A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Chicago Bulls announced on Tuesday that once again Rose has torn the same meniscus he damaged last season against the Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to the injury, he is averaging 18.4 points and 5 assists in 46 games played this season.
But what’s most unfortunate, is that this is Rose’s third surgery in as many seasons.
We all know his story. The hometown kid from South Chicago who wound up playing for his hometown team (thanks to the Bulls striking gold in the draft lottery in ‘08) and emulating the success of Michael Jordan. After being drafted by Chicago, the kid immediately made an impact. His explosiveness was second only to LeBron James at the time. He was named Rookie of the Year and rightfully so. Nobody could outjump him. Nobody could outrun him. Just ask Goran Dragic. He became the youngest MVP in NBA history in 2011 after averaging 25 points, 7.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds per game and Chicago became perennial contenders once again.
Now, things have changed. His first significant injury was the ACL in the 2012 first-round playoff series against Philadelphia. They were the number one seed that year and after Rose’s injury, they lost to the eight-seeded 76ers who then went on to lose against the Celtics in the next round. He never played the entire 2012–2013 season.
Then came #TheReturn. On October 5, 2013 his much awaited return in a pre-season game against division rivals Indiana left much to be desired. He finished with 13 points in 20 minutes of play. But it was fine. He needed to be careful. Derrick Rose on the other hand, was optimistic. After playing in Chicago for the first time since his injury against the Pistons, he scored 22 points. After the game he said, “I think I’m way more explosive now. Like getting to the rim. I think I can take contact a little bit better. And as far as jumping-wise, I think I can jump even higher. They tested my vertical — I increased it by 5 inches,”
That was until the Bulls arrived in Portland. He injured his knee during the Novembr 22 game against the Blazers and an mRI the next day revealed that he tore his right knee meniscus and once again, Chicago’s title hopes faltered in a blink of an eye.
This is a guy who loves playing for Chicago. This is his city. Ricky O’Donnell from SB Nation further illustrates my point, saying, “The newspapers talked about this explosive point guard from Simeon like he was an urban legend. He was the fastest player anyone had ever seen. Tales of the dunks he threw down in pre-game layup lines traveled quickly by word of mouth. High school basketball means something to a lot of people in this city. When Rose came along, they took notice.”
When a city has someone like Derrick Rose, every fall he takes is a gut punch to the city’s people. They have followed this kid since high school and they would probably follow him anywhere.
Now, though, I’m not exactly sure just where is that anywhere. Even with Jimmy Butler’s ascent as one of the best two-guards in basketball, even with Pau Gasol’s nightly contributions, even with the Bulls’ defensive re-emergence, let’s face it: Chicago’s playoff hopes lie firmly on Derrick Rose’s shoulders. Scratch that, they lie firmly, tightly, and solely on his knees. Those knees that have been the source of three years of What ifs for this Chicago squad who were annual pre-season Eastern Conference Champion prediction winners. But those knees were shaky from the start and it just sucks.
“I don’t know what to say other than it’s just so unfair,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after the Bulls’ practice game ahead Wednesday’s match-up against the Charlotte Hornets.
I feel you Tom. I too, am speechless. I was about to head out to school when I heard the news. I felt sick the entire day.
We, as basketball fans, are tired of this. This is endlessly frustrating. As much as I hate the Bulls winning, I hate seeing a guy like Rose suffer the seemingly same fate that crushed the basketball dreams of so many players before him. How better would the league be if injuries like this didn’t happen? Imagine an entire postseason in which no players are injured, and everybody was ready to play, especially this Bulls squad. I love the playoffs, but I love the playoffs with Derrick Rose more. In the end, we’re all just basketball fans and we just like really good basketball. I am a fan of really good basketball. As inconsistent as Rose might seem his past games, nobody in their right mind would argue against Rose bringing his A-game come playoff time.
We hate to see players like these go down. Remember Grant Hill? Whatabout Penny Hardaway? Oh, add Brandon Roy to that list, too. I know for a fact that injuries happen. This is part of basketball. But what happened to Rose, is just flat-out ridiculous.
Rose will be back, that is a certainty. But will he still be the same player? He’s now in his prime at 26 without three straight playoff appearances. It’s hard to tell. Of course we all want him to be the way he used to be. When he arrived in the NBA, he was such a unique talent that we all cheered for him. He is extremely likeable and his game was unparalleled in so many levels. This is a guy who just wanted to win above all. He couldn’t care less about the glitz and the glamour. He didn’t want fame. His love for Chicago is unconditional. I hate to see a guy like that go down this way.
That being said, the Bulls have the pieces. Perhaps more importantly, they have the resilience, the grit. They have the heart to go head-to-head in a seven game series with any team in league. However, the question remains, is that heart enough to push them to the top? Like Rose’s recent downfall, it’s very hard to tell.
As fans of the game, we don’t want it to be over. We don’t want a 30 for 30 about D Rose’s “What could have been” stint in the NBA. We don’t want to see a rebuilding Chicago Bulls, ready to move on without their hometown hero. We don’t want to see a man who has endured and given so much to pick himself back up just to keep falling down again every single time. We want to witness Rose bloom once again, in spite of his thorns.
