So the Derrick Rose story has now come full circle -- from waiting, to watching, to wondering, to questioning, and now back to waiting. Rose has officially been ruled out of Game 5 against the Heat. He hasn't played in a game in more than a year after tearing his ACL last April 29. At this point, why even bother with the charade of listing him on the injury report?

Well, because of this:

Regardless of whether recent ACL comebacks -- including the phenomenal local example of Adrian Peterson -- have clouded our judgement, it is downright strange for a player in this era to miss more than a year of game time with this injury.

"He's still not feeling well ... obviously he wants to be here but he's got to get better first," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's got to prioritize his health."

And so, assuming the Heat dispatches the Bulls tonight, we go back to waiting for one of the best players of this generation to return from one of the common injuries of this generation.

One would have to assume Rose will be back by the start of next season, but one never really knows.