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The Derrick Rose injury conversation has become a constant trend in and around the NBA since his MVP season. The string of bad luck has now started to follow him from the Chicago Bulls to the New York Knicks.
It’s the start of February and NBA All-Star Weekend is quickly approaching as the league’s best are set to gather. Not too long ago the name Derrick Rose would be associated with that group of elite guards like Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Stephen Curry.
However, due to a rash of knee issues over the past few years, fans are just content with seeing him play a regular-season game.
The New York Knicks made the big deal this past summer to acquire Rose in hopes of rekindling the MVP magic he had with the Chicago Bulls. So far this season there has been little magic, but some hopeful glimpses avoid immediate criticism from fans in regards to on a court’s ability.
Putting aside the inexcusable no-show game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Rose has been a frequent contributor, only missing two games for back spasms.
The former MVP is currently dealing with a sprained left ankle suffered in the third quarter of the Knicks 110-107 victory at home against the Charlotte Hornets.
Immediately every fan saw the way-too-familiar painful grimace and limp to the locker room by the Chicago raised star.
In response to this the Knicks are choosing to be extremely cautious and patient with the 28-year-old, holding him out the next few games including Wednesday night’s battle against the Brooklyn Nets.
In a recent interview with the New York Post, Rose described how he is dealing with the latest injury.
“When I step on the court, I want to be 100 percent, If not, that’s when things go the other way and you pull something. I want to be 100 percent. I just have to take my time and listen to my body.“
The biggest part that stood out from the interview was the optimistic response to his current season evaluation. Rose would go on to say
“I love how healthy I’ve been this year, I feel like a rookie.“
The career of Derrick Rose is teetering on the possibility of him never returning to All-Star form as he continues to have injuries that derail his progress.
The affect each injury has on his game appears to be more mental rather than physical, as he has said plenty of times, including the year off after his torn ACL, the importance of not having the fear of injury on his mind.
The decline in Rose’s production over the years will always be associated with the injuries, but his 43 games played in New York show signs of improvement.
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | CHI | 81 | 80 | 37.0 | .475 | .222 | .788 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 16.8 |
| 2009-10 | CHI | 78 | 78 | 36.8 | .489 | .267 | .766 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 20.8 |
| 2010-11 | CHI | 81 | 81 | 37.4 | .445 | .332 | .858 | 4.1 | 7.7 | 25.0 |
| 2011-12 | CHI | 39 | 39 | 35.3 | .435 | .312 | .812 | 3.4 | 7.9 | 21.8 |
| 2012-13 | Did Not Play | |||||||||
| 2013-14 | CHI | 10 | 10 | 31.1 | .354 | .340 | .844 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 15.9 |
| 2014-15 | CHI | 51 | 51 | 30.0 | .405 | .280 | .813 | 3.2 | 4.9 | 17.7 |
| 2015-16 | CHI | 66 | 66 | 31.8 | .427 | .293 | .793 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 16.4 |
| 2016-17 | NYK | 43 | 43 | 32.1 | .455 | .250 | .866 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 17.9 |
| Career | 449 | 448 | 34.7 | .449 | .300 | .817 | 3.7 | 6.0 | 19.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/1/2017.
As a free agent after this season, Rose is rumored to be seeking a max contract of five years and $150 million from any team interested.
The only way that becomes a real possibility is for him to finally return to the floor, confident and ready to push the floundering Knicks team to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks could really use the services “rookie” Derrick Rose right now instead of suited, unavailable Rose.
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