Derrick Rose: How Rose's 8-12 Month Absence Will Change the Bulls Forever

If you haven’t heard about it yet, Derrick Rose is predicted to be out eight-12 months, says Dr. Brian Cole, who performed the surgery, as reported by ESPN.

Eight to 12 months? This has got to be like needles in the ears of every Chicago Bulls fan in the world. Missing an entire season is probably not what the Chicago homegrown superstar envisioned after he went down in the first game of the Bulls-Sixers series, but it is the hand he has been dealt.

The biggest question surrounding the Chicago Bulls franchise is the ever-so-deafening scream, “What do we do now?!”

Derrick Rose, ever since he was drafted to the Bulls, has always been Chicago’s great hope. He has always embodied the city in a working man’s fashion. The franchise as a whole represents the concept of everyday life in the city. Without Rose, what is the Bulls’ direction?

Where are they headed?

With this news, Coach Tom Thibodeau and the entire Chicago Bulls’ front office will be more involved in this summer’s free agency and 2012 NBA draft than they had previously planned to.

It is scary to think of how rushed their decisions will be in this year’s offseason due to the fact that their golden ticket will be cascading on the sideline in the finest Giorgio Armani his closet has to offer.

CJ Waston is not a viable replacement for Derrick Rose over the course of an entire season.

The praise he has received in Rose’s absence has been over a short period of time. Injecting him into the lineup for an entire regular season and maybe even a fraction of the 2013 NBA Playoffs will expose him in a new light for every way he does not mirror Rose’s influence over the game.

A lot of the Bulls’ lineup has excelled in Rose’s absence, but only with the notion that he would also return. There has always been an asterisk over their success because of the fact that Rose was “out for the moment”.

They were graded by the criteria of a backup plan. Now, with Rose sidelined for such an extended period of time, they are going to be studied as the first option.

Joakim Noah will be highlighted for his offensive shortcomings and his lack of full use of his athleticism and versatility. Carlos Boozer will no longer be able to daze in and out of his games.

Luol Deng will no longer have the privilege of being the second option.

With all of these massive changes coming into fruition, the roster will endure a massive overhaul. Chicago will likely have a knee-jerk reaction to the news that Derrick Rose is not coming through that door to save the day anytime soon and we, as fans, will see that through bad business moves, rushed exits and eyebrow-raising trades.

The Chicago Bulls that have grown to become a smooth, calculating bunch may turn into a melee of madness.

Chicago will be hit almost as hard as they were when Michael Jordan retired and that is not an overstatement.

When you think about the impact Derrick Rose has had on the game, the culture and the success of the Bulls, even the NBA as a whole, you will agree.