Derrick Rose Disgraces Chicago Bulls and the NBA
Derrick Rose‘s comments about his long-term health and rest plan were disgraceful to the Chicago Bulls and the NBA
The world of professional sports comes with a few caveats — sure, you’re going to be rich, but you’re also going to degrade your body faster than a normal person. Derrick Rose doesn’t want to play by those rules and his comments about it were a disgrace to his Chicago Bulls teammates, coaches and the entirety of the NBA.
When talking about his plan as it relates to dealing with injuries, we’d expect to hear about making sure he’s resting enough to be healthy long-term, so that the Bulls could have him healthy for a championship run. Instead, this is what he said:
"“I’m thinking about after I’m done with basketball…having graduations to go to, having meetings to go to. I don’t want to be in my meetings all sore or be at my (2-year-old) son’s graduation all sore just because of something I did in the past.’’"
As a father, I can understand where he’s coming from. I also want to make sure that I’m not doing things to my body to the point that I won’t be able to live up to my responsibilities as a parent or grandparent someday.
However, I also have a responsibility to my job and to providing for my family. There’s a reason I’m not a construction worker, firefighter or coal miner — it’s too dangerous, regardless of the money I could make. If Rose feels the same way about basketball, perhaps it’s time to walk away. Back to the statement for a second.
This is one of the most selfish and upsetting statements I’ve seen from an athlete in some time. It’s akin to a regular person telling their bosses that they’re only going to give 50 percent, because they want to make sure they’re ready for their next career or retirement. You know what would happen in that case? Let’s just say your boss would help expedite the process a bit.
We know that Rose has had a history of injury — major injury. Nobody blames him (or any other athlete) for thinking about his life after his career is over. We ALL want to be able to play with our children and our grandchildren, without having to replace our knees and hips.
With that said, if that’s how Rose really feels — then he doesn’t deserve his $18,862,876 salary that the Bulls are so kindly putting into his bank account. If he’s not living up to the terms in that contract, they shouldn’t have to pay him the agreed-upon amount, either.
This goes much beyond a fan’s perspective, a writer’s perspective or management’s perspective. There is no way to defend that attitude and statement — and the cynic in me thinks it sheds light onto why Rose doesn’t have any rings weighing down his fingers.
For some reference — remember that in the Bulls playoff run a few years back, that Luol Deng had a spinal tap and wanted to get out of the hospital to be there for his teammates. Rose wants to sit because he doesn’t want to be sore for the PTA meetings he’ll need to attend as a father.
That’s where the big disconnect is for me. If Rose is legitimately injured, then that’s part of the game. He deserves his salary, because he signed a contract and injuries happen. If he’s hurting and needs a game off here or there because he wants to make sure he’s fresh for a playoff run, I’m fine with that too.
What I’m not good with is exactly what Rose is doing — stating that he’s willing to give less than what’s expected of him, because he’s more concerned about his personal life after basketball instead of the team. It’s disgusting that a guy like that is allowed the privilege to wear an NBA jersey and stand among other warriors who live up to the terms of their contracts.
The great fans of Chicago deserve better than what Rose is giving them.