To Play or Not to Play? That is the Question

It's hard to say for sure how to feel with the news that Derrick Rose's ACL surgery went well.  That for sure is the good news.  More confusing though are the questions surrounding the 8-12 month recovery process he faces.  He could come back in January or miss all of next year.  Nobody knows and nobody will know until the events of the next several months unfold.

Several people pretending to be doctors have already stated even if those with medical degrees are able to clear Rose to play at all next year, they shouldn't say so.  Keeping his future in mind, they want Rose to sit out all of next season so he can fully regain the strength his knee had before he suffered the injury that dealt a fatal blow to the Bulls' championship hopes.  I'm not going to take either side of this debate because each side has a convincing argument.

First, there are those who want Rose to play as soon as he's able.  It's important for Rose to get back into basketball shape as soon as possible.  He'd probably be a bit rusty next year as he tries to recapture his form, but still, he'd be sending a message to the world that's he's back and a devastating knee injury wasn't enough to keep him out for long.  He wants to play.  He wants to win.  Michael Jordan had the same competitive spirit when he played (still does on the golf course in retirement) and he didn't let a broken foot his sophomore year in the league keep him out.  If he did, there'd be no 63-point performance at the Boston Garden to talk about.  It killed Rose to watch his team go down in six and were he healthy, he wouldn't have let Joakim Noah's eventual injury kill their chances.  The Bulls would probably still be playing right now.  As long as he's not risking further damage to his abilities, let the man play.

Then, you have the aforementioned "play-it-safe" folks.  Even if Rose comes back, the Bulls aren't title favorites for next year anyway.  They won't contend for a high seed and would likely have to settle for the challenge of upsetting a higher if they even got there.  Rose is around to win a championship and it would be bad to risk anything further for the sake of a futile playoff run.  It'd be best for everybody if he just took the year off so we can all know for sure he'll at least be near his old self for the 2013-14 season.  The Bulls can sacrifice a year with the length of his contract.  If they miss the postseason, a lottery pick awaits and maybe that would help provide another critical piece to the championship puzzle.  Short-term losses for long-term gains are the way to go.

Regardless of what happens, I have only one condtion.  UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THE BULLS TANK NEXT SEASON FOR THE SAKE OF A HIGHER DRAFT PICK.  I can't emphasize enough how much I hate this strategy in any professional sport.  You get paid to play the game and give it your all.  If you're effort is only half-hearted, you're cheating yourself and the customers paying a fortune to sit in the seats and watch.  Nobody wants to see a team not play up to their abilities.  Besides, the Bulls are better than this.  At worst, this group is a middle-of-the-pack team without Rose.  That means as currently constructed, they could land a 6 seed or finish a few spots out of the playoffs.  Not a huge difference when it comes to the draft order.  Yes, every team in the draft lottery has a shot at a top-3 pick, but we all know the Bulls got lucky when they landed the first one in '08.  They'd have even less of a chance this time around based on my projections.  Play.  Win.  Most importantly, TRY.

It's really a shame we have to have this discussion.  I'd rather be talking about the next game against the Cetlics, but sports can be cruel like that at times.  We'll continue to pray for our superstar in his recovery so that one day, he's hoisting the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy wearing a Bulls uniform.  I never got to go to any Grant Park rallies in the '90s, so someday, I'd like to remedy that.