There was no shortage of story-lines for the Chicago Bulls this weekend as the team emerged with a 2-1 record over the first three games of their season.
First, there was that whole fact that the Bulls played the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. They coughed up a 5 point 4th quarter lead with less than one minute left in the game en-route to an overtime loss. Heartbreaking way to lose, but hey that is the way it goes sometimes and after all it is just the second game of the season. Nothing to panic about here.
Oct 31, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) fight for the ball during the second half at the United Center. Cleveland won 114-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Saturday night game against the Minnesota Timberwolves was equally exciting. Jimmy G. Buckets hit a pair of free throws with .2 seconds left in the 4th to seal the victory for the Bulls. Chicago narrowly escaped starting the season 1-2 but found a way to win in the end.
Oh, then there is the fact that Jimmy Butler and the Chicago Bulls were unable to reach a contract extension. Call me pessimistic, but Jimmy Butler will likely be a goner this summer. The Chicago Bulls are too cheap to match a qualifying offer of any team willing to open up the pocketbook for the services of Butler. This perhaps was the biggest negative coming out of this weekend.
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But, the biggest headline coming out of this weekend was the fact that the Chicago Bulls almost suffered another travesty in the form of a Derrick Rose injury. Oh yeah, in other news, Taj Gibson suffered an ankle sprain that sidelined him against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The significance of Gibson’s injury is lost in the Rose story however.
Every Chicago Bull’s fans worst nightmare almost came a reality against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night when Derrick Rose pulled up with an apparent injury in the second quarter of the game. After going up for a shot after he rebounded his own miss, Rose appeared to land on the foot of Kyrie Irving. He immediately grimaced and hobbled over to the sideline before being taken out of the game to be evaluated by the medical staff.
The story has been bled out of proportions by media outlets such as ESPN, but in case you haven’t seen the play, here it is.
Rose made a brief return in the second half of the game, but was largely ineffective. After scoring 18 points in the first half of the contest, Rose only mustered up two more points during his playing time in the second half.
Derrick was taken to the locker room in the 3rd quarter of the contest and never returned. Obviously, once I realized that Derrick Rose wasn’t on the bench and potentially injured, I scoured the internet for an update. After a painstakingly long interval of not knowing what was wrong, CSN Chicago finally revealed that Rose had suffered an ankle sprain.
Nov 1, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) looks on during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The official report regarding Rose’s status was finally revealed after the game had finished. I was surprised to find out that Rose had tweaked both of his ankles, I was under the impression that only his left ankle had been hurt on the play showed above. Rose’s injured ankles were a cruel joke instigated by fate, a joke that nearly caused half of Chicago to start bawling collectively. But, on the bright side, it wasn’t the knees this time, and that is something to be thankful for.
Rose reassured his concerned fan-base that he was alright immediately following the game in a somewhat comforting press conference. Another important post-game revelation, was the fact that the X-Rays had come back negative revealing no major structural damage to either of Rose’s ankles.
After initially being cleared to play against the Timberwolves on Saturday, even being placed in the starting line-up at one point, Rose ultimately sat this one out. While reiterating that he was going to be fine, Rose revealed why he sat out against the Timberwolves following the conclusion of the game.
"“It felt all right,” Rose said. “If it was a real need for me to play I think I could have played. But [I’m] just trying to be smart, trying to give it an extra day and thank God that we came out with the win. I believe in my teammates, believe in the team — we made the game hard tonight but we ended up coming out with a victory.”"
Derrick Rose and teammates Taj Gibson(ankle) and Jimmy Butler (left thumb) are probable for the Bulls match-up against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago tweeted regarding Rose’s progress towards coming back Tuesday afternoon.
Thibs says Rose and Gibson practiced. Says they'll see how Rose feels tomorrow before deciding whether he'll play.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) November 3, 2014
The caution in which the Bull’s organization is approaching Rose’s recovery from his ankle injury shows a completely renovated mindset regarding their superstar point guard. In years past, Chicago would have been hasty in bringing Rose back; likely before he was ready. In a young season, erring on the side of caution is the best policy. The Bulls need Rose healthy for the playoffs and any rest he can get during the regular season will go a long way towards reaching this goal. To top it all off, the Bulls are built to win without Rose; their team is deep enough to take care of teams even in the absence of their star. They put up a good fight against an elite Cavaliers squad and held off an up-and-coming Timberwolves team that I believe is better than many give them credit for. The Bulls can afford to hold out Rose from some games with the depth they have accumulated this season.
Oct 31, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) with the ball during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Bulls dodged a bullet this weekend when it was announced that Rose’s injuries weren’t serious. As the season wears on, look for Chicago to give Rose periods of rest in an attempt to save their superstar player for the playoffs. With the amount of adversity that Derrick Rose has endured throughout his career, he deserves to have some good fortune. Lets pray that he stays healthy this season, he certainly deserves it. The Bull’s quest for a championship must include a healthy Derrick Rose.