Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Derrick Rose became the youngest MVP in the league's history in 2011, but he believes winning early may have hurt his career. Rose was just a 22-year-old when he earned this accolade as a Chicago Bull, and his early success even spawned a new rule in the collective bargaining agreement.
Since then, Rose's career has been plagued by injuries. He was one of the most explosive players to ever grace the court in his youth, but his knees couldn't stand his constant jumping and cutting. After seven seasons with the Bulls, Rose had stints with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. He even considered retiring after he stepped away from basketball in Cleveland.
Once he became confident with his health, Rose returned to the NBA and joined the Timberwolves. Rose said that regardless of the criticism, he puts his own well-being first.
“Even the people that were mad at me, they were mad at me because they wanted to see me hoop,” Rose told The Undefeated. “I understand that. You’re mad because I play some type of way that you like seeing and you want to see me out there. But I am going to do what is best for myself and sit out a year to get healthy enough to step on the court.”
Many believe Rose can still be a starting point guard in the NBA. He looked impressive in his 2018 NBA preseason debut, scoring 16 points in 21 minutes. The former No. 1 overall pick still loves the game of basketball. This year, he wants to prove he still has more in the tank.
“You have to know who you are. This whole time off or even getting injured, it was my way of tapping out. A lot of people don’t get the chance to tap out (and recover) and they get caught up into the propaganda. Winning MVP so young, doing this and doing that, I was caught in it,” said Rose.
If Rose continues to play well, he could play a key role in Minnesota, especially with Jimmy Butler heading out the door. The results of Rose's offseason work will become evident as the season proceeds.
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