Last year's MVP Derrick Rose blew out his ACL in Game 1 of the Chicago Bulls 1st Round Playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers and since that night the team was not the same. To make matters worse the doctor that did the procedure threw out the best case/worst case scenario saying the Rose will miss 8-12 months. If there is anything that we have learned from these types of injuries its that while players may make it back on to the field, court, ice, or whatever they are not the same as they were before and that it takes time to get there. This is terrible news for the NBA and of course the Bulls.
For the NBA this is bad news because not only do they lose one of the best and most explosive players in the league but they also lose out on another contender until D Rose is fully healed. The Bulls without Rose are on par with the 76ers or the Indiana Pacers in the East, which isn't to say those teams are bad but they aren't great or championship material. When next season kicks off there will be 3 categories of teams competing for the NBA title. In the first group you will have the true contenders, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs, and maybe the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The second category will include the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Clippers, 76ers, Pacers, and the Bulls. And the final category will include the rest of the NBA or the fillers as I like to call them. Based off of what we saw during this shortened regular season Chicago will probably still contend for a playoff spot(in the back end instead of the front end) but they will not be a serious threat for the East as also evidence by the most recent premature post season exit. The number of attractive teams decreases and therefore interest in the NBA will drop. I'll give you that people will still be interested but only in the aspect of will the Miami Heat choke once again and can the Thunder repeat. The NBA has to hope for the best case scenario in this instance because there are few elite players in the NBA and Rose is one of them.
Speaking of hoping for a best case scenario the Chicago Bulls are hoping for that to happen but they shouldn't rush him back. I can see it now the Bulls make it to the playoffs as a 5 or 6 seed and Rose is close to coming back they rush him on to the floor only to be ineffective and possibly reinjure his ACL or injure something new. He is too vital to this team to have him comeback prematurely only to see him get injured again. His style of play plus his size lead him to be injury prone and taking a year off may not be good because he will be a year older(24 to be exact if he comes back next season) but his body could use the rest. If Chicago is not concerned with his reckless play then they need only to look at their chief rival the Miami Heat and Dwayne Wade because he has not been the same the last few years due to various injuries. Chicago needs to show patience and I know that's tough in the sports world and they may feel their window is closing with Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Rip Hamilton, and Luol Deng getting up their in age but they will not go anywhere without Rose at 100%.
Obviously the kid has a tremendous work ethic and will be driven to get back on the floor as soon as possible and he may even be pressured by his team and/or the league but he should not be on the floor until he is completely ready. He is a great ambassador to the league, he is humble and is only focused on winning an NBA title not growing his brand or being an international mover and shaker. There should be more players like him but unfortunately he is a rare breed and he needs the NBA as much as they need him.
