Derrick Rose...The Rose that Never Fully Grew From the Concrete

Just a kid from Chicago.

A kid who led his high school (Simeon) to a championship after hitting a game winner with 4 seconds left to bury Richwoods High School in the Class AA State Championship. The Rose was just beginning to grow, taking place in between a concrete slab, surrounded my millions of other slabs. Next up was Memphis. Rose accepted a scholarship from the Memphis Tigers, to go play under Coach John Calipari in Memphis. Rose would shine under the future Kentucky coach. Originally supposed to join AAU teammate, Eric Gordon at Illinois, Rose stuck to his verbal commitment at Memphis due to the "rich history" of the program. Rose and the Tigers had no problem fitting in with the college basketball universe, exploding to a 26-0 start. Rose finished the season averaging 14.9 points per game, 4.7 assists per game, and 4.5 rebounds per game, as Memphis concluded their season at a stunning 33-1 record. Memphis would go into the 2008 NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the South Region. They would make it to the championship game, where they would lose to the Kansas Jayhawks 75-68 in overtime. Rose averaged 20.8 points per game, 6.5 assists per game and 6.0 rebounds per game in the last few games of the tournament. His play earned him an All-Final Four selection. Rose would soon after declare for the 2008 NBA Draft.

"With the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft...The Chicago Bulls select Derrick Rose..."

The Bulls had gone 33-49 in 2007, firing Scott Skiles in the process. They were in line with the first overall pick, and selected an explosive guard in Rose. Rose instantly became a threat, scoring 10 or more points in the first 10 games, the first Bull to do so since the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan. Rose's success didn't stop there, as the young man would average 16.8 points per game, 6.3 assists per game, 3.9 rebounds per game and shot an outstanding 47.5 percent from the field. The Bulls would make a turnaround, making the playoffs again, marking the 4th time in 5 years for the resurgent Chicago team. Rose would score 36 points in the first game of the playoffs, against the defending champions in the Boston Celtics. The Bulls would win the first game thanks to Rose, 107-105 in overtime. The Bulls would fight hard, but go on to lose the series in Game 7. Despite the loss, the 2008-2009 season was considered to be a huge success for Rose and the Bulls. Rose would end up winning Rookie of the Year. The second season, the Bulls were a quiet 41-41, making the playoffs as an 8th seed. They were defeated 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers, thus sparking a common occurrence of the Bulls being eliminated by the Cavs in the playoffs. The highlight of the season for Rose was being elected as an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve. Derrick Rose should the peak of his ability in the 2010-11 season, where Rose would go on to be the youngest MVP EVER in the NBA. The Bulls went 62-20, and lost to the Big 3 (BronBron, Wade and the Dino), ending their stand-out season. Rose had shown his potential, and many thought that if Rose could play like he did during his MVP season, he would become a top 5 point guard of all time. This of course did not happen...if it did, then this article wouldn't have been written. Derrick Rose would slowly decline after that amazing 2010-11 season. At first, he seemed to stay as the MVP, but then the beginning of a long list of injuries would hit him hard. In 2011, Derrick would battle injuries, but shape up to be an elite player come playoff time. In game one of the playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers (yes, the 76ers were in the playoffs), Rose would drive to the left of the basket and land awkwardly. He would writhe in pain on the court and eventually would be helped off by players and trainers. He would receive an MRI revealing that he had torn his ACL. This marks the fall of Derrick Rose in my opinion. He would never step on a basketball court ever again with the same look in his eye...the same explosiveness. He was different when he returned, that is not a question. Chicago fans practically praised the return of Rose to Chicago like Jesus Christ returning to the world. Rose would have on and off games, showing glimpses of a payer he once was, but never returned to the MVP caliber player he was. Rose would then sit out a year, allowing time to recover. The Bulls did well without him, as they found themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals without Rose. They would lose to LeBron and the Miami Heat yet again. The only thing Rose did after this was return and get injured against the Trail Blazers. After tearing his meniscus again, Chicago found themselves paying millions for a player who didn't play a whole lot. Rose, determined to prove his worth, returned in the 2014-15 season with a bang. He would help the Bulls get to the playoffs and hit a game winning three-pointer against the Cavs in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The Bulls would go on to lose in Game 7, knocking them out of the playoffs and leaving me in a short period of depression. Rose would play in the 2015-16 season, again showing flashbacks of his old self, splitting defenses with insane moves, however lacked consistency. After the 2016 season, on June 22, I found myself going down into my basement for a quick workout. I began to use the stationary bike I have when i was stunned by the notification that popped up on my phone. "BREAKING: Bulls trade Derrick Rose and Justin Holiday to the New York Knicks for Jóse Calderón, Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez." I was crushed. One of the reasons I play basketball is because of Derrick Rose. After all he had done for the team, the city, the fans....? I was furious at the Bulls Front Office. Despite the fact that it may have been a good move strategically, it didn't feel right to Bulls fans, the overall consensus being that they never wanted Rose to go.

Derrick Rose has played average basketball with the New York Knicks so far this season, and recently he missed a game without telling anyone in the Knicks organization. Rumors have emerged of Rose wanting to walk away from basketball, and I sure hope these are not true. Rose has been a mysterious figure his entire career, raising questions at every turn. But I will always stand by Rose, for he has worked so hard, but has not been rewarded. Derrick Rose has bloomed, then welted his entire career.

Hopefully he can figure out how to bloom and truly become the Rose that grew from the concrete.