Is It Time For Derrick Rose to Throw in the Towel?
January 16, 2018
By: Basim Hussain
A couple weeks back, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Derrick Rose took a leave of absence in order to evaluate his future in the NBA. Rose has suffered a string of injuries dating back to his ACL tear during the 2012 playoffs and still continues to be injury prone. Most recently, an ankle sprain suffered during a win against the Milwaukee Bucks contributed to his increasing frustration with injuries, ultimately causing him to question his desire to continue playing.
As of today, Rose is back with the Cavaliers but revealed in a recent practice that he has a bone spur in his left ankle and may need surgery if his current rehabilitation program doesn’t correct it. Ultimately, he could be missing even more time.
Since it seems impossible for Rose to avoid injuries and with his durability seeming non-existent, it brings up the question of whether or not it’s time for him to throw in the towel.
The answer is leaning heavily towards a yes. If Rose isn’t able to last a single season without some sort of injury, what’s the point in him continuing to play? Why should he continue to risk his overall health, especially as he approaches 30 years old?
People may argue that despite the injuries Rose is still playing fairly well, as he averaged 18 points per game back with the New York Knicks in the 2016-2017 NBA season. However, this season his points per game dropped slightly to 14.3 but he’s only played seven out of 27 games this season.
At this point, it seems that Derrick Rose has finally begun to wear down and if he plans to remain healthy in the future, it may be time for him to step away from the game in the near future. I understand leaving would mean the loss of his 80 million dollar Adidas contract but as he claimed during a pre-practice interview, he has enough money saved up already that money isn’t an issue. People also need to understand that MVP Rose isn’t coming back. His body is simply incapable of doing what he did during his prime in 2011.
With enough money saved for retirement and having left a sufficient legacy, the smartest option for Derrick Rose would be to consider retirement in the near future.
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