Rose ceremony inspires Bulls to huge second half against Knicks
During Derrick Rose's pregame media session Saturday, his best response was to the question that can never be answered.
What would have happen if he'd never gotten injured?
“Who knows? That's something I really don't think about,” Rose said. “The last time I had those conversations was years and years ago.”
One of the most heartbreaking moments in Chicago sports history was when Rose collapsed to the floor in the final minutes of a playoff game against Philadelphia in 2012. The ACL tear kept him sidelined for the entire 2012-13 season and he was never the same, though there were still great moments.
The Bulls hosted Derrick Rose Night on Saturday at the United Center. Inspired by the former MVP and Chicago native, the Bulls played a blistering second half and rolled past the New York Knicks 139-126. The Bulls won the third quarter 41-17.
The game featured four 30-point scorers. Zach LaVine and Coby White led the Bulls with 33 points each, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 44 and Jalen Brunson 33 for the Knicks. White hit 9 of 11 attempts from 3-point range. Towns limped to the locker room late in the game with an apparent knee injury.
“That meant a lot to us to win for him (Rose),” White said. “We talked about it at shootaround this morning, if there's one game to feed off energy, this is going to be the game. We knew it was going to be electric in here.”
Earlier in the day, the Bulls announced Rose will become the fifth player in team history to have his jersey retired, joining Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Jerry Sloan and Bob Love in the rafters. That ceremony will happen sometime next season.
Rose spread a message of self improvement and being great, which was included in his assessment of what could have been, without the 2012 injury.
“I wouldn't have found out who I was as a person,” Rose said. “I was obsessed with the game. Not love, I was obsessed. If I would have won one championship, I would have won four. And that would have pulled me further and further away from finding self-knowledge, self-revelation, identity.
“Everybody's story is different. Mine ended up being this way. Coming from Chicago, we roll with the punches.”
The halftime ceremony was a success. It began with a highlight video, then Rose walked out of the tunnel to “Eye in the Sky,” walking between two rows of students from Simeon Career Academy, his high school alma mater.
After some comments from broadcasters Neil Funk and Stacey King, former teammate Joakim Noah took the microphone and paid tribute.
“This story is not just about your success,” Noah said. “It's about hope, it's about overcoming adversity. Every time you step into the United Center, the fans are going to chant MVP.
“You always put your city on your back and you carried that with you. You're not only the MVP, Pooh, you're the people's champ.”
At that point, Rose wiped tears from his eyes as he sat next to his mother, Brenda. The crowd was shown a video narrated by Rose's son P.J., then Rose himself took the microphone.
“Thank you, Chicago, for forcing me to be great,” he said. “Thank you to everybody who watched me since I was in sixth grade, injuries, playoff wins, playoff losses.”
As Rose walked off the court, fans cheered as he stopped to hug to former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who is now leading the Knicks; and Brunson, the Lincolnshire native whose father, Rick, was a Bulls assistant when Rose played.
“He's probably the most beloved player in the league, by everybody,” Thibodeau said before the game. “We're thrilled that he's being honored. So well deserved, for what he means to the Bulls, the city, the entire NBA.”
The Bulls didn't spend much time acknowledging former players who attended Saturday's game. Luol Deng was introduced to a standing ovation during a timeout, while video messages from Taj Gibson and Kyle Korver were shown.
Earlier this week, Rose opened a pop-up flower shop on State Street, where he passed out roses to fans. He also visited Simeon and announced plans to support an urban farm in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side.