Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The city of Chicago may have to wait a bit longer before it’s “Kissed By A Rose” once again.

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose reiterated Wednesday night there is a chance he will sit out the entire season as he recovers from surgery to fix a torn ACL in his left knee. He isn’t sure when he’ll return to the floor. “I really don’t know,” Rose said. “I’m feeling good but like I said, if it’s where it’s taking me a long time and I’m still not feeling right, I don’t mind missing this year.” (ESPN)

Derrick has reiterated many times that he won’t return to action until he’s 110%, so sitting out the remainder of the season is a distinct possibility at this point.

The stories of Rose returning to practice and participating in drills have all been a tease. Bulls fans are eagerly anticipating his return to the team, but in hindsight, they should probably stay clear of such a desire, if only to save themselves from the agony of waiting more and more.

Rose has been out of action since the first game of the first round of last year’s playoffs. ACL injuries are no laughing matter, as they can alter sports careers in an extremely negative way.

Before his injury, Derrick was averaging 21.8 points and 7.9 assists for the Bulls. He’s the face of the franchise. He was born in the Chicago area. He’s a hometown boy who’s nearing the city-wide status of a Michael Jordan or Walter Payton.

He’s that popular.

He’s that important.

Through 52 games, the Chicago Bulls find themselves in the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-22. Derrick Rose being hurt hasn’t been as big of a detriment to the team’s success as one might have thought.

Luol Deng and Joakim Noah were both named to the 2013 NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team. Tom Thibodeau’s defense continues to be stellar, as the Bulls are allowing just 91.5 points a game, which is third-best in the league.

Nate Robinson has stepped his game up admirably since entering the starting lineup, averaging 15.6 points, 8.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He’s not a long-term solution obviously, but with Rose and teammate Kirk Hinrich on the sidelines, you could do a lot worse.

Sure, the Bulls are winning without Derrick Rose, so just imagine what they could do if he was around.

I understand that point of view. I’ve missed seeing him play. He’s an exciting talent that makes a great team in the Bulls even greater.

When I look up and down the standings in the Eastern Conference, I see the Miami Heat at the top of the food chain, and then……there is everyone else. It’s going to take a near perfect series to knock off the defending champions in four games before they reach their third-straight finals.

If Rose were to return in time for the postseason, would the Bulls become a legitimate threat to the Heat?

Of course they would. In fact, they would more than likely have the best chance to pull off the upset compared to the likes of Indiana, Brooklyn or New York. Defense wins championships (yes, even in basketball), and the Bulls have that facet of the game on lockdown. Personally, I don’t see it happening sans Rose or not, but I’d love to be proven wrong.

The Playoffs are an entirely different monster compared to the regular season. Throwing Rose right in the line of fire doesn’t seem like the way to go. To predict greatness could be disastrous. As good as he is, after being away for so long, how can anyone expect perfection right off the bat?

He’s only human.

If sacrificing this year for the betterment of his career is an option, I don’t see how that’s a bad thing.

He’s only 24 years old. He has a good ten years of elite-level play ahead of him. Even with Derrick Rose, I don’t see the Chicago Bulls emerging from the Eastern Conference anyways. That’s not meant to be a slight at the team, but it’s just hard to imagine anyone beating the Heat with the way they’re playing at the moment.

I want to see him play. You want to see him play.

I just don’t want to see him rush anything. The future is what’s important.

2013 is expendable.

Chris Walder is the Editor of Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports