It’s an awesome time to be a Chicago Bulls fan. Through the first thirty-two games we have watched the Bulls fight their way to a record of 30-22. Good enough for the 5th best record in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls have played with intensity, grit, and resilience on a nightly basis. Their attitudes and performance on the court have garnered the respect of their peers and fans alike. In a season where expectations were kept at bay due to the absence of their leader, Derrick Rose, we have watched players like Carlos Boozer regain his confidence and become a legitimate double-double threat every night. Players like Joakim Noah break through the proverbial wall and raise his game to a level that was worthy of his first All-Star selection in his 6 year career. We even saw players like Jimmy Butler, emerge from the depths of the bottom of the bench, to become one of Coach Thibs’s most trusted players. Indeed, Tom Thibodeau has shaped this group of players into a team that will compete for a top 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
And still, with all of the aforementioned, the one thing Bulls fans should be most excited about is not “The Return” of Derrick Rose but simply the fact that Derrick Rose is who he is. A superstar, that is willing to consider the long-term instead of falling prisoner of the moment. In light of Rose’s recent comments in which he tells us that his surgically repaired left knee “still isn’t right”, the 24-year-old superstar is preaching patience instead of urgency and is proving all the while that he is not interested in getting back on the court simply to appease his dedicated fans. Instead he is committed to ensuring that he is physically and mentally ready before he returns to the game. Rose’s attitude towards his return shows maturity. He understands that the level in which he returns will start to define his legacy. In his young, but already impressively decorated career, that includes the 2010-2011 MVP award, Rose has only one goal. That is to bring the glory of winning a NBA Championship back to Chicago. Should we fault him for understanding that he needs to be at his best in order to achieve this goal? Did we not at least learn this after the travesty that was the Bulls vs Sixers first round playoff match-up last season? If I’ve learned anything, it is that I will go as Rose goes. In Rose, I trust.