Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Derrick Rose has been through the proverbial ringer over the course of his career. Injuries have sentenced him to the sidelines on numerous occasions, but he's still finding ways to bounce back — a fact that has impressed Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine.

“He’s had so many ups and downs, his mental ability is so strong,” LaVine told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “How old was he won MVP? 22. That’s ridiculous. To be that high and then to have lows like he is and play at the level he is now, it’s incredible.”

Zach Lavine makes a solid point. There was a time when Derrick Rose was viewed as one of the best players in the NBA. Some even said his popularity rivaled that of the great LeBron James. The injury bug bit Rose several times, though, which slowed his rise to prominence.

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Rose suffered a torn ACL in his left knee while playing with the Bulls in the 2012 playoffs. He missed the entire 2012-13 season, then returned to play in 10 games before tearing the meniscus in his right knee in November 2013. Unfortunate, to be sure.

Though he was unable to finish Friday night's game due to ankle soreness, Rose has been playing well this season. In fact, the former Memphis Tiger dropped a career-high 50 points in a November game against the Utah Jazz.

In his 30 appearances this season (nine starts), Rose has racked up averages of 18.5 points on 48.5 percent shooting from the field (46.9 percent from beyond the arc), 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per outing.