A hush went over the sold-out United Center early Saturday afternoon when Derrick Rose hit the floor. No one wants to see their star player go down, but especially under these circumstances. All was well in the city of Chicago. Rose was finally healthy, and over the conglomerate of injuries that had plagued him all season long. The Bulls were up by 12 with 1:22 to play in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. Most coaches will tell you that no lead is safe with that kind of time on the clock.
I also guarantee you that every coach in the league has their best players on the floor in that situation. Derrick Rose dribbled left, drove to the right and without any contact from another player, landed so awkwardly on his knee that you felt your lunch leap into your throat.
The United Center was quiet. There were no celebrations of the game 1 victory in order. Each and every fan left the arena Saturday afternoon wondering if Rose would be alright. Sure, the Bulls probably didn't need Rose to finish off the 76ers in the first round. After all, the Bulls went 18-9 without Rose during the regular season. But their chances of winning an NBA title without the MVP? Not good.
The headline on ESPN Chicago says it all, "A Lost Season." Rose was having a fantastic game when he went down, leading his team with 23 points, 9 dimes, and 9 rebounds. It is a sad win for Bulls fans. However, this injury might have been inevitable. Rose went down with no contact from another player, probably a product of the fatigue from an expedited regular season.
We likely will not see Rose again until January 2013. The Bulls aren't the only team affected by the injury to Rose. Team USA has now lost 4 of its potential players for this summer's Olympics in London: Dwight Howard, Lamarcus Aldridge, Chauncey Billups, and now Derrick Rose. That run at back to back gold medals may look a little bit tougher now in Mike Krzyewski's mind.
More importantly, the entire league is aching for Derrick Rose. Twitter blew up yesterday with thoughts and prayers from players around the league reaching out to Rose. It is going to be a long road back for the league's MVP. Rehabilitation for a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament usually is 6-8 months. The good news is that Rose is only 23 years old. The likelihood of a full recovery is much better for a player of his age compared to say a 33 year old. I just hope that we see the Derrick Rose that dominated the league in 2010-2011 return to the hardwood in a judicious fashion.
--GM
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