Imrem: With Rose, it's now you see him, now you don't
Derrick Rose appears intent on continuing to torment the Chicago Bulls with the same old questions.
Will Rose ever be as good as he used to be? Will the Bulls' point guard hold up physically this time? Will his head or our heads implode first?
Tuesday was noteworthy as another in a succession of days Rose wasn't on the Bulls' injury list … be still our hearts.
The beauty of sports is that we all can believe what we want to believe.
I want to believe that Rose's current three-game streak of outstanding play is only the beginning.
Yes, indeedy, the former league MVP will return to his former league MVP level. He'll lead the Bulls to higher heights. His fans will gather in designated family rooms for Derrick Rose viewing parties.
Then I smack my forehead and ask, "What was I thinking?"
Rose is as reliable as the cable man: After he teases us by phoning to say he's in the neighborhood and will be right over, two hours later we're still waiting for the doorbell to ring.
In the Bulls' most recent United Center game, Rose said hello again to Bulls fans just as Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was saying goodbye.
Bryant was asked before tipoff whether he had any advice for Rose. Bryant said that after the injuries and early aging, Rose should play more with his strength and less with his speed.
Rose clearly didn't hear Bryant because he proceeded to beat the Lakers with a variety of his attributes, including both strength and speed.
Like most basketball analysts, Bryant hasn't figured out Rose, who is overestimated sometimes and underestimated sometimes.
That's the mystery that is Derrick Rose: What exactly is he now, how long will he remain whatever he is now, and what will he be next?
Rose has flashed flashes of his old self before. Actually, that means he flashed flashes of his young self before.
We're referring to the MVP Rose who blurred past defenders four years ago, banged off them, leapt over them and slam-dunked on them.
Rose isn't a 20-year-old rookie anymore, however. He's a 27-year-old veteran of seven NBA seasons and three knee surgeries.
Oh, and let's not forget the eye injury Rose suffered during last autumn's first blink of training camp.
Rose's body, along with his mind, have squandered all benefits of doubt and left people having to simply wait to see what happens to him next.
The good news is that Rose can be scratched as a prime candidate for the dead pool because he seems prepared to stay alive longer and befuddle us even more.
(Column break: The movie "Deadpool" is much too bloody and not as funny as it believes itself to be, which of course made it No. 1 at the box office the past two weeks.)
The bad news is that Rose will be a prime candidate the rest of his career for the Pull Pool, Tear Pool and Break Pool.
I'm taking groin in the first, left Achilles in the second and right forearm in the third.
Those will occur only after Rose signs another contract following the 2016-17 season, when the Bulls or some other NBA team gambles on him.
Here's a prediction: Rose will continue his return to excellence this season, he'll follow up with a phenomenal contract season, and the basketball world will lapse into a comfort zone over his health.
After that, it'll still be buyer beware.
Derrick Rose's long-term future is destined to remain as cloudy as his short-term health is now.
mimrem@dailyherald.com