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Admit it Chicago, Derrick Rose is Damaged Goods

By Jeremy Karll

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Derrick Rose was a fan favorite in Chicago long before he was drafted as the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Rose was one of the top high school basketball players in the nation in 2007 when he led Simeon Career Academy to a state championship during his senior year.

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It then only seemed fitting that the Bulls received the top overall pick a couple of years later so they could draft the hometown kid. He fit right in and instantly became a star, while winning the hearts of everyone in Chicago.

Derrick Rose didn’t want the announcer to say he went to Memphis when he was announced during introductions. He wanted them to say he was from Chicago. Rose went on to win the rookie of the year award and a couple of years later, he became the youngest MVP recipient.

He was also the leader and star player during the 2010-11 season as the Bulls reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since Michael Jordan retired for the second time. That was the high point in Rose’s career and it all went downhill from there.

The 2011-12 season was a shortened season due to a lockout, but Rose started to deal with minor injuries all year. The worst injury of his career, and the one that started his downward spiral, happened in their first round playoff matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Rose tore his ACL in the final minute of Game 1 and Chicago ended up losing the series in six games.

Since the torn ACL, Rose has continued to deal with major and minor injuries. He only managed to play in 10 games throughout the next two seasons (2012-14) before tearing his right meniscus. Rose was ineffective during his 10-game stint as he was trying to recover from a career-altering injury. He had career lows across the board, as he shot 35.4 percent from the field, averaged 15.9 points per game, 4.3 assists per game, 3.2 rebounds per game and 0.5 steals per game.

At that point in his career, I thought Rose would never be the same explosive player as before. He proved me correct last year when he changed his game completely and tried to become more of a jump shooter. Last season, Rose averaged a career low 30 minutes per game but still re-tore his right meniscus, but he was able to return before the playoffs started.

It may not have been the best thing for Rose to return though, as his numbers were underwhelming all season. Rose shot a brutal 40.5 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from behind the arc. He was also only able to add 17.7 points per game, 4.9 assists per game and 3.2 rebounds per game.

In comparison to backup Aaron Brooks, Rose shot worse from inside and outside the arc and only averaged 3.1 points per game more than Brooks per 36 minutes, according to Basketball-Reference (21.3-18.2).

In the Bulls second round series last year against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Derrick Rose hit a game-winning three with Tristan Thompson‘s hand in his face. It was a feel good moment for Rose after all he had been through. Although at the same time, he wasn’t overly impressive. Rose’s field goal percentage dropped from the regular season to 39.6 percent during the playoffs.

The season has already started off rough for Derrick Rose, as he already had surgery to repair a left orbital fracture after taking an elbow to the face during the team’s first scrimmage. This was a freak injury and not Rose’s fault; it just seemed fitting though that out of everyone on the team, Rose would be the one to get hurt again. He’s expected to be back in two weeks, in time for the start of the regular season.

However, at this point in his career, it may be time to move on from Rose. He is owed over $20 million this season and over $21 million next season before his five-year max deal is up. Derrick Rose expects to get another big payday, but this time, it might not be from the Bulls. Rose has been a great person in the community and being a hometown kid makes him even more likable. It’s also two seasons away before Chicago has to make a decision about whether to resign him or not.

Rose is no longer a $20 million-type of player. His knees have gone through too much for him to be the explosive type of player he once was without getting hurt. That means he has to rely more on his jump shot and he has struggled since trying to make that change. Rose is a career 45.2 percent shooter and 30.4 percent from three, but since missing the entire 2012-13 season, he has yet to shoot over 41 percent from the field.

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    • He is also coming off his two worst win shares season, according to Basketball-Reference. Last season was the first time in his career that Rose had a negative win share, -0.2. Just because his win share has continued to go down since his MVP season doesn’t mean the Bulls should give up, but when you look at his game as a whole, it does.

    It wouldn’t be a popular move to not re-sign Rose or try to trade him. With his contract it would be nearly impossible to trade him considering his injury history and poor play he has shown the past couple of seasons.

    Rose needs to prove that he can become a shooter for Chicago or else it’s time to move on and use the money somewhere else. His contract locks the Bulls up and makes it hard for them to sign free agents.

    Until Derrick Rose is gone, and probably after, he will be a fan favorite. However, the production isn’t there anymore since he his explosiveness has gone down.

    Some people blame Tom Thibodeau for his injuries, but that doesn’t take back all the injuries his body has gone through. Rose is still only 26 years old and his career is far from over, but unless he can prove he can be an effective shooter, he will never be the same player he once was and will go down as one of the biggest ‘What if’s?’ in sports history.

    Next: Taj Gibson could be in hot water after Derrick Rose's injury

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