Naturally, this prompted criticism from fans and media personnel about Rose not learning from his past PR mistakes or putting the good of the team first. Everything that was written about him in November after he talked about future business meetings and graduations seemingly came back to the forefront. All of this ironically came hours after a "memorial" to him, which included candles and a crutch among others things, surfaced in Chicago.
I realize people don't appreciate Rose being brutally honest about where he stands, but refusing to commit to a comeback is better than making promises he's not sure he can keep. Had he guaranteed a playoff return and then missed the entire postseason, more criticism would have come his way for stringing everyone along. There was almost no way he could escape the words of naysayers in any and all directions.
Now that said, it would be best for everybody if Rose indeed made a return for the playoffs. I know I've stuck by him in similar situations, but the big difference is these Bulls are built to win a championship right now if they're healthy. Between the top teams in the East getting better and the apparent discord between Tom Thibodeau and GarPax, this particular group will not have a better chance to go all the way, or at least to he Finals. They just happen to be missing some key players right now, hence their struggles.
If Rose can recognize this and get himself out of the cocoon he's clearly still in, he really will make an effort to return to the court as soon as he can. By this time next month, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler will have likely recovered from their respective injuries and come back to action. There are no questions surrounding their commitments to winning right now. Rose doesn't need to make others unsure about where his head is.
We should come to accept by now that Rose is never going to be a promoter or even play one on TV except through his endorsements. His actions do the best speaking for him and unfortunately, he's had a lot of inaction, which is perhaps the biggest reason people have grown inpatient. Now is the time for him to take control of the situation before it spirals the way others have in the past. Although he eventually made his way back onto the court, the damage had already been done for some folks.
Until we see Rose suit up again, realize that we might see quite a few more of this stories, especially throughout March. The undermanned Bulls are being exposed and are trying to tread enough water to at least keep home-court advantage in the first round. Then again, the Spurs loss taught us that no matter what their seed is (currently seventh in the West), a quality team will always find a way to win. Perhaps we'll see the Bulls are indeed that kind of a team even if they slip too far down the playoff ladder.
The merriment will continue Wednesday when the Bulls visit the actively tanking Philadelphia 76ers. If we weren't so used to seeing the Bulls playing down to their competition, I might have guaranteed this one to be a victory. But it's more difficult to try and lose than to try and win, so Philly might have an edge there. Boy, are these matchups becoming confusing.
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