I missed nearly all of Game 1 between the Bulls and the 76ers Saturday (ironically, I was attending a funeral), but did return home in time to see the final two and a half minutes. There could not have been a worse time to tune in to what was certainly the worst moment of the Bulls season.
Let me first address whether or not I believe Derrick should have been on the court when his injury happened. Critics point to the fact that the game was in hand with less than two minutes to play, and therefore Rose should have been taken out as a precautionary measure. Up to this point in the game, he had already played 37 minutes, taken 23 shots, and showed evidence that he had regained his explosiveness. But you can't play scared. Any other superstar in the league would have been on the court in the same situation, and just because Derrick is more injury-prone than other stars does not mean he should have been treated differently. It's easy to look back and say that it was a bad decision, that his extra 74 seconds on the court increased his odds of sustaining an injury. The odds increase for every player, but sometimes you just have to let your players play. If Thibs has to micromanage Rose's minutes by constantly calculating that magic combination of time left on the clock and points ahead needed to take him out of the game, the Bulls aren't winning any titles anyways. The only way this team was going to win a championship was to play at full strength, and if their best player can't play the final minutes while up twelve points without worrying, then they aren't true contenders. Pulling Derrick Rose might have saved the Bulls season, but leaving him in was not the wrong decision.
As far as the rest of the playoffs, the best the Bulls can hope for is an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Heat. I still expect them to take care of Philadelphia, but Boston won't be easy in round two. In fact, given how well the Celtics have been playing, Chicago should be the underdog. Without Rose, the Bulls fall back into the pack of second tier East teams that have a bunch of good players but no star, and no realistic shot at the Finals. Could you really say that there is now any material difference between the Bulls, the Celtics, the Pacers, and the Hawks? I don't think so. The only clear advantage Chicago has is coaching, but their likely second round opponent, Boston, is also well-coached and well-disciplined. It all feels meaningless, however, because in the larger picture of the NBA playoffs, the number of legitimate title contenders was reduced from four to three with one injury.
So what are we to think? How are we supposed to reconcile this devastating news that our team is no longer relevant? Well, we can't really. The best thing Bulls fans can do is watch this team grow stronger, watch them fight to stay alive without their leader. This has become a lost season, but it has hardly become one unworthy of watching. As fans, just like players, we must fully experience the pain in order to fully appreciate the joy of winning. So be depressed. Stay inside. Wear your pajamas. Watch a lot of movies. Order delivery and drink Powerade. But come back next season hungrier as a fan, because one day, this will all be worth it.
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