NEWSLETTER
Sometimes, when Bulls fans are getting more bad news from the team than buckets from Lauri Markkanen, it’s worth living in the past. So to the past we go.
NBC Sports Chicago’s Will Perdue recently sat down with Derrick Rose for an extended interview and it’s absolutely worth your time. The two talk about his time within the Bulls organization and the lessons he’s learned over the course of his 11-year NBA career.
Through that familiar monotone delivery, Rose was surprisingly more forthcoming about his final years with the team than you might expect. Even though he always carried a stubborn attitude toward the Chicago media – something he openly discusses, in fact – he says he wouldn’t want things any other way. Again, you’ll just want to check it out for yourself.
But I do have a couple points to highlight.
For example, the line heard the loudest from Rose’s interview has to do with the league’s recent load management craze. According to Rose, there’s no telling what could’ve happened if his road to recovery was handled or perceived a bit differently.
“I mean, it was just a different time in the sports world period,” Rose told Perdue. “Now we have the term load management. I don’t think I would’ve taken it as far as Kawhi as far as like they’re really being cautious about his injury or whatever he has. But if load management would’ve been around, who knows? I probably would’ve still been a Chicago Bull by now.”
The man’s got a point. While it’s all hypothetical, today’s NBA handles these big injuries differently, and that’s just a fact. When a player like Klay Thompson or Kevin Durant suffers a career-altering injury, the expectation is practically nothing less than a season off the court. Only about eight years ago, Rose received criticism for doing the same thing.
Whether or not he’d still be sporting a Bulls jersey, however, is too hard to say. We’re approaching a hypothetical rollercoaster that’s just not worth getting on. Although, it’s interesting to think about how Rose’s departure might come under different circumstances only a handful of years later.
As for the rest of the interview, Rose discusses becoming the third-man on the totem pole, gives advice to Zion Williamson, and, once again, leaves a possible return to the Bulls open-ended.
The best part of the interview though comes when Rose talks about his son … and Joakim Noah. Yes, the two are connected. Rose explains to Purdue how he’d constantly ask Noah questions about his upbringing. Why? To learn more about all the opportunities he could hopefully provide for his son, PJ.
“This whole time, I’m keeping tips. I’m keeping them in my head because it’s like, ‘All right, when my son grows up, he’s going to be in the exact same position as Joakim.'”
Aw. The feels.
Anyway, if you have some time before the Bulls take on the Pistons tonight, make sure to give the full interview a listen. Good stuff.
