By: Bryce Fields

D-Rose. One letter, one word. It may not seem like much of a nickname to non-basketball fans, but to those who know him, it is one of the biggest what-if stories in NBA history.

Derrick Rose was drafted #1 overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2009 and went on to win Rookie of the Year. Two years later, he became the youngest MVP recipient of all-time at only 23 years old. Most thought he was bound for superstardom, but after tearing his ACL at the end of the season, Rose’s career took a downfall. Numerous injuries and team changes has made it hard for Rose to get anywhere near the level of play he used to—and to fans young and old, we have been left missing out on MVP caliber basketball… until this past Wednesday (10-31-2018).

During Wednesday night’s Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz matchup, we all got a glimpse of something we’ve been missing and wanting to see – vintage D-Rose.

Rose, who had already started off the 2018 season strong, decided he would say screw the haters and show everyone he still has some game left in the tank. He didn’t have a good game, or a great game, but the maybe the best game of his whole damn career. After scoring a career-high 50 points, dishing out 6 assists, and single-handily carrying the T-Wolves to a victory, no one could believe the performance Rose had put up – including himself.

By no way, shape, or form am I saying that we should be expecting the old Derrick Rose. Despite the fact that he hit four three-pointers in his incredible outing, Rose still hasn’t been signified as a good shooter for basically the entirety of his career. But either way, damn, was it awesome to get to see a player who so many saw being one of the best players of this generation.

Here is the thing – I am already sick of analysts and people talking about, “the return of D-Rose.” For anyone to honestly think that at 30 years old and post-multiple serious injuries, that Rose would honestly be able to even be a form of the player he used to be. While it’s all grand and happy-go-lucky to think about what Rose could have been, one outburst of scoring is not going to change the direction of Rose’s career.

Take it from me – there is no one else who would rather see Rose elevate his game to his old standards. The years of watching D-Rose lead the Bulls in battles against LeBron’s Miami Heat teams were amazing, but no one should be getting their hopes up.