Let me start this rant by saying I like Derrick Rose – a lot.
Rose could sometimes be the most candid athlete in professional sports. In a sports world where most athletes tend to dish out played-out cliche after played-out cliche (think “at the end of the day…”, “give credit to…”, and my all-time favorite “both teams played hard my man…”), Rose’s candor is usually well-welcomed by media and fans alike.
Except on this particular occasion.
When asked about his long-term future after practice yesterday, Rose said the following:
“I’m good, man. I felt like I’ve been managing myself pretty good. 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. 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. [I’m] just learning and being smart.”
That’s not good man, not at all.
Color me disappointed in what Rose said. This to me will open him up to question just where his heart is. Is he all about the team and playing basketball, or is he just content in collecting a paycheck?
And before y’all go off on me for chastising a man who cares about his health, let me enlighten y’all on a few things.
First of all, this ain’t football, boxing or MMA. All three of those sports are high-collision sports where your life could end on one play or one hit. Of course dudes in those sports are concerned for their long-term health and well-being, and rightfully so.
However, this is the game of basketball. It’s not a high-collision sport. Dudes do not have to worry about their lives ending on one play or from one hit. And more importantly, NBA contracts are guaranteed.
Let me repeat that again. The NBA has GUARANTEED contracts.
Rose signed a five-year contract extension with the Bulls for $94.8 million. He is also making several million dollars in endorsements (mostly from Adidas). This dude’s ass is already set for life! Why in the hell is he worrying about saving himself after basketball?
Let me tell y’all something: this shit is not going to play in Chicago.
People already have questioned why Rose decided to sit out the entire 2012-2013 season. Now people will assume that Rose did not have his heart in coming back to play for the Bulls during the team’s playoff run. Does he really want it?
The only way Rose makes this go away is to play as hard and help the Bulls win big. Otherwise, he will be known as that dude who took the money and ran.
Between Rose’ quotes and the Bears’ poor performance this season (especially the Sunday night debacle vs. the Packers), I really feel sorry for Chicago sports fans.
Categories: NBA
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