Derrick Rose was next in the line of Chicago Bulls greats. In his first three seasons, he was a two-time All-Star and the youngest MVP in NBA history.
However, during the 2012 NBA playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers, Rose tore his ACL after attacking the basket. It’s unknown why then-head coach Tom Thibodeau kept Rose in the game with the Bulls leading.
The “What if” question with Rose
Had Rose never been injured, he was on his way to becoming one of the greatest players in Bulls history. After leading the Bulls to 62 wins – the most since 1997-98 – in 2011, Rose led to the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals. Though Chicago lost in five games against the LeBron James-led Miami Heat, it seemed like the Bulls were good again.
NBA: Derrick Rose “deserved” a contract like Betts and Mahomes rant (90 seconds)
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Now almost a decade later, it’s interesting to see where he could have gone, had he never been injured. In his 11-year career, Rose has only played in 596 games, or 66% of his possible total. Had injuries not reared their ugly head, he had the potential to be one of the best point guards of all time.
Even though it’s easy to feel bad about what his career could have been, he reinvented himself as a very efficient Sixth Man. Since becoming a Sixth Man almost exclusively, Rose is averaging 18 points, 4.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 26.6 minutes.
Shooting Bricks – An NBA Podcast
In this week’s episode of the Shooting Bricks Podcast, Jarrod Castillo, Gerrel Sayles and Daniel Huynh also discuss the happenings in MLB, particularly with the Toronto Blue Jays. The trio also talks about the return of live NBA games in Orlando, even if the games are just scrimmages and more.