Honorable mention:
https://www.facebook.com/DABNBA/videos/2029483037281450/
At least Brandon Knight got to play out his career…
When the Cavaliers decided to clean house at the NBA trade deadline, Derrick Rose was sent to the Utah Jazz, dealing Rodney Hood to Cleveland. The Jazz waived Rose before he ever played a game, and now the 29-year-old former MVP is a free agent.
Trade situations such as that as well as injuries are some of the reasons that Derrick Rose is the unluckiest NBA player of all-time. Let's break down the journey to his latest achievement; this title.
NBA’s youngest MVP
At 22 years of age, Derrick Rose was named MVP. This happened during the 2010-2011 NBA season when Rose was averaging 25 points, 7.7 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. Both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were having better scoring seasons than Rose, but the Chicago Bulls’ 62-20 record and 1st seed placement in the East had Rose ahead of the two legends in the MVP race. The 62-20 record was the Bulls' best since Michael Jordan led the team back in the 97-98 season. The regular NBA season ended and playoffs began.
Derrick Rose's Bulls and the Miami Heat with Wade, James, and Bosh were predicted to meet in the conference finals, and the predictions become reality. After finishing the first round series against the Indiana Pacers with a 4-1 record and the second round against the Atlanta Hawks with a 4-2 record, the Bulls were ready to face the big three.
Despite having homecourt advantage for three out of five of their meetings, the Bulls ultimately fell to the Heat 1-4. Rose averaged 27 points, 7.7 assists, and 4 rebounds in his exhausting 40 minutes per game during the playoffs. To every NBA fan and analyst, it was clear, that Derrick Rose simply couldn't do it alone. The Miami Heat's big three met the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, where the Mavericks would upset them to win their only franchise championship.
The offseason came, and the Chicago Bulls made minimal changes to their roster, drafting the now-great Jimmy Butler. Chicago Bulls fans thought “alright, time to watch Rose lead this team right back into the playoffs and then the finals. We'll beat Miami's big three this time for sure.” however, the 2011-2012 season marked the beginning of Derrick Rose's endless injuries.
Rose's injury-filled 2011-2012 NBA season
The reigning MVP managed to make it to January without missing a single game, but when it rains, it pours. It started with a sprained toe, one game was missed, and then four more missed games followed just 5 days later. When February came, Rose missed five straight games with lower back pain. March followed with a 12-game absence due to a groin injury, and April with ankle and foot injuries costing him four games. The regular season ended once again for the Chicago Bulls, and they were sitting in the first seed with a 50-16 record (limited games due to the NBA lockout) despite Rose missing 26 games.
The Bulls met the 76ers in the first round of the playoffs and left game one with the win. Game two on May 1st would mark the day Derrick Rose's career would change forever. With just over a minute left in the game, Rose would grab his left knee and leave the court. His ACL was torn. The bad luck that led to this injury caused Rose to miss 99 games, over a whole NBA season.
After losing Rose the Bulls lost three games in a row, won one, and were eliminated in game six.
Rose's short-lived 2013-2014 season
Fans waited for Rose's return for over a whole season. It's common knowledge that no athlete is the same after tearing an ACL. It is one of the most tragic injuries players can deal with. Derrick Rose's luck was so bad that after missing 99 games and playing just 10 so far in the 2013-2014 season, he tore his right meniscus. Rose's aggression, athleticism, and speed all declined after he tore his ACL, this new tear would only make things worse for the 25-year-old. Rose went on to miss 76 games due to the tear. Another huge chunk of his career was now eaten once again by a leg injury.
2014-2015 just wasn't the same Rose
Going into this season, viewers could only worry while watching Rose play. He looked unsure of himself when driving in, and fans gasped in fear anytime he would hit the floor. A few of the hits he took cost him games with sore or hurt ankles, knees, and hamstrings. In February, Rose tore his meniscus once again causing him to miss 20 games. Rose had once been the league's most explosive player, earning an MVP award as a 23-year-old, and now was a household name due to how injury-prone he was.
