Derrick Rose: Is Criticism From Chicago Media Warranted?
By Evan Massey
Was the Chicago Sun-Times’ criticism of Chicago Bulls’ point guard Derrick Rose‘s injury issues warranted?
The Chicago Bulls haven’t had Derrick Rose play in the last couple of games due to sprains in both of his ankles, and they would rather be extremely cautious with his health rather than push him to return to the court. Chicago media has been all over Rose for missing a couple of games early on, and even went so far as to call him damaged goods.
Here we go again. Chicago Sun-Times cover pic.twitter.com/VSWYib4Ej1 (via @jeffreya22)
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 5, 2014
Rose has had a rough injury past, and had two season-ending knee injuries in two consecutive seasons. He was just beginning to get back into the rhythm of NBA action last year before he went down with another injury.
This year on the other hand, Rose has played through FIBA with Team USA and has looked solid in preseason action as well as the first two games he played in during the regular season. So the question becomes, is the criticism that Rose is receiving from the Chicago media warranted?
Take a look at Rose’s statistics throughout the first three games that he has played this season:
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/6/2014.
If there was just one word to answer that question, it would be an obvious, n0. Yes, Rose has had some issues with health but how can he be criticized for that? It isn’t like he is going out on the court every night hoping to tear something in his knee or turn his ankle.
Chicago media has been one of the harshest in sports, but they’re going too far by putting a player on blast because of the injuries that he has suffered. As far as missing the Bulls’ third and fourth games of the season, that is not a decision that Rose can make. The Bulls as an organization made the call to sit Rose in two games against teams that simply weren’t major risks.
Last night, Rose was able to come back and score 13 points to go along with seven assists in 31 minutes. It seems a bit hasty to begin talking about injury issues with Rose like the Chicago Sun-Times did this early in the season. Every player goes through some injuries and soreness throughout the season, and some teams choose to rest those players rather than forcing them to play through those injuries.
It’s understandable that some fans and media members are frustrated with the injury problems that Rose has had, but going this far simply isn’t right. The Bulls are one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference this season, and keeping Rose healthy is number one on their priority list.
Needless to say, the Chicago media has gone too far in this particular situation. Rose has worked hard this past offseason to come back from two very tough knee injuries, and has looked solid in three of five regular season games. The Bulls are going to treat Rose very carefully all season long, but that doesn’t mean that he is anything close to damaged goods.