We turned the page to the next chapter in the story of Derrick Rose on Saturday night at the UC; oh what a ride it has been. Here’s this Chicago kid who went to Simeon, shining… ended up in Memphis, coming up short in the title game (and his free throws)… becoming draft eligible, the same year his hometown team the Bulls miraculously won the draft lottery… Michael Beasley was never in question. It was Derrick Rose all the way for the Bulls with that first pick… and the rest was history. #1 from Chicago…
We found our earlier in the day that his number will be retired; I’m OK with it. I’ve bounced around on this one over the years. I was never really against it, but wasn’t pounding the table for it to happen either. His star shone bright, there is no denying that, but it was short lived, and had many complexities along the way. Still, if we’re looking at the Bulls franchise, since MJ retired the 2nd time, so the past 27 years… who we got? The best player in the past quarter century for this franchise is Derrick Rose. Is that enough for him to join Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Scottie Pippen, and of course, Michael Jordan, in the rafters? Sure. It will become official next year; that will be nice. The Hall of Fame talk? OK, let’s pump the brakes just a bit. I’m a die hard Bulls fan as much as the next guy, but… I didn’t even think Kukoc belonged, but… I’m not going to argue against it. Same here, but… again, his career was short lived.
The complexities along the way centered around his injury. I’ll never forget that day, a few weeks after my son was born, when DRose went down at the end of Game 1 vs the Sixers; it was one of the worst moments that I can remember. He was never the same. The stuff that started bothering me along the way was the fact that he was medically cleared, but chose to continue to sit out, and not join his warrior teammates playing through their own injuries (Noah, Deng, Taj) on the court for the playoffs. He did eventually come back, and hit a huge shot in the postseason, but… the best of that team was in the past, and now… Rose was more worried about walking for PJ’s graduation… He ended up leaving for the Knicks, and saying some stuff about Chicago fans, like me, who had his back since day one. Yes, for these complexities, I hated Rose for a minute… it’s a thin line between love and hate.
Seeing him come back to the UC in celebration made me smile; I loved the stuff between him and Noah, the 2nd best player in the past quarter century for this franchise; we retiring his number? The highlights for Rose are many. Being a kid from Chicago playing on his hometown team made everything a little sweeter during that time. My wife and I had season tickets; we saw this team rise to the top. It was a glorious ride. We chanted MVP in the 300 level when Rose went to the free throw line; he was… and this became official becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history. The Bulls were back, and primed for a serious run at #7. Sadly, this never materialized. Since MJ, this was my favorite Bulls team; since Rose, Noah, Thibs, and the boys, the Bulls have for the most part sucked. I hoped they wouldn’t suck on this night…
Thankfully, these Bulls played their asses off on this special night; they earned some good points from me for this. Doing their best to honor #1 on this night, in front of Thibs, and many of Derrick’s teammates who came from all over to be a part of this (how cool was that!), the Bulls beat the Knicks; bravo! The whole night was almost perfect… until the whole “This was the old me, and now I’m a businessman” comment… Huh? Ah Derrick… we still love you man; words were never your thing, but… that’s OK. You were here to play ball, and play ball you did. You provided a lot of joy to us in a Bulls uniform, and for that, I am appreciative. Congrats on your special night; congrats on the jersey retirement. Good luck on your business ventures, and just remember, nobody will show you more love than us Bulls fans. Peace.
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