http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bulls-thibodeau-says-rose-could-222033667--nba.html Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau acknowledged during an ESPN Chicago radio program that franchise player Derrick Rose could miss the entire season, but said the team is prepared to move forward either way. "I think in any situation like this you hope for the best but you plan for the worst," Thibodeau said. "That's a possibility that he could miss the entire season and if that's the case then that's fine. We just want him to be healthy and ready to go. Whenever that is we will deal with that. For our team nothing is going to change." The Bulls need Rose to return to his MVP form, but also were aware that he was going to miss significant time after getting hurt during the playoffs. "We knew going into the year that Derrick was going to miss a good chunk of the season, we didn't know when he would come back," Thibodeau said. "We want him to concentrate on his rehab and we want that to be his focus. He's done that. I think everything that is being said, right now everyone is overreacting to everything. Really nothing has changed. He's going to continue to work and when he's comfortable and ready he will go."
Barring some new setback, I'll be completely shocked if Rose doesn't return this season. My speculation is that, because many fans and media members had "after the All Star break" arbitrarily circled on their calendars for Rose's return, and Rose wasn't quite ready, Rose and the Bulls felt the need to throw ice water on these expectations. Rose is now fully-participating in practices, including 5-on-5 scrimmaging. Returning to game action is then next step.
Anyway, it is putting the priority where it needs to be, which is on the success of Derrick's rehab. But a cynical point of view would be that it means the FO is lowering expectations to help ease acceptance of several cost-cutting moves.... Or perhaps it's both?
The cynical point of view is that Reinsdorf knows his ticket buying fans are suckers. The hint of Rose returning in time to make a real playoff run is enough to put butts in seats. Not his fault that Rose really can't return in time to be 100% by playoffs or that these fans don't get that "real playoff run" is an oxymoron if you think "real" means "have a shot at the title."
That doesn't work for me. Even without Rose, the team that GarPax has assembled is good enough to fill the UC for every home game.
This team filled the UC for every home game. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1999.html So did this one: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/2000.html Thanks for making my point.
The funny thing is I was a Cubs fan growing up. Phillip K. Wrigley was a chewing gum guy, not a sports guy. He owned the Cubs solely as a tax write off. Never expected the guy to try and win a world series. But I still loved the Cubs. The team treated the players great and the fans great. They televised 150+ games a year FOR FREE. The announcers made a serious effort to create a bond between the fans and players. The leadoff man show was 15 minutes of chit chat with a player so you got to know his wife was pregnant or whatever. Ernie Banks retired a Cub. He wasn't traded for financial reasons. Players who played a decade for the team were traded where they wanted to go, if they wanted to go. I don't remember the team ever badmouthing a player or driving down his trade value or giving the impression they made a mistake trading for him. Even when they traded away Lou Brock, it was more of a long running joke and part of the history of the franchise sort of thing. This Bulls team makes official statements like, "this is a good business to leave to my kids" or "the goal is to make the playoffs" or "we don't want to make a mistake signing a guy." I wish for once we'd hear, "the goal is to win championships" and "screw the cost."
Those teams were truly awful. No, my point is that the Bulls don't need to trick anybody with regard to Rose's recovery. A fan doesn't deserve to be called a sucker for following a team that's 9 games over .500.
Those awful teams taught management they didn't have to try to contend to make money. The thing is, I don't view the fans as suckers. I'm pointing out that management does. It turns out that there are hundreds (at least) of fans with similar views of management as my own. I'm not seeing something that many others are not also seeing. Oddly, I disagree with them that Reinsdorf is cheap. He's just out to maximize profit. Winning championships is not a concern at all, unless there's no risk to profits. Being 9 games over .500 is fortunate, in the fortune sense of the word.
