The Bulls season ended last evening in heartbreaking fashion. A lead which seemed safe evaporated in the blink of an eye. A three here, a foolish foul there and a string of empty possessions left the United Center silent until the next season begins. The broadcasters, those that are paid by the team, urged the fans to be thankful and proud of the season the Bulls had. It’s hard to be thankful when your team blows a 12 point lead with 3 minutes left. The reality, of course, is that unless your team is staging trophy presentations and ticker tape parades through the city, all seasons end in some form of disappointment.
Entering the playoffs, the conventional wisdom was that the Bulls needed their supporting cast to distinguish themselves. Luol Deng needed to be aggressive, Kyle Korver needed to find his shooting touch and Carlos Boozer needed to show explosiveness. Some of those things happened on occasion during the postseason, but not frequently enough. As has been the case for much of the season, the burden fell to MVP Derrick Rose to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, the young star wasn’t up to the challenge.
There will be brighter days for the Bulls. They will find ways to improve, they will find players who better fit the playing style of Rose and they will be back. Sadly, the Heat will too. The Bulls, like many teams, spent last summer looking for a game-changing type player to pair with Derrick. They fell short in those endeavors and may not be able to acquire that impact star any time soon.
Derrick Rose will spend the summer honing his game. There will be long sweltering days in the gym hoisting up countless jump shots and replaying the miscues in his mind. He will remember the missed free throws, the turnovers, the empty possessions and failures in late game situations. The great ones don’t forget about the heartbreak. Instead they heal and use it as motivation for the opportunities that arise in the future.
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