The entire basketball community thought the same thing when it learned that Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose once again tore the medial meniscus in his right knee. Here we go again.
The once immaculate MVP winner will undergo surgery on his knees for the third time. And, despite being classified as a minor surgery that should only keep Rose off the court for four to six weeks, many around the league doubt he will ever be the player he was in 2011.
Rose has played just 95 games in the last four seasons combined. That has accounted for three lost seasons for the Bulls, never making it past the Eastern Conference Semifinals without Rose. Each season, Chicago entered with championship aspirations. And each season, those aspirations were crushed due to the local hero’s knees failing him.
After his horrifying ligament tear in April 2012, Rose allowed his body to heal by taking the entire 2013 season off. Fans and the media felt he could return to his MVP form in 2014. But 10 games into the season, he sustained a torn meniscus in his right knee. He was out again, indefinitely.
Now, after experiencing a rough first part of the season, where he only shot 40 percent from the field and scored 18.4 points per game, he has to rebound from yet another surgery. After a while one wonders, will Rose ever be the same? Is he destined to be one of those injury-plagued players we will always ask what if about?
At this rate, Rose is headed to a table seated with players Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and Bill Walton. Great company, if your goal is to be a border-line Hall of Famer instead of an all-time great. All of these men’s bodies failed them with crippling knee and foot injuries before they could truly leave their mark on the league. Rose isn’t the first player to have a stellar career derailed by injuries, and surely is not the last either.
In the late 70’s, center Bill Walton was NBA royalty. He led the 1977 Portland Trailblazers to a title over the dazzling Philadelphia 76ers. The following season, Walton helped them win 50 of their first 60 games and much of the league considered them the favorites to win the title. Then, the foot issues started.
Walton suffered a broken foot and only played 58 games in 1978. Despite the injury, he won the 1978 MVP award. However, heading into the playoffs, he was out of the lineup.
He returned to action, but was re-injured in game two against the Seattle Supersonics. Without Walton, the Trailblazers were knocked out of the playoffs by Seattle. That was the end of Walton as a dominant player.
He played in only 14 games in the next four seasons. His career highlight post-injury was being the sixth man on the dominant 1986 Boston Celtics team. He was never the again the same.
Center Yao Ming had the same chronic foot issues that kept him from playing a full career and reaching his potential. Ming is known more for his international influence on the game and awkward 7’6 height than he is for his amazing shot blocking and shot making ability. Legendary centers like Shaquille O’Neal swore Ming was well on his way to greatness.
Point guard Penny Hardaway and forward Grant Hill were phenomenal in the mid to late 90’s. They were the future of the league. But alas, their greatness were also blurs, cut short by bad knees. No longer would their bodies allow them to lead their teammates to victories. They had to settle into their new roles as rotation players.
So can Rose comeback? Can he lead his team to a title? I have no doubt Rose will play again. He’ll probably play for years. He is only 26 years old, and has only played three full NBA seasons. I could certainly see him playing point guard for a championship team one day.
However, I have serious doubts that he can be the number one player on a team that wins a title now. Ones knees don’t improve with age. The league just isn’t built for 6’3, 180-pound guards with the game Rose has to sustain greatness over time. Point guard Allen Iverson may be the one exception. But even Iverson at his greatest couldn’t win a championship.
Even so, this might be the best thing that could’ve happened to the Bulls. Now, they know that they have to find another centerpiece to truly lead the franchise. It would be irresponsible to not take a look at other options, whether they’re already on the roster or not.
Chicago cannot be blinded by the fact that Rose is a hometown kid and a once-in-a-generation talent. Sure, give Rose the opportunity to be the starter. But they can’t continue to build their future plans solely around him. Otherwise, they will be looked back on similar to how the early 2000’s Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets are: foolish.