Words // Zac Dubasik
At the start of this NBA season, adidas ran an ad campaign around Derrick Rose and the Rose 3 touting his "return." This was a bit odd, due to the fact that absolutely no one expected Derrick to be making his return at that point, or any time soon, considering he'd torn his ACL in late-April of 2012.
That ad, which featured Derrick returning to the court at the end, may have been misleading to some, but anyone that follows basketball closely knew it would be a much longer timeframe before DRose would actually return to the court.
Some hoped for a Christmas day return. As one of the biggest showcases for the League, every top star aspires to partake in the holiday games. But even that would have been a stretch for Derrick, and it understandably came and went without a return.
All-Star Weekend would have been another goal of note to attempt to return by. Had he been healthy, DRose would have surely been a major part of the weekend's festivities. That timeframe may have seemed a little more realistic, as his fellow adidas teammate Iman Shumpert returned from his torn ACL in early February, which he suffered on the exact same day as Derrick.
But everyone's bodies are different, and respond and recover in their own ways. So while they may have suffered their injuries on the same day, it's not fair to expect them to be prepared to return during the same window. As most everyone also easily noticed, Shumpert struggled early on after returning to action with his explosiveness, and it wouldn't be until at least another month later before he began to regain his pre-injury form. He's now been a major contributor for the Knicks' first 2nd round appearance since 2000.
Back in Chicago, to the benefit of nobody involved, came the March reports that Derrick had been fully cleared to play by his doctor. This coincided with a rough patch of the Bulls' season, where they were playing far from their best ball. It was easy to understand how rushing back may not have been the most appealing option at that point, with the team's chances for postseason success looking less and less likely, and the regular season schedule of remaining games dwindling by the day.
To make matters even worse, Derrick warming up during pre-game at every arena fueled speculation that he was healthy enough to be playing. And when combined with the fact that Rose has been participating in 5-on-5 practices, at full speed, for the past two months, fans have grown understandably restless. If he's been cleared to play, and he's practicing as if he was playing … why isn't he playing?
Further complicating matters were comments made by Derrick's brother Reggie. Probably to Derrick's detriment, Reggie has been very vocal this season about his brother's return, and his comments seemed to imply that the lack of return may have had something to do with the team failing to make any personnel moves over the summer and before the trade deadline for a legitimate shot at a title.
Now, with the Bulls pulling off an upset in the first round of the playoffs, and an even bigger upset by taking Game 1 in their 2nd round series against the Heat, all eyes are again on DRose. Will there be temptation to return, with the prize perhaps actually within sight? He's even said himself that he still isn't ready to rule out a possible return. And that's where the problem lies.
Not returning isn't the problem - it's only fair to give him the benefit of the doubt that he isn't physically ready. No player can become the MVP of the league without an unwavering commitment to the game, and DRose has definitely earned that respect and trust. Derrick is the only one that knows exactly how he feels. He's the only one that knows exactly what his motivations are for returning, or not returning, this season. His fence sitting, and not being willing to commit to simply saying he won't be back, is just giving fans, and possibly even his teammates, false hope.
What are your thoughts? Would his return disrupt the chemistry that's taken the Bulls this far? Is Derrick's reluctance to return hurting his reputation, as teammates like Joakim Noah plays through his own (less serious) injuries? Do you think we'll see Derrick Rose return or not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
