The NBA had not seen anything like a prime Derrick Rose. The former Bulls guard came like a thunderstorm and went off like one too. The first overall pick of the 2008 Draft attained his peak quite early and held on to it until he suffered some major knee setbacks.
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By the age of 21, the 2009 ROTY was an All-Star averaging well over 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists per game, and was making Chicago Bulls great again in more than 10 years after Michael Jordan left for good.
Much like Mike, or even more, that man filled fear in his opponents. The fear might have been of becoming an internet joke when Rose would make a mockery of them on the court, but it was enough to call in sick or fake an injury just to avoid guarding Rose.
While his opponents and teammates have attested to those stories alike, there are some of the best defenders in the league as well who have gone through the torture of the 2011 MVP and lived to tell their tale.
Paul George’s revelation of defending Derrick Rose for the first time
In 2011, Rose had become NBA’s youngest MVP after he led the Chicago Bulls to be the top seed in the East over LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh-led Miami Heat. But the Bulls lost to them in the Conference Finals.
One of the best two-way players of this generation, Paul George, has held his ground famously even against a prime LeBron James. But it was the MVP Derrick Rose, defending whom, he realized he could guard anybody in the NBA because that man was literally “untouchable”.
He talked about this recently on his podcast, Podcast P.
40 points when your defender thought he had your number! What a legend.
I don’t know about you, but anytime I hear an NBA player talking about Rose, I get chills. The man might have made it to the All-Star team just thrice because of the ACL injury on his left knee in 2012. Thereafter, he could never reach the heights he attained at such a young age.
Rose’s tragic turnaround and the come back
Following an MVP campaign, the All-NBA First Team guard started facing some difficulties with his left knee in the 2011-12 season. He could manage just 39 games in the season, having played 78 or more in each of his first three.
His ACL gave up in the first game of the 2012 Playoffs against the Sixers. And subsequently, he had several injuries that never let him make a regular starter in any teams he played for.
However, he still made the most of whatever opportunities he got. Rose was a Sixth Man of the Year contender in the 2020-21 season while leading the Knicks bench. He even managed to put a terrific average of 19/4/5 in the Knicks’ otherwise horrible 2021 post-season.
