Baffoe: The Derrick Rose Situation Somehow Feels Positive
By Tim Baffoe--
(CBS) We've had a few days to get back from the ledge. Now it's on to the stage of picking up the pieces and salvaging whatever positives can be taken from the Derrick Rose situation.
At least the pieces aren't as many and as sharp as were initially assumed. After Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman's press conference to update everyone on Rose's Friday morning surgery, the situation is as different from the funereal feel of Tuesday night as could be possibly be, all things considered. Four to six weeks, and Rose will be back on the United Center court. Reading Forman's face at the podium, the one that joked at the onset and smiled throughout, one might even say he looked really positive about the Rose situation.
And it is a Derrick Rose situation, not a Chicago Bulls situation. The Bulls are now doubtful to win a championship this season. Forman mentioned the organization's goal is and always has been winning a title this season. That's nice and all, but the latest Rose knee injury just so happened to coincide with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James remembering who the hell they are and being able to crush, like, anyone in the Eastern Conference if they so choose. The Atlanta Hawks seem a little too late to emerge as pretenders, too. So the eulogy before the funeral probably happens once again for Bulls fans.
Rose and his basketball career were only mostly dead for about 60 hours. Of course the days of the NBA MVP are gone and never coming back, and that's sad to know on levels both sports fan and human being. But Rose is a man who cares about being the best basketball player he can be, and as he returned from two prior knee surgeries in hardworking-albeit-controversial fashion, there's no reason to assume he won't attack this return with anything less than his all.
In fact, "attack" was a word used multiple times by Forman on Friday morning.
"Derrick's ready to attack it," Forman said of where the injured guard is at right now.
Rose was able to walk out of the medical center where he had Friday's procedure and is expected to be at the Advocate Center on Saturday. He's supposed to be on the practice floor in a week. Rose is going to play competitive basketball this season and postseason. If you think back to the dark place you were in Tuesday night, that's really great news and should have anyone whose gutstrings were again ripped out a few days ago night breathing a sigh of relief, even a cautiously optimistic one.
In humanist terms, we get to see a guy who truly loves his profession get back to doing it. Pessimists in this Miracle Max experience will continue to questions Rose's heart or character, saying this is about anything but true love of the game. Let 'em. The dude loves to hoop. And having to see any person be denied the ability to do the thing he or she is great at — maybe the only thing — is the worst thing to witness.
Only sad people who don't like themselves would say Rose is coming back "to blathe" or bring up their lack of sympathy because of Rose's celebrity or financial situation. Money has never fueled Rose's game, and if you can make an argument for his being the stereotypical athlete lavish, nighttime-swinging lifestyle, I'd like to hear it. Rose is better with basketball, and basketball can be better with him.
And even the worst of the "Whatever, he makes millions" crowd has to at least acknowledge that paying Rose for something, anything the rest of the season is better than paying him for nothing. What that something is, we don't yet know.
We do know that the front office doesn't have plans to take this rehab with baby steps.
"We'll take it like we have in the past, we'll take it step by step," Forman said, yet was quick to qualify with "But we expect he'll be back to full activity (in four to six weeks)."
Rose's rehab is going to be "aggressive," and he's even expected to be doing actual basketball stuff in a week. Forman put a concrete timetable out there, just as John Paxson did Thursday night. No vagaries, no soap operas with siblings or agents.
Just basketball. Derrick Rose in the postseason. Something positive. That's feels really good in an otherwise really bad week.
Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBaffoe.