North: No use pointing fingers over Rose
It doesn't matter, so now is not the time for any I-told-you-so talk.
The Chicago Bulls did what they thought was right in handling Derrick Rose's multiple injuries. And in the long run, the outcome probably would have been the same.
He's out for the rest of the season - again.
From the first injury to his left knee, they exercised caution with his rehabilitation and return. Ultimately, however, caution was thrown to the wind when they agreed to let Rose play for the FIBA World Cup championship and Team USA.
I didn't agree at the time with that decision, and why they allowed it mystified me.
That said, second guessing Jerry Reinsdorf and the Bulls is pointless because the fact is D-Rose is brittle and it's really no one's fault.
It has happened to the best of them - Bill Walton, Sam Bowie, Penny Hardaway, Brandon Roy, Yao Ming and countless other NBA players who have had their careers cut short by injury.
Bulls players and fans are used to life without Rose, whose career is a sad saga of twists and turns, and now the 2011 MVP's consistency is nowhere to be found.
I can't help but feel sadness for the kid; he worked his butt off to get healthy, but I don't think he ever trusted his body.
Rose was an incredible talent who fell into the Bulls' lap in the 2008 draft with an improbable first pick. In our naiveté, we thought the team was set at point for a decade.
Rose even left Michael Jordan speechless, and that's difficult to do.
Thankfully, this week's Sports Illustrated cover model, Jimmy Butler, is a stud and will have to carry the load. The rest of his teammates will have to dust themselves off, dig deep and emerge with the same resolve as in the past.
Honestly, I thought the Cleveland Cavaliers would win the conference title even with a healthy Rose.
With 113-80 record without Rose over the last four seasons, I am not ruling out the Bulls, but if I were an oddsmaker, they would be about 30-1.
Of course, Wednesday morning turned worse for Chicago sports fans once they discovered with their coffee that not only was Rose out for the season, but Patrick Kane was out with a serious injury.
As great as Rose was with the Bulls, Kane has been more successful with the Blackhawks. Kane had surgery Wednesday on his fractured left clavicle and will be out 12 weeks. It's obviously a big loss for the Hawks, and Kane lost a chance to win the first MVP for an American hockey player.
Yep, it was a long day for sports fans. I bet D-Rose, who has made a lot of money with over $40 million more still to come on his remaining contract, would give back millions to be healthy and play in the NBA for 10 more years.
Good luck kid - you were a meteorite.
Program notes:
Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.
• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.