More Surgery for Rose; More Questions for Bulls

Derrick Rose reported today with right knee pain. An exam and subsequent MRI confirmed a medial meniscus tear of the right knee.

Surgery will be scheduled, after which a timeline for his return will be determined.

– Chicago Bulls

Video below of model Bianca Koyabe to distract Bulls fans (among others).

And so the Bulls delivered news Tuesday night via email that will impact their NBA title hopes this season — and beyond. The severity of Rose’s injury has not been disclosed, as your humble correspondent is crafting together typing today’s effort.

At this precise moment, folks are searching for answers. In an effort to simplify, we can provide some questions (if that’s any consolation — and the guess here is that it is not for any who enjoy Rose, the Bulls, the NBA, etc.):

1. Will the Bulls reach the postseason without Rose?
Given the talent on the team and the coaching of that talent, yes. Provided that the remaining players remain healthy. You can make a case that with Pau Gasol, Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah the Bulls have a core group capable of beating most teams on most nights. Coach Tom Thibodeau is a proven commodity in terms of driving his team to the playoffs.

2. Will the Bulls find someone to replace Rose?
In all likelihood, yes. Well, in terms of adding someone to the roster. Will they find someone as good as the player who once won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player? No. Then again, this season’s Rose was far from MVP caliber.

3. What does this mean for Aaron Brooks?
Quite likely more playing time. Which, based on his performance as a backup, could be good. Or it could show why he is a reserve and not a starter.

4. What does this mean for Jimmy Butler?
Quite likely a chance to show why he deserves a max contract after this season. A greater burden will fall on his shoulders to be a consistent dominant force.

5. Will the Bulls win the NBA title without Rose?
No. Then again, they weren’t going to win with him — unless magically he became the player he once was. To win the Eastern Conference crown was going to be a challenge for the Bulls with Rose.

6. Why do some people take a degree of delight when Rose is injured?
You might want to ask those folks’ mental-health providers. Or those folks might want to seek mental-health advice. It’s beyond sad to see people revel in the misfortunes of others.

7. How does any of this impact Thibodeau’s tenure with the Bulls?
Well, unless there is proof that Thibs somehow caused Rose’s injury, it doesn’t. The tension between him and the team’s higher-ups won’t change significantly. There is no guarantee he will be back — or that he will be gone — next season. Then again, there’s no guarantee any of us will even be around tomorrow.

8. Is there an upside to Rose’s situation?
Depends how you look at it. Tickets to games at the United Center — on the secondary market — should be less expensive.

9. Will the Bulls recover in time for Wednesday’s home game against Charlotte?
If nothing else, the Bulls certainly will show up. That said, the players are human — believe it or not. They also are professionals. Yes, they will have an excuse if they perform poorly. But it will be only an excuse and an indication they lack the focus, the mental toughness — or whatever you want to call it — to do their job.

If it’s Wednesday (which seems likely in that yesterday was Tuesday — provided that you’re reading this on Feb. 25, 2015, or a subsequent Wednesday), then it’s only one more day until the next edition of “Sports & Torts” co-hosted by David Spada and Elliott Harris on Talkzone.com. The highly acclaimed interview program (well, it is held in such regard in the Spada and Harris households, as well as reportedly elsewhere) airs at noon Central time and this week features former Colorado football coach Bill McCartney and former Cincinnati Bengals (not to mention Augustana College) quarterback Ken Anderson. The show also will be available via podcast later in the day Thursday (and possibly forever, which is a pretty long time) at Talkzone.com.

Here is where to go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the efforts of the editorial and video departments at ElliottHarris.com):

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