The What-If Series (vol. 1, #1): Derrick Rose

NBA career: 2008-present

Draft: 2008, Round 1, #1 overall (Bulls)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (2008-16), New York Knicks (2016-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18), Minnesota Timberwolves (2018-present)

Highlights: 2011 MVP, 3x All-Star, 2009 Rookie of the Year, 1x First Team (2011)

Best season: 25.0 pts, 7.7 ast, 4.1 reb, 1.0 steals (2010-11)

The Question: What if Derrick Rose didn't get injured in the 2012 playoffs?

In this series of posts, I'm going to be looking at some of the great 'what-if' scenarios in NBA history. Volume 1 will be focusing on guys whose careers were derailed or cut short by injuries. Guys like Len Bias and Reggie Lewis will be included in Volume 2, where I'll look at what-ifs not involving injuries.

The first entry of Volume 1: Derrick Rose.

Volume 1 posts will be broken down into three parts: before the injury, the injury/aftermath, and what could've been had he not gotten hurt.

Let's dive in.

Part I. Before the Injury

Even during his days at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago, it was clear that Derrick Rose was destined for NBA glory. By the time he arrived at Memphis under coach John Calipari, it wasn't a matter of if he'd be great; it was a matter of how great.

In his lone season with the Tigers, playing with future NBA players like Joey Dorsey and Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rose put up 14.9 pts, 4.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while leading Memphis to the 2008 title game. Against Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks in the championship, D-Rose posted 17 points on 7-for-17 from the field, along with 6 rebounds and 5 dimes. The game was a classic, and Memphis came out on the losing end thanks to Mario Chalmers' famous shot to send it to overtime, where Kansas took control.

Rose's college tenure wasn't without controversy. The famous SAT scandal involving Rose lead the NCAA to vacate Memphis's 2008 runner-up season, and John Calipari would eventually move on to Kentucky.

Nevertheless, Rose's potential was never in question. He declared for the 2008 draft, where he was projected to be the first overall pick.

Here's a sense of how good D-Rose was. This draft included top-tier players like Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love, along with future All-Stars such as DeAndre Jordan, Roy Hibbert, Brook Lopez, and Goran Dragic. Guys like Eric Gordon, Danilo Gallinari, Nicolas Batum, George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Courtney Lee, Ryan Anderson, and Luc Mbah a Moute were also picked. Of all those players (specifically Love and Westbrook), Rose was considered the consensus number one pick. Westbrook would go on to average a triple-double in back-to-back seasons and Love would be a perennial All-Star himself. How's that for perspective?

The Bulls selected Rose with the first pick, and it seemed like destiny. The Chicago kid playing for the Chicago team. It all seemed to be coming together for the Bulls. The previous year, they'd picked Joakim Noah, who would spearhead the famous Bulls defense that coach Tom Thibodeau prided himself on.

In 2008-09, with a core of Rose, Noah, and Luol Deng, Chicago sneaked into the playoffs as the eighth seed, squaring off against the Celtics (defending champs). In what would be one of the most exciting series in recent memory, the Bulls pushed the Kevin Garnett-less Celts all the way to the brink. In the seven game series, there were four decided in overtime and only two where the winning margin was more than 10 points. The Bulls won their three games by a combined 6 points. That's right. 6 points.

In the series, Rose averaged close to 20 points along with 6.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds. In Game 1, he put up 36 points, tying Kareem's record for the most points by a rookie in his playoff debut. After the series, he ended up claiming Rookie of the Year honors.

Following the loss in '09, the seeds for greatness were planted. In the 2009-10 season, Rose reached his first All-Star game, and the Bulls again reached the playoffs. This time, they were eliminated by LeBron's Cavs (his last season in Cleveland before 'The Decision') in the first round. For the regular season, D-Rose posted numbers of 20.8 pts, 6.0 assists and 4.1 rebounds. In the postseason, however, we got our first taste of Rose's unmatched explosiveness and driving ability. He averaged 26.8 pts, 7.2 assists, and 3.4 rebounds, putting the Cavs and the rest of the league on notice.

In 2010-11, however, Rose had one of the best years a point guard has ever produced. He turned the corner, putting up 25 pts, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds a game. His explosiveness was absolutely unmatched. For a time, he may have been the most athletic guy to ever play the point guard position. I'd never seen somebody that small be that fast, that unstoppable, that athletic, and that determined. Bulls fans seemed to have finally found their first superstar since Michael Jordan.

In the first year of the Big 3 in Miami, Derrick Rose and the Bulls had other plans. How about this: a record of 62-20 (best in the league), the best defense in the game (led by Noah and Deng), the Coach of the Year winner (Thibodeau), and a great supporting cast (Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans, Taj Gibson). The centerpiece of it all: D-Rose, who won the MVP that season over the likes of LeBron and a dominant Dwight Howard, becoming the youngest player to ever claim the award (22 years old).

