Derrick Rose — The Best That Never Was

Both Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls received devastating news yesterday as it was discovered that one of the best point guards in the NBA tore his meniscus and will undergo yet another surgery.  For Rose it is his third major knee surgery in the past four years, and the second one on the same ligament.  There is no timetable for his return after surgery.  When healthy Rose is one of the top point guards in the NBA, and certainly one of the best we have seen in quite some time.

Rose who is such a rare and talented athlete has been plagued by injuries over the past four seasons, playing in only approximately 33 percent of his team's games.  Rose and the Bulls were real championship contenders this season, especially with the addition of big man Pau Gasol during the offseason.  Prior to this injury occurring, the star point guard was averaging 18.4 points and 5 assists in 46 games played this season.  It was quite obvious that Rose was attempting to accomplish something that he hasn't done since the 2010-2011 season, and that is play an entire year without getting injured.

Rose missed several games early in the season and was criticized heavily for it.  He was trying to be cautious and wanted to lead his team to a championship.  Years from now when we think about Derrick Rose, his immense talent, and inability to stay healthy, his name will probably be associated with the likes of Grant Hill and Greg Oden.  Like Rose these guys also had the potential to be great players, the problem is that you can't prove how great you truly are while sitting on the bench.

Without question all of these surgeries will take their toll on Derrick Rose, and he may never be the same player again after the latest one coming up.  The Chicago Bulls are still a good team without Rose.  The Bulls have actually adjusted well to playing without him over the last few seasons.  It's sad to see someone with the kind of athleticism that Rose has, be injured so often.  One day we may simply refer to Derrick Rose, an individual who has already won the rookie of the year award, an NBA MVP and 2 FIBA gold medals as the best that never was.