We saw months of commercials showing Derrick Rose working hard in rehab so he could return to the team and help them make a playoff run.
But Derrick Rose isn't going to play basketball this season, even though doctors cleared him to do so weeks ago.
He doesn't want to. He's not in any increased danger of re-injuring his knee if he plays tonight. He just doesn't want to.
It's not surprising. Some of the signs were there that Derrick Rose doesn't have what it takes to be an elite player in the NBA. It's a joke that he won an MVP when Lebron James was still alive on this planet.
When Rose first came to Chicago he brought his cadre of brothers and advisers that had been with him since he was a small boy to guide him through the process of dealing with fortune and fame. Problem is, they were local yoakals who have no more idea how to deal with fortune and fame than the guy pumping gas down the street. We heard about Rose and his tummy ache, caused by eating garbage all day and sitting around playing video games. The team has to step in and make sure he ate right because no one around him seemed to know why that might be important for a world class athlete.
We know Rose cheated to get into college. The fact that he was there at all is a mockery to the system. But he cheated.
For his first couple of seasons Rose spit the bit as far as accepting the role of team leader. He didn't want the ball when it mattered. He was content with getting enough points to be a star, but when crunch time came he would rather someone else step up and lead the team.
Weeks ago when his shoe company thought Derrick Rose should start thinking about playing basketball again because his magnetic personality was unlikely to sell sneakers, they contacted a couple of no- name reporters with no connection to Chicago to plant the story and get the ball rolling. Chicago reporters were furious they had been bypassed. A lot of people thought it smelled bad that the shoe company seemed to be exercising more influence over Rose and his advisers than his employer, The Chicago Bulls,
Derrick Rose isn't a bad person by any reports. He just is no Lebron James. He sure as hell is no Michael Jordan. And I don't think he's doing the kind of work necessary to return from the type of injury he suffered, either physically or mentally. I think he wants to sit around and play video games and watch others compete for championships. That seems to be a component of his character. And that's fine, but Bulls' fans should re-adjust their expectations about ever beating the Miami Heat with Derrick Rose as the leader of your team.
Who has next? Game of Mario Kart, that is. Pin It
