When Rose blooms again (I)

Derrick Rose has amazed people with his basketball talent since he was a kid. His extraordinary athletic abilities are unprecedented, and everyone knows that this kid will one day become an NBA all-star.

During college, Rose led his team to an unbeaten NCAA season. They defeated two of the best point guards in the country in succession, Agustin and Collison, and ended with a 38-win season, the most in a single season in national history. In the summer of 2008, Rose was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the first pick. He emerged as a leader of the Bulls’ new generation with his incredible talent as a rookie. In his first season with the Bulls, he averaged 16 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, and won the Rookie of the Year Award.

During the next two seasons, Rose progressed in leaps and bounds. In the 2010-2011 NBA season, Rose averaged an incredible 25 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. His superstar qualities gradually emerged, and at 22, Rose won the MVP award, becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history.

Just when it was anticipated that the young man would follow in Michael Jordan’s footsteps to become the second king of Chicago, Rose was dealt a sudden blow. On April 12, 2012, when the Bulls made a strong playoff push at the end of the regular season, their hero went down. Rose tore his cruciate ligament, which forced him to miss the rest of the season.

However, Rose’s misfortune wasn’t over yet. In his last two seasons with the Bulls, Rose suffered another cruciate ligament injury and later tore his meniscus. The Bulls grew impatient and traded Rose to the New York Knicks.

The road ahead was full of bumps. Rose tore the meniscus in his left knee again in April 2017. By this point, Rose had endured four major knee injuries, any of which was enough to derail a professional player’s career. The injury caused Rose to hit the lowest point of his career.

He later joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for a minimum salary but was released within a few months. Life had another twist in store when Rose joined the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 9, 2018.

I will continue his story in next week’s column.