What the loss of Derrick Rose means?

After being out the entire last year while rehabbing from an ACL tear, Derrick Rose is out for the rest of this season after tearing his meniscus in a game against the Portland Trailblazers. Rose, who was held to be the next Micheal Jordan and bring glory back to the Chicago Bulls, is in an injury from which it’s not possible to ascertain the extent to which his game would recover. After sitting out for a long time, Rose came back stronger and better this time and for a second, all of us thought that yes, this year the Bulls stand a fighting chance. So, let’s look the effect of this injury on NBA.

1. Firstly, Chicago Bulls are again on the back foot. They had always hoped to build the entire team around Rose with Deng, Boozer and new signings. But now they have to make a choice on how to proceed to the future. Should they give up on Rose? Trade him for other superstars? Build the team around Deng? Break up the entire core and start rebuilding? Or wait another year for Derrick Rose ?

2. Who is going to challenge the Miami Heat in the Eastern conference ? Lebron James’ path to the finals just got easier. Chicago were always considered a threat to Miami because of the mismatch between Rose and the Heat’s PG Mario Chalmers. With Brooklyn nets and New York Knicks not able to find the right chemistry, Paul George and the Indiana Pacers remain the only real threat to the reigning champs.

3. Can Derrick Rose come back as the Derrick Rose we know? With so much time lost on court, the extent to which his athleticism can return is still a doubt. It’s always scary when a point guard charges towards big men with the sort of mentality Rose has and I believe it won’t be possible when he returns. What Rose can do is improve his long range game, work on his free throws and try to change his style to less of penetration and more of outside shooting with occasional drive ins to the basket.