Iman Shumpert and Derrick Rose: A Tale of Two ACLs

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the age of sick, put-back dunks. It was the epoch of sitting on the bench in a suit and tie while all of America shouts at the TV, "Really, you can't play like 20 minutes a game?"

Update: Wednesday, May 8, 4:00 p.m. ET

Iman Shumpert has come to the aid of the man with a similar past injury. ZagsBlog quotes the Knicks star who states the following while on The Michael Kay Show: "Derrick Rose has something totally different on his shoulders. If he feels like he can’t carry the load then he has to make that decision on his own."

Shump: one helluva guy. 

End of Update---

On April 28, 2012, in a first-round game against the Miami Heat, Iman Shumpert tore his left ACL and lateral meniscus in a play that looked like this: 

Meanwhile, Knicks fans were like this: 

On April 28, 2012, in a first-round game against the 76ers, Derrick Rose tore his left ACL and it looked like this: 

Bulls fans, they went from this: 

To this: 

And the playoffs kept rolling. 

The Miami Heat would win the championship, an offseason would take place and so would the start of a new season.  On January 17, Shumpert returned, scoring eight points in 15 minutes against the Pistons. Meanwhile, Derrick Rose was most likely doing this: 

Which brings us to months later, when Shumpert was playing in a second-round game against the Indiana Pacers and did this: 

Knicks fans, well, you probably had your Rasheed Wallace faces on. 

Rose, for his part, was back in Miami where he saw his Bulls pull off a fantastic Game 1 win over the Heat. 

Bulls fans, they continue to wait for the perfect time for their perfect star to feel perfect enough to make a return perfectly. 

America is just as patient for Rose to return in the right way and at his own leisure. 

OK, we are all pretty fed up. 

Of course, this is all fun and games, and we really hope Rose comes back healthy and at his absolute best. Rumor has it that there will be another season starting up a few months from now, so no rush. 

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