Sore Over Rose's Knee

Yes, I am well aware that there isn't the kind of ridiculous outcry as the one that surrounded Derrick Rose last spring.  Still, the news that he was held out of Saturday's exhibition in Brazil with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee was enough to turn some heads in worry.  That said, I will trust what the Bulls brass said about this being a precautionary measure.

As big a bummer as it was for the Rio crowd to not see one of the NBA's most popular players as advertised, I hope they all understood that this was not like the league taking a regular-season contest to London.  This was an exhibition that happened to take place in their city.  They could play a preseason game at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the team would still approach it like another tuneup for when the real games begin.  Yes, this doesn't happen in Brazil every year, but if its citizens are lucky, they'll see Rose in Olympic action in a few years, so it's not likely they've seen the last of him.

Back in Chicago, some are starting to get concerned (again) that maybe Rose is just damaged goods from here on out, so it might be time to accept that this will be another season in which we see him in limited action.  I call bull on that.  Remember, these games do not matter.  Did you forget that Joakim Noah is also missing action due to injury?  Heck, I remember seeing Scottie Pippen in street clothes during a 1996 preseason game and he started every single contest that season.  Once the game begins, no one remembers what went down during the exhibition season with few exceptions.  Even fewer of those have an overall impact on the season that eventually unfolds.

I only say this to stop anyone who may be thinking of jumping ship already.  Just calm down and remember what I've said here.  Rose is back for a full season and because of that, the Bulls are being widely picked to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.  Unless lightning somehow strikes twice with Rose's knee, they'll be in that discussion.  Plus, I don't see this latest tidbit being a problem once the real season tips off in Miami in two weeks.   It'll be just another story everyone jumped on too early.  Sound familiar?  I thought so.