I made a vow that I was done backing and defending Derrick Rose. I was done following his progress, done expecting his return to greatness with every game and definitely done writing about him. But alas, after breaking my heart time and time again, here I am again, protecting the bleeding Bull who once again found himself in the cross fire for, you guessed it, his injuries.
A few days ago the former MVP said the following on the record: “I know a lot of people get mad when they see me sit out or whatever, but I think a lot of people don’t understand that when I sit out, it’s not because of this year. I’m thinking about long-term,” he said after Tuesday’s practice. “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 son’s graduation all sore just because of something I did in the past.“
Rose has taken a fair bit of criticism for the time it has taken him to recover from two knee surgeries that caused him to miss almost two entire seasons. Even though the doctors considered him healthy, Rose chose to rest until he felt 100% healthy. His recent comments have reignited the doubts whether Rose’s commitment to the Bulls and to basketball is as deep as could be expected from a superstar of his caliber and with his salary.
Charles Barkley was very critical of Rose, calling his comments “stupid”. Sir Charles explained that people like him, who came from poor backgrounds and could now afford lives of luxury, understand that there is a price to pay for the lifestyle upgrade and that price includes sacrificing your body as a professional basketball player. Shaquille O’neal agreed with Barkley and said that he was taught that “if you can walk, you can play”.
For us, the fans, “fighting for the ball” or “playing your heart out” are common phrases on our imaginary battlefield of basketball, but for the players in the NBA this is real life. Boxers are not the only athletes whose professional careers can handicap them for life. It happens to athletes in any sport, from floor gymnists to basketball players. So, if an NBA player is concerned about having to hobble for the second half of his life, how justified are we in criticizing him?
As much as it hurts us to believe that our superstar does not place taking a championship above absolutely anything else in life, Rose is entitled to live, and play out his career, as he chooses. Moreover, and perhaps this is the part that infuriates us more than anything, he is also entitled to admit that that’s what he chooses. He could have easily just settled for saying he needed to rest for a few games or just not say anything. That way we at least wouldn’t feel so “betrayed”. But Rose chose to share his truth with us, and in age where truth often feels like it is in short supply, is that so bad?
An athlete’s traits go well beyond his 10M dash record or his FT%, and anyone who signs Derrick Rose needs to consider his choices for dealing with injuries too. The problem is that in this case Rose was signed to a 5-year $94M deal and so his choice seems like a brutal disrespect to his employer. On the other hand, now the cat is out of the bag and Rose has to consider that his remarks will be considered in any future contract negotiations too. As long as there is someone willing to pay Rose these sums, it’s hard to say he is doing anything wrong.
The great Roman gladiators entertained the masses in fights to the death. They often paid with their lives, simply for lack of any other choice. Modern day gladiators duel it out on the courts, and Derrick Rose is a gladiator who does have a choice. His choice is to continue to live even after his playing career.
A gladiator who chose life – what the hell?
שיימס ברשת 