While he still missed a significant amount of games, the 51 that he played landed Rose with some decent numbers. They were nothing like his former years leading the Bulls because Derrick Rose really didn't look like his old self while playing. He averaged 17.7 points and 4.9 assists on 40% shooting in 30 minutes.
After another mediocre 66 games in the 2015-2016 season, the Bulls had other plans for Derrick Rose's future. The team traded him along with Justin Holiday and a second-round pick to the New York Knicks Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant.
Can Rose bloom in the Garden?
The Knicks had just finished 13th in the East with a 32-50 record. Porzingis was drafted in the Summer, and Phil Jackson was ready to rock some good old-fashioned triangle basketball with Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose alongside the rookie.
The fact that Rose and Anthony were on the same roster had fans drooling over how amazing the Knicks would be. Players like Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings were also on the roster, which somehow had fans using the term “superteam” constantly to describe the new Knicks.
Rose himself actually used the term “superteam” when asked about the team's potential prior to the season starting. He was confident that the team would be incredibly dangerous. The Knicks' season would tell a different story.
But before Rose was ready to focus on his new squad and their franchise goals, Rose's ex-girlfriend made some drastic claims. As covered by the Los Angeles Times, “Rose, Randall Hampton, and Ryan Allen had been accused of breaking into the woman's Los Angeles apartment and having sex with her when she was incapacitated from a night of drinking and, she claimed, being drugged by the men.” The jury ultimately found the claim not credible, letting Rose get off and back to basketball, but the association between rape and Rose's name was definitely bad luck.
The team finished in the 12th seed, just one seed better than the previous year. Rose played 64 games averaging 18 points. The Knicks which Rose once backed with the word “superteam” had caught his contagious bad luck, finishing with a 31-51 record. The team did not sign Rose to another contract whenever his time ran out in Madison Square Garden.
Alongside the king, but not for long
The Cavaliers got a makeover, as they do every year, in the 2017 offseason. Derrick Rose signed to the team on a 1-year $2.1 million dollar contract. Rose would play just 22 games in the current NBA season before being traded during the great Cavaliers cleanout/NBA trade deadline of 2018. Rose averaged the worst numbers of his career, 9.8 points per game, during his time on the Cavs. No magic happened when Rose played with Melo, and the Cavs didn't keep him long enough to see any real success come from the LeBron-D. Rose combination. When you look back at Rose's 2017-2018 NBA season, the thing you will likely remember best is the song “D. Rose” from future Grammy-award winning artist Lil Pump.
The Utah Jazz received Rose and Crowder at the trade deadline in a three-team deal landing Rodney Hood in Cleveland. Before he ever stepped on Utah wood in a Jazz uniform, the team waived Rose. The events described above have led up to where Rose is currently in his NBA career, home.
Derrick Rose: Free agent
Rose is 29 years old. He is the youngest MVP in NBA history. He had the speed of Westbrook, the finishing ability of Kyrie, the clutch gene of Kobe Bryant, and the athleticism of Giannis. He also had the leadership to lead the humble Bulls roster to the Eastern Conference finals. Injury after injury after the trade, a hassling court case, a short season with the best player in the league, and a waiving, are some of the most coverable reasons that Derrick Rose is the unluckiest player in NBA history.
Despite recent rumors, according to reports, Derrick Rose has not received anything more than 10-day contract offers from NBA teams. Once again, fans of the former MVP must wait until his luck improves and Rose finds himself on another team. While he will never have the confidence and athletic ability he once had, and he is injury-prone, Rose could add guard depth to whatever roster he lands on (assuming he makes it back into the league). This bad-luck king's future is truly unknown. His last game may have been played, or perhaps he will pursue teams overseas. Earlier in the season, Rose took some time after an injury to evaluate his options. Despite all of his bad luck, Rose still has a lot of people believing in him, and a lot to offer.
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