The people have spoken: Rose remains a favorite in Chicago. So retire his jersey?
The guess here is the Bulls haven't decided yet whether to retire Derrick Rose's jersey after he retires from the NBA.
The ultimate decision will likely be made by team President Michael Reinsdorf, with advice from several sources.
Well, the fans might have ended whatever debate still lingers on Friday. As soon as Rose stood up off the visitors bench late in the Bulls' loss to the New York Knicks, the fans who stuck around at the United Center erupted.
Rose remains extremely popular in his hometown, even as he's been removed from the rotation by Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. There seems to be little doubt the right move is to hang Rose's No. 1 from the rafters at the UC.
Rose was asked about the possibility before Friday's game.
"Of course, I've thought about it, but only from people asking me about it," he said. "For me, it probably wouldn't be a big problem, but for my family members to see that, and the people that supported me all these years that want to be a part of it, that would be cool. I know the love I receive, no matter if I'm here or somewhere else; that's all I need."
It's possible to walk into some NBA arenas, glance at the retired jerseys hanging from the ceiling and shake your head in disbelief. The Bulls made a policy of being choosy with their retired numbers, which makes sense when one of those belonged to Michael Jordan.
There are just four Bulls retired numbers. The others belong to Bob Love, Jerry Sloan and Scottie Pippen, along with coach Phil Jackson and general manager Jerry Krause.
There has been plenty of push over the years to add Norm Van Lier, Horace Grant, Toni Kukoc. But the team never felt any other players reached the same level of achievement as the retired four.
Rose spent eight seasons with the Bulls, sitting out one after tearing his ACL, and playing in just 10 games in another due to a meniscus tear. At the same time, he won rookie of the year and MVP, and led the Bulls to their only conference finals appearance since 1998.
Thibodeau was asked his thoughts about retiring Rose's jersey before Friday's game.
"My opinion is he's deserving," Thibodeau said. "I'd love to see it. I think there were a few players on that team that deserve consideration to be up there."
There was a point during Thibodeau's five years in Chicago when the plan appeared to be a lock. Rose and Joakim Noah would have their numbers retired, maybe even Luol Deng. But Thibodeau was fired in 2015 after five straight playoff seasons and all three of those players were sent away shortly after. Bulls management chose an ugly rebuild over making Jimmy Butler a franchise legend.
DeMar DeRozan should eventually have his jersey retired in Toronto. On Friday, he shared thoughts about the enthusiastic response for Rose.
"It's D-Rose ... Derrick Rose, man," DeRozan said. "He's going to get that respect and love, admiration, everything he did for the city, being from the city.
"So to be able to see him get that, nothing but respect. I love to see it. It just shows you the respect and the love our fans have for him and what he meant to the city. It was great to see that."
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