04/28/2012. Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs. Bulls lead the Sixers 99-87. 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 game’s history 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 begins to drive to the rim. He throws the ball up in the most embarrassing way. Almost as if he stepped on a tack 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. The 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. Simple as that: The superstar, Chicago’s new hope, our city’s savior, suffers a horrifying ACL tear. All the 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 heaven, he had hit the ceiling. The youngest MVP of all time would never be the same again.
“And yes.” What would happen if Derrick stayed healthy? I don’t know if I see another season of MVP. 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 to win a ring. Determination to be a champion. Humble beginnings often lead to humble endings.
I could go on and on about the recovery attempts. Adidas #Return campaigns. The outer falls of #1. But I will not. Derrick Rose is a basketball legend and deserves to be respected as such. He is one of the best players to have stepped 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.
Thanks, Derrick Rose. Forever a legend.
If you’re in for a good cry, check out his MVP highlights on YouTube.
-Chief
