Saturday, April 28, 2012, is a day that Bulls fans will never forget. It’s a day that Derrick Rose hasn’t forgotten either.
With just over a minute to go in Game 1 of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Bulls up 12 points, Rose drove by Spencer Hawes, made a jump stop and his left knee buckled. The rest is history.
A torn anterior cruciate ligament. It's a devastating injury for any athlete and the worst possible news for Rose and Bulls fans everywhere.
During his first public interview in four months, Rose told CSN Chicago he vividly remembers the injury and recalled that it felt like the closest thing to death.
Local
“I remember it. I remember everything,” said Rose. “I remember jumping in the air and coming back down and just that popping sound. I felt it tear when I laid all the way out and it just let go.”
Just the thought of the feeling, the sensation of the “pop” that all athletes say that they hear when their ACL tears is enough to send a shiver down a regular person’s spine.
But D. Rose made a conscious decision not to let anyone hear him scream or cry. He held it all in as if it would’ve been viewed as some form of weakness.
He’s obviously heard all of the comments (some negative), the speculation on whether he’ll be the same player after this, and he said he's just using it as his fuel and motivation as he furiously works out to rebuild his body and be better than ever upon his return.
“I know a whole bunch of haters out there are saying so many things that I think that’s what’s going to drive me. Thinking about what people are saying: ‘Is he gonna be back?’ or ‘Is he gonna have his speed?’ or this and that. I know that’s just going to push me as a player.”
You can see part one of CSN Chicago’s exclusive interview with Derrick Rose here. Stay tuned for part two which will air on Thursday.
