There is still some mystery about \u2018\u2018Derrick Rose Night.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
We know the venue. That\u2019s obvious.<\/p>\n
We know the date: Jan. 4, perfectly timed for when former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks are in town.<\/p>\n
What we don\u2019t know yet is the magnitude of it.<\/p>\n
By all accounts, the Bulls have no plans to announce a statue for Rose. That\u2019s fair, considering that being cast in bronze for eternity should be reserved for those who bring a championship to a city. Rose didn\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n
But what should happen \u2014 and is still up in the air \u2014 is that the Bulls decide to retire Rose\u2019s No. 1 and raise it to the rafters in the United Center.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been as critical of the Rose era as anyone. It was basically three stellar years of basketball followed by four years of headaches and talk of \u2018\u2018meetings and graduations,\u2019\u2019 all the while chasing the ghosts of the past. Rose doesn\u2019t deserve to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and he\u2019s not even the best all-around player the Bulls have had in the last 20 years. That honor goes to Jimmy Butler.<\/p>\n
What Rose represents, however, is a heartbeat in an organization that flatlined after the Michael Jordan dynasty. And the topper was that he was \u2018\u2018one of ours.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The iconic \u2018\u2018And from Chicago .\u2009.\u2009. \u2019\u2019 introduction meant something. When Rose was at his best, it almost came across as a warning for the opposing team that night. This kid from the streets of Englewood \u2014 who was born and raised here \u2014 is coming to take your soul, and there\u2019s nothing you can do about it.<\/p>\n
Even when Rose was no longer an MVP-caliber player because of his knee injuries, \u2018\u2018And from Chicago .\u2009.\u2009. \u2019\u2019 still sent the United Center into a frenzy with the hope that a derailed career somehow could find its way back to better days.<\/p>\n
So why not give Rose that final nudge with a jersey retirement? After all, it\u2019s not as though the Bulls have allowed anyone else to wear it. Well, not for more than a few days, anyway.<\/p>\n
During the 2016-17 season, after Rose was traded to the Knicks and the Bulls acquired Michael Carter-Williams from the Bucks, Carter-Williams posted a picture of himself wearing the No. 1. The torches were lit and the villagers were outraged.<\/p>\n
Carter-Williams quickly pivoted to No. 7, wanting nothing to do with the outpouring of criticism directed at him and at the Bulls for approving it.<\/p>\n
But the controversy over the No. 1 jersey didn\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n
Never afraid of making waves or of sticking up his middle finger at the establishment, Butler tried to switch to No. 1, but the Bulls intervened. Rose and Butler didn\u2019t exactly play nice all the time during Rose\u2019s last two seasons with the team, so the idea of Butler decked out in No. 1 wouldn\u2019t have been a good look. Butler eventually backed down.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s time for an organization that seldom does the right thing to do the right thing. The Bulls should announce that Jan. 4 won\u2019t just be a \u2018\u2018night\u2019\u2019 for Rose but a celebration that will see his jersey number retired.<\/p>\n
The Bulls\u2019 victory Friday was the latest reminder of just how much Rose \u2014 and the team he led in his prime \u2014 meant to the city. Longtime forward Taj Gibson, who now plays for the Hornets, received a standing ovation when he entered the game late. Afterward, he was asked about the emotion he showed and the upcoming night dedicated to Rose.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I expect everyone to scream loud, drop some tears,\u2019\u2019 said Gibson, who will be in attendance. \u2018\u2018If I\u2019m tearing up from just this end-of-the-game thing [on Friday], I know it\u2019s going to be crazy for him.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
It will be crazy, but the Bulls have a chance to make it iconic, too.<\/p>\n
No. 1s don\u2019t come along often. Do the right thing. It\u2019s time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Few details have been revealed about the night honoring Rose on Jan. 4, but the organization can gain lots of favor if it announces it will retire Rose’s No. 1 jersey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18225,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n