5 Reasons Derrick Rose Will Never Be the Same Player After Torn ACL

As all of you should know by now, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls tore his ACL in Game 1 of the playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Obviously, it is pretty sad to see this talented Bulls team lose its best player and possibly the chance at an NBA title. However, the worst part of this whole deal is that there is now a 23-year-old MVP point guard who has to come back from a very serious injury, and he might never be the same.

Let's break down just why this injury could derail the rest of Rose's promising young career.

Derrick Rose is one of the best athletes in the NBA, and he uses that athleticism to score the ball. He is very quick and is arguably the best dunking point guard in the league.

An ACL injury can have serious impact long-term, and Rose may never again be the athlete he was. It's not just the knee that is hurt, but the rest of the body can lose strength as well.

The recovery time for a torn ACL is anywhere from six to eight months, and that is a long time to be sitting around.

Sure, you can attempt to do some light exercises after the post-surgery swelling goes down, but that takes time and even then, you have to be very careful and gentle. Can Rose still remain a force if he loses some of his athletic ability?

When a player comes back from an ACL injury, there is a chance that he could suffer another injury, both to the ACL and other parts of the leg.

A player will not be as strong as he was when he returns no matter how hard he works, and if he sees big minutes early or plays the same way, he could hurt himself yet again. If Rose returns and falls down with another serious injury, his career will definitely take a huge step back.

There is also a possibility a lot of smaller injuries will happen, and those will limit Rose's playing time and of course delay his possible return to form. It is almost certain Rose will not see too many minutes when he comes back.

The hardest part of coming back from any injury is the mental aspect of it. Can Rose ever have confidence to pull off one of his highlight crossovers or take off for one of his crazy dunks?

We all might notice that Rose is now taking more layups and is not as daring in the lane. Even if Rose realizes this, there might not be anything he can do as even the best of the best get scared.

He might be scared that if he tries anything he will be on the floor calling over the trainers again.

Derrick Rose can decide to play the game slower, and that might have serious impact on his level of production.

The player you see in the picture on the left is Michael Redd. He was one of the top scorers in the league before he tore his ACL. After his injury, he took a while to come back and went down yet again after re-tearing his ACL.

He is now an aging bench player on the Phoenix Suns. Baron Davis also suffered an ACL injury in college, and while he seemed to come back strong, he never seemed to reach his full potential in the NBA.

Penny Hardaway is a player who seemed to be destined to be an NBA great, but knee injuries significantly lowered his level of play. Rose could be destined to be one of the "what if" stories.

When Derrick Rose returns from the injury, every single camera in the building will be on that knee. Every single bad game will be blamed on his inability to recover from his injury.

There will be a lot of pressure on Rose to perform right when he comes back, and the media will go crazy over his comeback. It will be interesting to see how he deals with all the attention he will be getting once he steps back on the court.

He is known to be a tough player, but he does not like the spotlight as much as many other stars so it is likely he will not handle more exposure very well.

Derrick Rose has suffered one of the most serious injuries an NBA player can suffer, and it could have a very strong effect on his career. He might be able to mount a full comeback, but there is a high probability he will never be the same player.

I believe Rose has the strength to come back from this, although I do think his growth will be stunted significantly.

Thank you for reading and please leave a comment below with your thoughts!

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