For the third game in a row, Derrick Rose was out with his turf toe injury. This is a real concern since over the course of his career, Derrick has missed a grand total of six games due to injury, and he's already got half of that this season.
On the other spectrum, you see Kobe Bryant suffering with a torn ligament in his wrist. However despite the injury, Bryant has played all of the Lakers' 16 games so far this season, and is being lauded as a tough and resilient player. Should Rose try to tough it out and play tonight like Kobe would do?
Absolutely not. Derrick Rose is a 23-year-old phenom playing for a basketball team that has taken care of business without him. There is no motivation for him to come out and play some pointless games against the Cavs and Bobcats on a random weekend in January.
The most worrisome part of this whole situation is that this is reportedly an injury that has been affecting him since the playoffs of his sophomore campaign.
If this is an injury that is lingering, he should rest as long as he needs to until he is healthy. Even if the Bulls fall in terms of seeding, they could easily make noise in the playoffs, even without the top seed.
Think of the troubles that Grant Hill has had. Before he became a free agent and signed with Orlando, Grant injured his ankles. Because of poor treatment by the Detroit medical staff, Hill's ankles really never recovered and it took his career down from Hall of Fame caliber to just very good player. Don't take that chance on Rose.
And I'm sorry, but don't compare Rose to Kobe in terms of "being tough." Kobe Bryant is a guy on the wrong side of his career, a guy who is gunning for numbers to be compared to the all time greats, and a guy who is playing on a basketball team that probably will not win a title this year.
If Kobe wants to limit the already limited time he has left in the league and likely hurt his team's production, he can do so. If Rose really wanted to do that, then he would. But he shouldn't.
Overall, the Bulls are making the right decision by keeping Rose out of these games, even if he can go. As long as it's only January, and not the playoffs, the Bulls should not take ANY chances with Derrick's long-term health.
Jason Arnott David Clarkson Patrick Davis Tyler Eckford Mark Fraser Andy Greene
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