In the 2011 playoffs, Rose further established himself as maybe the second-best player in the game, behind only LeBron. In the first round against my Pacers (one of the closest five-game series ever), Rose was unstoppable, and Frank Vogel had no answer. After the Bulls dispatched the Hawks in Round 2, the Heat were waiting for them. Chicago claimed Game 1 in a blowout victory, but Miami took the next four games and advanced to the Finals (lost to Dirk and the Mavs).

By the time the 2011-12 season rolled around, Bulls fans were eager to see if Rose could take them over the hump. In the lockout-shortened season (66 games, play started on Christmas Day), D-Rose again led the Bulls to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, going 50-16.

In Game 1 of the first round series against the 76ers, everything was going according to plan for the Bulls. A typical dominant night from Rose, who was knocking on the door of a triple-double (23 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists).

But with just over a minute to play in the game, tragedy struck.

It shifted the balance of power in the NBA for years to come. Maybe even to this day.

Part II. The Injury/Aftermath

The day that will live in infamy in Chicago sports lore. April 28, 2012.

Rose goes down with an ACL tear on his way to the basket. Reggie Miller said what all Bulls fans were thinking: Why was he even in the game?

For as great a coach as Tom Thibodeau is, I'm not sure he'll ever be able to answer for that (at least in Chicago).

The Bulls would go on to lose the series, 4-2. Rose missed the entire 2012-13 season while he recovered from the surgery and rehabbed his knee. Though he may have been able to return to the team for the 2013 playoffs, he decided against it, opting to come back at full strength for the 2013-14 season.

At the start of that year, Rose showed promising signs in the preseason, averaging 20.7 points and 5 assists. After a rocky start to the regular season, he seemed to be back on track, but the explosiveness was clearly lacking. It was obviously understandable. I mean, nobody expected a guy who had missed more than a year of action to come back without missing a beat. It's just not realistic and really not fair to the player.

Rose ended up getting injured again after only 10 games in 2013. Against Portland, he went down with a meniscus tear, ruling him out for the rest of the season. In his absence, the Bulls were still able to make the playoffs thanks to an All-NBA First Team-worthy season from Noah (Defensive Player of the Year that season). However, Chicago never really stood a chance in the postseason, and the undermanned Bulls bowed out in the first round against Washington.

When D-Rose came back for the 2014-15 season, fans and players alike were more optimistic than ever about a return of the Derrick Rose of old. He played in 51 games, the most since his MVP season. That year turned out to be the closest Rose and the Bulls ever came to regaining their contender form, and Rose hit a game-winner against the Cavaliers in the second round to give Chicago a 2-1 series lead.

The 2015-16 season turned out to be the last in Chicago's Derrick Rose era. With the impending rise of Jimmy Butler, the Bulls' front office determined that it was time for a revamping of the roster.

D-Rose was dealt to the Knicks in the 2016 offseason. He averaged 18 points, the most since his 2011-12 season, but New York was going nowhere fast. After his contract expired at season's end, he signed a one-year deal with Cleveland before being traded to Utah. He was immediately waived, and joined the Timberwolves soon after. He was reunited with Butler, Thibodeau, and Gibson. In the playoffs this year, Rose was actually pretty effective for Minnesota, but they never stood a chance against the Rockets, who won in five.

Part III. What Could Have Been

If Derrick Rose hadn't torn his ACL in the 2012 playoffs, the Bulls would've won a championship by now. Plain and simple. They were too good of a team and too well-coached to not have at least made a Finals appearance.

Other than the Pacers and the Celtics, the Rose-led Bulls were the only team to give LeBron's Miami teams a run for their money. Out of the four years that James played for the Heat, Chicago claimed the top seed in two of those seasons.

With Jimmy Butler coming into his own in 2015 (20 pts per game), Rose finally had a legitimate sidekick in the Bulls' offensive attack. Luol Deng was fairly consistent but couldn't be relied upon for 20 every night like Butler could. If Rose had been healthy, if Butler had stayed the course, and if Chicago continued dominating games defensively, D-Rose would've been raising a seventh banner in the United Center eventually. I'll believe that until the day I die.

As a Pacers fan, it ended up working out for me. The Bulls were one less team that we had to worry about come playoff time. As a fan of the game, it was devastating. You always want to see the great players at their best, it's part of the joy of being a fan. You'll be able to tell your kids and grandkids that you saw one of the greats tearing it up like nobody's business.

I got to see Derrick Rose at his best. For three seasons. I would've been floored to see him keep it going for eight or nine more, and he probably would have. Bulls fans, I am legitimately sorry for you. When it's all said and done, Rose might be the only MVP in history to not get into the Hall of Fame. If I had a vote, I'd be voting yes.

So dominant, so good. Rose is now a shell of his former self, but he's still able to contribute to a solid team from the bench. Unfortunately, those who saw him at his best will never see that player again.

What a shame.

Image credit: YouTube

YouTube channels: RG's Basketball Highlights, nbaus3030, NBA, Nocheese22

Stats: NBA.com, Basketball Reference

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