Sad Derrick Rose Update: Who Cares, At This Point?

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 9, 2013 9:00PM

Here's video (h/t Deadspin) of Derrick Rose dunking with authority off his left foot during a shootaround before the Bulls' Sunday loss to the Pistons. The left foot, for those of you monitoring Rose's sad status, is connected to his reconstructed left knee.

Is this the "sign from God" Rose has been looking for to return to the court? WSCR-AM afternoon host Dan Bernstein has suggested for days that "sign" was his doctor's clearance to rejoin the team. With six games left in the regular season and the depleted Bulls still in the hunt for the Eastern Conference's fourth seed, Rose is still holding out hope he'll play this season.

"I'm just trying to get better. I'm just trying to help my teammates, give them confidence to go out there and play hard, and just be a great teammate.

"I'll play whenever I'm ready to play. Who knows when I'm ready to? Right now, all I can do is just cheer on my teammates."

Rose's return has become the biggest cock tease in Chicago sports and it's a testament to how Coach Tom Thibodeau has managed this team that Rose's continual "I'll play when I feel I'm ready" pronouncements haven't had an adverse effect on morale.

At this point in the season the only people who care about Rose's return are people who may have money riding on it. He isn't going to help this shorthanded team in a playoff run — Joakim Noah may miss the remainder of the regular season after re-aggravating his plantar fasciitis issues — and wouldn't have made much of a difference if the Bulls were at full strength. Maybe the "sign from God" should be to sit the rest of the season out.