End of an era

Last Wednesday I was shocked to the core when an era ended in Chicago. For those of you that haven’t heard, the Bulls got rid of hometown hero Derrick Rose, who they drafted with the first pick of 2008.

Rose went on to win NBA Rookie of the Year in the 2008-09 season. He also be-came the first and only Chicago Bull since Michael Jordan to become the league’s Most Valuable Player in the 2010-11 season, while leading the Bulls to the first seed in the NBA playoffs.

The following season Rose tore his ACL in the playoffs against the 76ers.

It was a heart-breaking moment for Bulls fans. What was even more heart-breaking was the fact Rose took the following season off. He would injure his other knee and miss most of the 2013-14 season, earning him the label “injury prone.”

In the 2014-15 season Rose played most of the season until he re-injured a knee that required another surgery. He came back in time for the playoffs but Chicago fell to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Last season, his cheekbone was shattered during a practice before the regular season. Rose played close to seventy games.

I know he has fought a lot of injuries throughout his career, but in between the Jordan and Rose eras Chicago was grossly irrelevant. It sucked to be a Bulls fan then and I will definitely miss having the potential scoring threat that Rose was.

Now I’m like who is going to be the go to guy in the fourth quarter? Are we in store for more losing seasons without a title anywhere in sight?

I get that Rose has been injured but I know that when he was on the court, he was the best player on the court.

Rose was traded to the New York Knicks, for a couple of players that haven’t played on the same level as Rose. Then the Knicks had the nerve to release a video of Rose torching all three players that they sent to Chicago for Rose, Justin Holiday and a second round pick in the 2017 draft.

The Bulls acquired Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez.

If Grant can become the scorer that many think he could, the trade might be worth it. But Derrick Rose was a great Bull.

I know it’s just a game, but after watching him for so many years and hoping he could return to MVP form after a set of injuries that have ended careers, I feel as though I have lost a member of the family.