Derrick Rose

Here in Chicago, sports talk has become consumed by snide disdain for star point guard Derrick Rose as he remains on the bench during the playoffs while the Bulls hobble on after an impressive if battering series against the Brooklyn Nets. Now that they're playing LeBron James and the Heat, I hear Bulls fans making openly hostile comments about Rose remaining on the injured list despite being “cleared to play.” My favorite overheard joke is that the Bulls are going to erect another statue outside the United Center, this one of Rose peering from the end of the bench in a suit.

Waiting for Derrick Rose to come back to the basketball court is the ultimate test of patience for Bulls fans. The end of the 2012-13 regular season is almost here, and the closest anyone has gotten to seeing D-Rose play has been in practice and during pregame shootarounds. Everyone wants to know: When is Rose is coming back? Sportswriters get that question from friends and family a few times a day, if they're lucky. On most days, it's more. So you might think for Rose's teammates, the questions about when he's coming back would be a huge distraction.

When Derrick Rose went down with a torn ACL in Saturday's playoff-opening game at the United Center against Philadelphia, sports talking heads were near unanimous in their declaration that the Bulls could not win a championship without their superstar point guard. Fans, while perhaps dubious, pledged their support, believing the Bulls can persevere as they did when they went 18-9 during the 27 games Rose missed during the regular season. Tuesday night began the test of those two competing lines of thought.

At what price, victory? The Bulls are sitting comfortably in the middle of the playoff-contending pack in the NBA's Eastern Conference, having just held currently sixth-seeded Atlanta to the second-lowest final score in Hawks history. The Bulls, even without Derrick Rose, are a good team. They are also horrible. They are a crime against eyeballs. How dare you. They're winning. They're hanging in there without Rose and once he comes back, everything is going to be fine again.

Leave your answers in the comment section. You might score an invite to appear in RedEye.   1. What was your favorite moment of the Carlos Zambrano era? 2. How could Theo Epstein convince a team to take Alfonso Soriano? 3. How can the Bulls stop Dwight Howard, who just had 28 pts, 20 rebs.? 4. How do you feel when you see Derrick Rose hit the floor after a hard foul? 5. Injuries are piling up for the Blackhawks. Do they have a problem?

There has to be some good news in there somewhere, right? Speaking extensively for the first time since the season began, Derrick Rose told USA Today: "I don't have a set date," Rose told USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt. "I'm not coming back until I'm 110 percent. Who knows when that can be? It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be any time. It's just that I'm not coming back until I'm ready. "Right now, probably in the high 80s. Far away.

Whether you're fighting off an Easter candy coma or just wish you didn't have to wear a winter coat in April, this should cheer you up: It's playoff season! The Blackhawks begin their chase for the Stanley Cup on Thursday, and the Bulls begin their quest for the NBA title in a few weeks. So which is more exciting: the NBA playoffs or the Stanley Cup playoffs?   NBA The NBA playoffs mean the Bulls, Derrick Rose and the forces of Good vs. the Heat, LeBron James and the forces of Evil.