Derrick Rose is Back?

Derrick Rose is not back. Nor is he trash. Those that long for Rose’s good old days and those who, in contrast, are haters, need to back down.

Derrick Rose will never be the pre-injury Derrick Rose we saw in 2011. That is not a knock on him now; that’s simply a testament to how amazing he was. Rose, at the height of his powers, was able to carry a tough Bulls team to the Eastern Conference Finals before being overmatched by the surreal Big 3 in Miami led by the best player in the world, LeBron James. And how could I forget what everyone loves to mention by Rose’s name: he is the youngest MVP in league history. Everything changed, though, on April 28, 2012. He would infamously tear his ACL in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, which opened the floodgates to future injuries, including a torn meniscus in 2013. After 2012, Rose never seemed to be able to stay healthy again, and his athleticism and confidence was sapped.

Since then, he has been an inefficient role player and one of the biggest what ifs in NBA history. Despite this, Derrick Rose has revitalized his career this year with the Minnesota Timberwolves and has reminded us that his book is not closed yet. The eulogy and subsequent 30 for 30 on Rose’s inauspicious career must be postponed.

Rose is averaging over 18 points and 4 assists a game at 50% shooting from the field and 49% from three, with a 20.1 PER. When compared to the starter Jeff Teague, who is 40% from the field and 31% from three, with a 14.9 PER, it is clear that Rose is the more productive player at the moment. This revelation, in addition to crazy outbursts like his career high 50 point outburst against Utah, has led people to affirm that Derrick Rose is back.

As great as he has been, this is unequivocally false. At his peak, Rose averaged 25 points and 7 assists a game and was one of the most feared players in the entire NBA. As much as us fans love to be nostalgic, those days have simply been ripped away due to bad luck, and there is nothing that will change that.

Although overrating him is excessive, underrating him would be an injustice as well. It is simply unfair to dismiss his efforts and label him as a flash in the pan that will get injured again. What he is doing is amazing nonetheless. He has overcome years of heartache and disrespect to bring his level back up to a starting caliber and has even outplayed Teague. He will never be MVP Rose again, but he is a darn good player right now, and that deserves respect unconditionally. But when you consider all the adversity he has faced, you would have to be a certain kind of heartless to hate on Derrick Rose.

Derrick Rose will never show us what the youngest MVP in league history is capable of in his prime, but he doesn’t need to. He has admirably salvaged his career when life dealt him tribulation after tribulation. This Derrick Rose is a new Derrick Rose, one who is earning his praise independent of anything he did in the past. Regardless of where he goes from here, Rose should still be admired for his resiliency and resolve to continue fighting, and at this stage, improving.