Derrick Rose: A divisive character with historic implications

Amidst what seems like an impossible resurgence, Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose still remains one of the most divisive personas in basketball.

Since the dawn of the post-Michael Jordan era, there have been countless players who have been labeled the next big thing.

Just the same, there have been more guys with off-court problems or who’ve made half-baked, offensive remarks than the NBA would like to acknowledge.

Of course, the NBA has seen its handful of heart-warming hometown kids who proudly represent their city on the professional level despite a rough upbringing with just a single mother to look after them.

But the crossroads of unlikely elements that has created the legacy and legend of Derrick Rose continues to be one of the most unprecedented stories the NBA has seen.

Derrick Rose’s uncanny on-court resurgence has perhaps already been dubbed one of the biggest stories of the season. After an injury-riddled second half of his Chicago Bulls tenure and unsuccessful stints for the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, it seemed that Rose’s time as a professional was almost up.

But just as this season with the Minnesota Timberwolves began, Rose’s game suddenly catapulted back into relevancy. He’s notching 18.9 points per game, to go with 4.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds. It should be no surprise then, that he is an early leader for what is still unlikely to be an All-Star selection. In fact, he received the second-most support of all Western Conference guards in the first returns with 698,086 votes.

While his stats this season aren’t eye-popping, compared to last season’s 5.8 points per game in Minnesota, his fanbase showed up at the polls, reminiscent of Kobe Bryant’s final symbolic All-Star selection.

But that alone doesn’t make him divisive; as a matter of fact, it reads as exclusively heartwarming. Of course, there is another really ill-informed side to Derrick Rose.

Many forget his SAT scandal, in which he escaped the repercussions of cheating on the critical exam to gain entry into the University of Memphis.

Most Knick fans will exclusively remember him for the rape allegations he faced in a destructive trial that took him away from the team both mentally and physically for several critical stretches in the season.

New York fans especially won’t forget when he infamously (and poorly) attempted to flip the concept of “consent” during his hearing, admitting that he didn’t know what it meant and summing things up with “We men.” Yeah, Knicks fans really appreciated that.

Even for Timberwolves fans who are excited by his inspiring play despite the recent firing of coach and team president Tom Thibodeau, his “kill yourself” comments to his haters deflates the faint hope that he can be a team leader again.

Clearly, he has had some truly dark moments off the court and some truly high ones on it, like when he was the youngest MVP in the history of the sport back in 2010-11, and nearly dethroned a LeBron James in his prime in the process.

To his fans, his comeback is the best story of the season. To those uncomfortable with the off-court controversies, it’s the most unsettling.

In a year where the “Shaqtin’ a Fool” star JaVale McGee put the league on blast with an unreal resurgence, only Derrick Rose’s historic story, love it or hate it, could overshadow it. His story is complex, and perhaps the most apt basketball emblem for these divisive times where on-court success takes precedence over everything else.