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[BlueHorizons]

It isn't bad enough, and sad enough that Derrick Rose suffered a season ending, playoff ending, championship dream ending injury. When you take into consideration the amount of time it will take for him to have the surgery, recover from the surgery and rehab, we can probably assume that he will not be ready at the beginning of next season. In fact, I've heard a few sources quoted as saying that Rose will probably miss the first few MONTHS of next season.

Now, I'm hearing something even more disturbing than that. Also in Chicago, another star Bulls player is looking at surgery. I'd almost forgotten about the injury, but a few months back, Luol Deng suffered an injury to his wrist. At the time, he decide to hold off on the surgery, knowing that he was needed for the push to the championship. I thought to myself, how selfless is that?! He'd stated at the time that it will bother him and hinder him the rest of the season, but he thought he could "suck it up" and help contribute to the team's goal of another championship.

Just like the guy on the Ginsu knife commercial, there's a big "But wait!" coming. Now that the Bulls season is over, Deng is still planning on holding off on the surgery. Unfortunately, the reason for THIS delay is not so selfless. Why is he delaying the surgery?! Well, there is something taking place in London this summer that Deng has his sights on...yeah, it's the Olypics.

As of yesterday, and I'm hopin' his mind will change, he is going to hold off the repair of his wrist until after the Olympics because he wants to play on the Olympic team. Granted, playing on the Olympics is an opportunity that not many people can take advantage of, and sure it's an honor to play for your country, but I suspect that his decision is based on much more than his love of the United States. I can't read minds, but surely it's more of a personal goal.

Even after saying all of that, you might be wondering what the big deal is... why object to him playing in the Olympics, if he so desires. Well, I'll tell you why... If he has surgery immediately after the Olympics, he will have lost FOUR MONTHS of recovery time, and if you do the math, it implies that Luol Deng will also miss the first few months of next season, along with Derrick Rose.

OUCH! That's TWO starters out for months!

To add insult to injury (err... poor choice of words, BUT appropriate) Deng is planning to play for Great Britain, NOT the United States.

GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! Unless the Bulls pull off some MAJOR off-season transactions, next year is not lookng very championshippy.

[BlueHorizons]

Heard on the Score (670TheScore) at lunch today that Rose's rehabilitation is expected to take 8-12 months. The closer to the high-end of that estimate, the uglier next season looks, and the more important it will be for Deng to return to the court.

Sure wish Deng would reconsider his playing in the Olympics!