Injuries Never Happened is a series on NBA players who were reaching new heights but injuries derailed their career. If injuries didn’t play a factor how great would these players be? How many MVPs would they have? How many rings? First on the list is the hometown hero Derrick Rose.
In college, Derrick Rose had a fantastic year at Memphis. Heading into the NCAA tournament, the Tigers won the CUSA championship compiling a season record of 33-1. Memphis’ success continued throughout the tournament and the charge was led by Rose. The young point guard had the ability to blow by defenders and finish at the rim at will. Rose could also hit a shot from mid-range and find open teammates.
Rose outperformed Texas’ D.J. Augustin in the Elite Eight and UCLA’s backcourt of Russell Westbrook and Darren Collison in the Final Four. Memphis was matched up with the Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA championship and it was a thriller. The Tigers were up by nine points with about two minutes left in regulation but the game went into overtime due to the Memphis’ missed free throws and Mario Chalmers’ clutch shot. Kansas were named winners but Derrick Rose’s draft stock skyrocketed after a strong season and run in the NCAA tournament.
The Chicago Bulls won the lottery with only a 1.7% chance of capturing the no. 1 pick. The Bulls selected Derrick Rose, a kid from Chicago who had a lot of promise.
D-Rose skills translated into the NBA as he became quicker, faster and his leaping ability was insane. He led Chicago to the playoffs with a 41-41 record but were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round. Rose finished his rookie campaign averaging 16.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds which earned him the Rookie of the Year award.
The following season, Rose made his first all-star appearance after gaining more attention from fans and media around the world. In 15 minutes, he scored eight points and had four steals.
Derrick Rose’s game elevated even higher in his third season. In the 2010-11 season, the Chicago Bulls were atop of the eastern conference with the league’s best record of 62-20. Chicago was 3-0 against the juggernaut of Miami in the regular season and were legitimate title contenders. For the season, Rose averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1 steal per game. Rose was named as the 2010-11 MVP becoming the youngest player to win the award at the age of 22. He was looked as the next Bulls player to take the torch after Michael Jordan.
In the 2011 playoffs, the Bulls eliminated the Indiana Pacers in five games and the Atlanta Hawks in six games. Chicago would match up with Miami and their Big 3 of LeBron, Wade and Bosh. The Bulls blew out Miami 103-82 in Game 1 in a night where LeBron struggled from the field (FG 5-15) and Derrick Rose was efficient from the floor shooting 10-22 from the field. The Heat went on to win the next four games and Rose only shot 35% for the series.
Prior to the 2011-12 season, there was an NBA lockout. The regular season began on Christmas and the schedule was minimized to 66 games. D-Rose missed 27 games due to minor injuries and rest. Despite their star player being sidelined, the Bulls were tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the league’s best record (50-16). It wasn’t until Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, when Rose’s injuries took a toll on him.
It was a game against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Bulls were ahead by 12 points with 1:20 remaining in the game and Rose did a hop-step and landed awkwardly. He tore his ACL and that’s when his career went south but what if he never got hurt? The Bulls would’ve faced the Heat again in the Eastern Conference Finals. Chicago would’ve defeated the 76ers and the Celtics would’ve made it an interesting series in the semifinals. Although, Chicago was the younger team and they were one of the best defensive teams in the league at that time.
The Bulls would have struggled to reach the finals with a healthy Rose with the Miami Heat in the way from 2012-2014. Jimmy Butler was drafted in 2011 and having to defend LeBron as a young player would be a lot to ask for. Even in Butler’s prime, he’s struggled to defend LeBron.
After the Miami Heat Big 3 era, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the team to beat in the eastern conference. We’ve seen LeBron and Kyrie Irving faceoff against Rose and Butler in the semifinals in 2015. Rose obviously wasn’t at his best but he did have that memorable buzzer beater in Game 3. LeBron would return the favor with his own buzzer beater in Game 4. An injury-free Rose and the Bulls weren’t good enough to take down the Cavaliers with LeBron and Irving. Rose probably wouldn’t have reached the finals with LeBron in his way.
What would a healthy D-Rose achieve? He could’ve made at least nine all-star appearances and won an all-star MVP. He could’ve won another MVP during the lockout season. The Bulls would’ve been at the top of the east again and Rose would’ve improved his game, for example, outside shooting. If D-Rose continued to ascend after his MVP year, I think he has a good case to be a top ten point guard of all time.
I would rank him higher than point guards like Steve Nash and Jason Kidd because their careers had a slow start. From the jump, Rose’s game translated into the NBA and he was only getting better. He won an MVP at 22 years old and he was at the beginning of his prime. Rose is one of the most athletic and electrifying point guards ever. His ability to adjust a layup while airborne is among the best. On top of that, he’s a great passer and playmaker. It’s unfortunate that injuries are a part of the game and can strip a player’s potential.
I applaud Rose for being persistent after all the various injuries and rehab he’s gone through. If his injuries never happened, Derrick Rose would have his number retired as a Chicago Bull. Enjoy some career highlights below:
Great Work brother. Ja Morant need to show us the Derrick Rose we were supposed to see.