Well, the 2011-2012 season for the Chicago Bulls is over and our hero, Derrick Rose, went through ACL surgery yesterday.
What a weird season.
Things never felt right all season. First, our new acquisition Hamilton was injured and then Derrick. Joakim started the year off horribly and then quickly went back to being the player who was worthy of his contract. Carlos Boozer played every game. Luol started the year off with a mohawk and a new aggressive attitude only to be slowed down by a torn ligament in his left wrist which made him tone down his aggressiveness and made him rely more on three-pointers.
But he was still an All-Star. And somehow, the Bulls still ended up with the best record.
The playoffs started, things started to feel good and then all of a sudden, man, we looked good. Hamilton looked like the perfect fit next to Rose and Rose was playing like his old self effortlessly almost posting a triple-double.
Then of course, disaster struck.
Everyone was upset and disillusioned and hurt.
I told Matt Becker that I could not believe that this happened and that it seemed unfair.
He told me that I couldn't think that way, because Derrick Rose was a gift.
Damn, he was right. 1.7%.
We had no reason in the world to land Derrick Rose. But we did. He came home. And the best fans in the world have been blessed to watch him for the past four years from dropping 36 in Boston in his first playoff game to hoisting the league's MVP trophy.
Derrick means more to us than any athlete in our city's history. He is us. He represents the best of us and the worst of us. He came from the worst streets of our city, areas that we should be embarrassed for having. But he also exemplifies everything that it means to be a Chicagoan. Humble. Hard-working. Tough. And most of all, he has Chicago pride.
As Chicagoans, we only care about championships. We've had the best record in the league for two straight seasons but you will never, ever hear a Chicagoan bragging about it. It doesn't matter, because we didn't win a championship.
I mean, after all, after the '96 Bulls put together a 72-10 season for the record books, they didn't celebrate. Instead, they wore t-shirts that said "72-10 Ain't Mean a Thing Without That Ring." That is who we are. We expect championships.
But after going through this injury with Derrick, I can honestly say, and this feels weird to be saying, I don't care if Derrick wins a championship or not. Of course, I want him to win one because he deserves it. No one in the league deserves it more than him.
But at the same time, Derrick was a gift. He means more to our sports-crazed city than any athlete ever. He is bigger than just sports. I want to enjoy his career. I want to root for him. I want to have his back no matter what happens. It's an honor to have someone like him be your guy.
But I must admit, after he goes through the long, lonely journey of rehab from ACL surgery and comes back even stronger, just like our city did after the Great Chicago Fire, and leads us to a championship... I will cry.
