Derrick Rose, the former MVP and star of hope to the Chicago Bulls, now playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves recorded a career high of 50 points, along with 6 assists and 4 rebounds.
In every NBA player’s career there are bound to be highs and lows. Derrick Rose’s story is one that consists of the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. To understand how important this former young phenom was to the NBA, we need to go back to the beginning.
A young Derrick Rose
Born on the 4th of October on 1988, Rose was born and raised in the Chicago area. Rose attended Simeon Career Academy and was highly recruited by NCAA scouts across the country. Eventually he chose to attend the University of Memphis, leading them to a 38-2 record and an appearance in the NCAA finals.
Rose during his time at the University of Memphis
Rose’s career was filled with controversy from the start, as an NCAA investigation found that Rose’s friend took the Scholastic Aptitude Test in his name. The results were then submitted and cleared Rose to attend Memphis. While Memphis ended up losing the championship game, they were forced to forfeit ALL 38 of their wins that season due to Rose’s invalidation.
Fast forward to the 2008 NBA draft, despite the invalidation of Memphis’s record, Rose was still the No.1 pick in the draft overall when he was picked by the Chicago Bulls.
What a draft it was, with a few VERY notable players who regularly make headlines such as Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and DeAndre Jordan. Being picked first overall in a draft like this is only a testament to the amount of talent and skill Rose possessed.
Rose immediately started contributing after being drafted and earned the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honour in November and December, eventually even winning the Rookie of the Year award.
Rose accepting his Rookie of the Year award
His next season, Rose started off with an ankle injury, the first of multiple injuries that would haunt him for the rest of his career. As his ankle healed, so did his ability to play. Rose was elected to his first All-Star appearance in the 2009-10 season.
The greatest moment of his career came during the 2010-11 season, when he was presented with the MVP award. As of today, Rose is still the record holder for the youngest MVP (22 years old) of the league! He also set a career high of 42 points in a game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Things were never the same after the 2010-11 season. In the first game of the playoffs, Rose injured his left knee and was helped off the court. A later check-up revealed that Rose had torn his left ACL and would miss the rest of the playoffs. The news shattered his teammates and Bulls fans across the globe.
Rose clutching his knees on the floor
Rose managed to return to the team in the 2013-14 and managed to contribute – albeit not at the same level as his MVP season. It seemed that things were looking up again, until he tore his right meniscus in November. Once again, Rose had to miss the rest of the season.
In the 2014-15 season, Rose returned to play and the injury plague continued. He was forced to miss a month with a knee injury in January. When he returned in February, he was told that he had once again injured his meniscus.
The Chicago Bulls traded the disgraced former MVP away in the 2015-16 season to the New York Knicks. Rose played for the Knicks in the 2016-17 season, but he couldn’t catch any breaks. He tore his left meniscus and if anyone’s keeping count, this is the fourth major injury so far.
Rose during his tenure with the Knicks
Rose would bounce around teams without much noteworthy accomplishments. After being traded to the New York Knicks in the 2016-17 season, Rose would play for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017-18. He was even waived by the Utah Jazz in February after a trade involving the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, and the Sacramento Kings.
On the 8th of March 2018, Rose managed to land on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The former MVP who has dedicated insurmountable amount of time and effort in order to stay healthy has much to prove. The Minnesota Timberwolves lost in the first rounds of the playoffs that season, but Rose had contributed enough to secure another year with the Timberwolves.
As we now know, history was made in his first start of the season. Despite the amount of injuries Rose had to sustain across his career, he never gave up. Everyone in attendance seemed to wish the best for Rose, and he couldn’t hold back tears during the exit interview.