The Sad Reality that is Derrick Rose
What could have been. A 22-year old hometown MVP with incredible athleticism, undeniable talent and a drive to win. Now after six years of being plagued with injuries Rose has just signed a minimum contract on the same team as the King he was destined to dethrone.

Nicknamed by the Chicago Bulls faithful as the ‘windy city assassin’ Rose had all the potential and capabilities to take down Lebron James. We thought this was it. Rose was the youngest MVP ever and it looked like he was destined to do great things, then injury struck.
Sometimes it’s nice to imagine what Derrick Rose could have been if he had stayed healthy. Would he have been Westbrook before Westbrook? Could he have challenged Lebron as the best player in the league for a decade? Would he have won multiple championships? However all the these questions are meaningless now thanks to the cruel world that is sports.
At this point it looks likely that Rose will become the first MVP to not be inducted into the hall of fame. There is no doubt that his career has been devastated by injury, but it didn’t have to be this way. Had Rose not relied so much on his athleticism he may have developed a more rounded game which would allow him to continue to be a valuable contributor to a team. Instead Rose has become a ball dominant point guard that doesn’t pass well and doesn’t defend or rebound. As a result Rose has been forced to sign a minimum contract instead of possibly a more lucrative deal.
This is something that could have easily happened to Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has always had injury problems but he somehow manages to overcome them extremely quickly. What if Westbrook wasn’t able to bounce back the way he did? I doubt he would be the triple double MVP machine that we saw last year. His career probably would have taken a turn like Rose’s.

And what happens when Westbrook ages and starts declining at the end of his career? He will no longer be able to rely solely on his athleticism. It seems like the NBA and its fans have an obsession with these types of players, but we should keep it in mind that it does not last forever.
It is easy to fall in love with players like Rose and Westbrook but there is a cost that comes with it. It is a high risk high reward style of play. We have seen it pay off for Westbrook so far but for Rose it is a different story. These types of players are such weapons when they are firing on all cylinders the problem is that sometimes it is too much for their bodies to handle.


