At this point of the NBA Playoffs, the average sports fan has made at least one joke about Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose’s refusal to play.
While some jabs are clever, I humbly ask all of the criticism to stop.
Rose tore the ACL in his left knee on April 28, 2012, in last year’s NBA Playoffs and still hasn’t seen the court since. While Rose has repeatedly stated he won’t return until he is “110 percent healthy,” he has become an easy target for critics questioning his toughness.
And that’s just not fair.
It’s easy for fans that have never played a minute of competitive basketball to criticize a player for not returning to the court the moment he’s been cleared from a long-term injury.
For injuries like an ACL tear, it takes far more than physical recovery to make a complete rehabilitation.
A player like Rose will require every single second it takes to return to the court. Rose is the most explosive point guard the game has seen since Allen Iverson. It’s not blasphemous to say Rose could have a Hall-of-Fame career, but a bad start in his return to the court could derail that potential.
Critics are quick to point out New York Knicks wingman Iman Shumpert tore his ACL the same day as Rose and returned from his injury much sooner than Rose.
But these are two different players we are comparing here. Shumpert will likely be a role player for his entire career and maybe get selected onto an NBA All-Star team or two as a reserve if he’s lucky.
An ACL tear isn’t as bad of an injury if a player doesn’t lean on quickness to operate at a high level. But the injury could forever affect Rose’s game, since he heavily relied on speed and athleticism.
And why should have Rose returned at any point in the 2012-13 season, even when he was completely healthy?
Amid injuries to several other players, the Bulls were still a formidable team this season. Chicago still finished fifth in the Eastern Conference without Rose and advanced to the second round of the playoffs after defeating the Brooklyn Nets.
Having Rose return near the end of the season would have likely altered Chicago’s chemistry as it made its push toward the playoffs and forced the Bulls to cater to his game while he learns how to play after a major knee injury.
It was also meaningless for Rose to attempt to play in the second round against the Miami Heat. Despite losing Game 1 courtesy of Nate Robinson’s career game, the Heat made easy work on the Bulls, so any contribution Rose could have made would be nearly irrelevant.
The Bulls organization didn’t beg for Rose to come back at any point of the season, either. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said the team wouldn’t rush his recovery and wants him to return when he is absolutely ready.
If Rose had the full support of his boss, why should he listen to anyone else?
Barring any freak setbacks, everyone will witness Rose’s return Opening Night next season. Like any hungry athlete, he’s probably heard the attacks on his toughness and will use them as motivation.
I would be very surprised if Rose still isn’t playing at an elite level when he comes back next season.
I’m publicly rooting for a Bulls-Lakers matchup for next year’s NBA Finals matchup. As Rose returns from his ACL injury and Kobe Bryant heals from his Achilles tear, both will face criticism in their attempts to build a remarkable comeback.
Those odds of that matchup happening is no likelier than Snoop Dogg giving up marijuana, but it would create one of those storylines that make sports powerful. Even if it doesn’t happen, both athletes will have a solid chance of becoming the saviors for their respective teams when they return.
And all the critics will be eating their memes and Twitter jokes once they do.
Reach the columnist at jnacion@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Josh_Nacion