04/28/2012. Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs. Bulls lead 99-87 to the Sixers. There is 1:20 left on the clock. Chicago is about to captivate its first playoff game with a win after finishing the regular season in 1st place. Derrick Rose just became the youngest player in the history of the game to win the MVP award. Morale in the city of Chicago is as high as it has been since the days of Michael Jordan. Regardless, Rose crosses a defender and starts driving to the rim. He throws the ball up in the most embarrassing way. Almost as if he stepped on a thumbtack once his feet left the ground. He falls to the ground with only one leg reaching the court. With the ball still in play, no one notices. Everyone is still focused on the basket. It was like a gunfight in the midwest. One of the cowboys takes a hit, but dust surrounds them. Anticipation builds as the crowd waits for the dust to settle to see what happened. Derrick Rose is on the court, clutching his knee, nothing but a face full of frustration and pain. It’s that simple: the superstar, the new hope of Chicago, the savior of our city, suffers a horrific torn anterior cruciate ligament. All fans, friends and family across the country were in shock. Silently praying for him to get up, he just stayed down. Nobody cared about the game. Nobody cared about our playoff or championship hopes. We just hoped our hometown hero was okay…and so on. A young man with the potential to reach the sky had reached his ceiling. The youngest MVP of all time would never be the same.
“And yes.” What if Derrick stayed healthy? I don’t know if I see another MVP season. As much as you want, it’s hard to do. What I see? I see a happy and healthy person, a team player. With the motivation of winning a ring. Determination to be a champion. Humble beginnings often lead to humble endings.
I could go on and on about recovery attempts. Adidas #Return campaigns. The external falls of #1. But I will not. Derrick Rose is a basketball legend and he deserves to be respected as such. He is one of the best players to ever step on the court. We could dream of what he could have been. But let’s not. Let’s enjoy what we witness and leave it at that. Being able to watch you play and see what you did for the city of Chicago was indescribable. You brought hope to a city when it needed it.
Thank you Derrick Rose. Forever a legend.
If you’re in for a good cry, check out his MVP highlights on YouTube.
-Boss