The Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose saga is starting to give me a headache.
According to a story via Slam Online, per the Chicago Sun-Times, there are quite a few people within the Bulls organization who are holding out hope that Rose will return for the first round of the playoffs.
With growing hope expressed by teammates that Derrick Rose could step on the court for Game 1 of the playoffs, coach Tom Thibodeau kept that possibility alive. “It could be,” Thibodeau said. “He’s still not ready. We feel good about the guys we do have, and we just want to keep improving and let Derrick handle his rehab and just be ready for whoever we’re facing.” The Bulls closed out the regular season without Rose. He went through his usual pregame routine before the game Wednesday against the Washington Wizards. Joakim Noah has maintained all season that he thought Rose would play, and Carlos Boozer was the latest player to express that sentiment.
But it’s all up to Rose. If he reaches the point where he’s not thinking and just reacting, he’s a go. “Whenever he’s ready, we’re going to welcome him back because, obviously, he adds a lot to the team,” Thibodeau said. “It’s the same as [Noah] and Taj [Gibson]. They come back and they’re playing limited minutes, but it’s a big plus to the team just because of what their strengths are. All those guys are team-oriented, and it makes your team a lot better.”
I don’t even know why this is even still a debate honestly. Even if Rose does make it back for the playoffs, I seriously doubt his impact is going to be enough to propel the Bulls anywhere past the second round. The risk heavily outweighs the reward, just start fresh next season Chicago.