Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose gave the title-contending Los Angeles Lakers a run for their money on Sunday night at the Staples Center. The veteran point guard came off the bench for the Detroit Pistons and dropped a game-high 28 points on the Lakers in 29 minutes.
Unfortunately for the Pistons, Rose's offensive explosion off the bench wasn't enough to propel Detroit to victory on the road, but it did remind some people of the dominant player of old, especially another former superstar of the past in current Lakers center Dwight Howard.
After the Lakers were able to come out on top against the Pistons, 106-99, Howard talked about Rose and the similarities of their NBA careers which have had drastic highs and lows.
“Man, I think it’s just a testament to how hard both of us really work,” Howard said of him and Rose’s resurgent careers. “Having back surgeries, knee surgeries. It’s tough on your body. Not only psychological but neurological. It’s just real tough to get your body, your brain, your nerves, and everything to work again and work properly.
“And the other part of it is getting out there and not thinking about getting hurt, so for him and myself, it’s a lot of hard work. There’s a lot of times where we feel like we just got to give up, but then you just think about how many fans and people look up to us. We inspire them. I see a lot of people when D-Rose comes in the building, even tonight when he checked in. The fans gave him a big applause. It’s just a testament to hard work.”
At one point, Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard were on top of the NBA world as arguably two of the biggest superstars in the league along with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Both players were regularly in the MVP conversation while leading title-contending teams in the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic.
Howard's career started to take a turn for the worst after being traded to the Lakers back in 2012. The perennial All-Star began battling injury problems as well as a rough relationship with Bryant in Los Angeles. Howard spent one season in L.A. followed by three with the Houston Rockets which ended in disappointing fashion and resulted in the veteran center bouncing around the league until getting a second chance with the Lakers.
As for Rose, persistent knee injuries derailed his career after he won NBA MVP back in 2011. These injuries forced him to bounce around the league in the same fashion as Howard with short stints with the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves before landing with the Pistons.
Although the Pistons and Lakers are two teams heading in different directions, these two stars continue to leave it all out on the floor on a nightly basis while continuing to live the dream of playing at a high level in the NBA.