar”. Sure, he alone isn’t enough to secure a ring, but he’s certainly a start.Paired with arguably the best defensive coach in basketball, Tom Thibodeau, there’s still more potential here than could be said for the majority of NBA teams.

Chicago is in need of another star, and unfortunately, that player isn’t going to fall into their lap this season. It’s not Luol Deng. It’s not Joakim Noah. And it’s certainly not Carlos Boozer.

So please, I beg of you, the Chicago sports fan. Take a vacation to a warm destination this winter, or perhaps become preoccupied with a Chicago Bears playoff run that hopefully lasts deep in the winter.

Just try not to kid yourselves into thinking an ahead of schedule return for Derrick Rose means the Chicago Bulls are legitimate NBA title contenders.

If anything, a quick return for Rose before he’s ready could be the fastest way to return to the Rush University Medical Center’s operating table.

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