Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five celebrates Derrick Rose by recalling five of his best plays.
As we discussed earlier this week in Episode #548 of the NLSC Podcast, Derrick Rose has called it a career after 15 seasons in the NBA. D-Rose is – as I’m sure many of you are aware – one of my all-time favourite players, right up there with fellow Chicago Bulls alumni Michael Jordan and Ben Gordon. To that end, I’m sorry to see him retire, especially without more fanfare and indeed a farewell tour back with the Bulls. After all of his injuries and with family life ahead of him however, one has to respect him for being at peace with his career, and his decision to walk away.
Obviously, there are some wistful What Ifs when it comes to Derrick Rose. If not for that devastating knee injury in the 2012 Playoffs, I’m sure he would’ve been one of the top stars of the 2010s. Who knows what the Bulls might’ve achieved had he remained healthy, and if they’d acquired some more firepower to support him? While it does sting to think about, I’m also grateful that I was able to see him become an All-Star and MVP, and truly get excited about the Bulls’ chances again as I did in 2011. He was a really fun player to watch – and play with in video games, too – so in honour of his retirement and his 36th birthday, here are five of my favourite Derrick Rose plays!