Derrick Rose was and remains one of the most beloved basketball players in Chicago Bulls history. He was the first one to truly pull the organization out of the quagmire that was the post-Jordan era and put them back in contention for an NBA championship. He was the youngest MVP in league history and a true phenomenon.
A hometown kid who got a chance to carry his hometown team to greatness. That’s why witnessing his downfall was so difficult to watch. It started with that awful ACL tear he suffered in the 2012 playoffs. An injury that took a year to come back from. Then when he did, more knee problems soon followed.
It became clear that his body just wasn’t holding up to the grind anymore. The Bulls reached a point where they had to make a decision. Keep riding with him or move forward with Jimmy Butler. They chose the latter, and soon traded him to the New York Knicks.
Nobody knew how Rose reacted to the news for years, but Stadium Network actually had been filming him for a documentary and caught the precise moment his agent B.J. Armstrong gave him the news. The reaction is utterly heartbreaking.
Derrick Rose story can still have a happy ending
Tough as that is to watch, there’s still a chance that Rose can finish out his career where it started. Rumors have circulated for some time that he is hoping to return and join the Bulls again as a free agent. Of course he wouldn’t be the player he was, but he showed this past season he can still be a factor.
He finished averaging 18 points, four assists and four rebounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Given how much instability the team continues to have at point guard, adding him would certainly give them more credible options. If nothing else, it would be a feel-good moment. Something that franchise desperately needs of late.
