So we’re talking about it again… the return of Rose. My initial reaction is no; I don’t want that. I see a lot of people seemingly praying for it, like it will make that much of a difference in the Bulls season, like the old D-Rose will be stepping onto that court. That ship has sailed my friends. He barely played for the Knicks last year; is he better than Coby White and/or Ayo? For old time’s sake, seeing him in a Bulls uni, I guess would be cool… although seeing that, would also bring back some other not so great memories…
I’m going to try to keep this high level, because I can go DEEP on this subject, but… Rose came into the NBA, onto OUR team because we somehow won the draft lottery; I was super excited. He was everything and more, kicking ass and taking names. My son always likes to talk about “prime” players… you know, guys in their prime. I’ll tell you what: Prime Derrick Rose was the shit; you weren’t messing with him. He would go to the hole with reckless abandon. He brought an energy to the UC that hadn’t been there since the MJ days. Being a hometown kid just added to it. From Chicago… Yeah, those were some good times; I should know… we had season tickets during that time, and almost attended every game. The MVP chants from the 300 level… the jumping out of the gym to grab the ball and dunk it… the quickness, the slashing, the power… When it comes to all-time Bulls, he’s definitely in the discussion. Those days are remembered fondly in my head and heart… right up until Game 1 against the Sixers. Even losing the year before to the Heat didn’t phase me; we were paying dues… we’d be back… and we were… claiming the #1 seed in the East for the second straight year… then IT happened.
I don’t think I’ve ever ranked these moments, but… Rose going down is one of the worst moments ever in Chicago sports history; who wants to be reminded of that? My son was just born; we had him decked out in his little Bulls outfit. We were watching them kick the Sixers ass, and then… bam. I remember tears in my eyes washing the dishes later that day. Brutal, just brutal. It was never the same after that; that was 11 years ago. Rose was never the same. Was he healthy? Was he not healthy? Was he medically cleared? Will he play tonight, or will he be resting? He got hurt again on top of it all. At what point did he switch his priorities to his health post-basketball, being able to walk for PJ’s graduation? I mean, who doesn’t want to be healthy post their professional careers; who doesn’t want to be in good health for their kid’s graduation. Makes sense, right? Yeah, but… what about the Bulls? What about all of us who had been patient with you? Why did you not play when you were medically cleared? I had your back, the whole way… then when you departed to New York to form a “super team”, you trashed Chicago? That was enough for me. My love turned to hate… then… slowly, turned back to love. I wanted nothing but the best for D Rose. But, his injury (ies) prevented a great Bulls team from winning a 7th NBA title, period. I’m not blaming Derrick, it’s just the fact.
Like I said, that ship has sailed; he had his time, pre-2012 playoffs Game 1. It was a glorious time. Dark days followed; Rose survived from team to team, with Thibs having his back. But now we want him back in Chicago? We want someone who is a shadow of the Derrick we all choose to remember; he’s nowhere near the player he was… I mean, light years away, but yeah… let him put on that Bulls jersey again; we can chant MVP while he averages 6 points per game off the bench… cool. I’ll pass. Good luck wherever you go D-Rose; we’ll always remember the good times. By the way, the Bulls ain’t that great either… I wanted to see you get a ring, so… we’re no good for each other any more to be honest. If this Bulls season, which ain’t looking that great thus far, will be all about sentimental value, then come on… it wouldn’t surprise me if AK grabs him just for that reason alone… something to make us forget about running back the same team that will go nowhere… other than that though…
Leave a Reply