It may only be coincidence that Derrick Rose grew up in Chicago, the city of broad shoulders, but he DID carry his hometown Chicago Bulls all the way to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
I'm not one to credit fate, but some higher, universal power must have intervened.
Maybe it was David Stern.
In the two seasons prior to Rose's arrival in Chicago, the Bulls were slipping, missing the playoffs in 2007 and 2008 after three straight playoff appearances, and the front office duo of Gar Forman and John Paxson (a.k.a. GarPax) swung and missed on several trade offers for superstar players Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Pau Gasol.
The organization as a whole was heading in the wrong direction, and because of that, I can't think of a more symbolic player in the history of the NBA than Derrick Rose. Just his name alone has been the cause of many overused puns by the media (Rose in bloom, every Rose has its thorns, etc.).
Derrick grew up on the South Side of Chicago in the Englewood neighborhood. If you live in Chicago, you know that this area is notoriously dangerous and has a high crime rate.
Not many make it out, but Derrick was a rose that cracked through the concrete at Murray Park, where he learned how to hoop (See? It's too easy).
And, to (sort of) steal from the late comedian George Carlin, is there anything more heroic than a rose growing through concrete?
While he overcame those odds, the Bulls themselves somehow managed to overcome enormous odds (less than a two percent chance) to win the NBA draft lottery (Mr. Stern?).
Now Rose is the hometown hero, and we're all left to praise GarPax on the Bulls' draft pick and, more recently, their offseason acquisitions.
How quickly a team's fortunes can turn in this league.
It only takes one player, and the Bulls' front office took its sweet time waiting for the right one. Never before has it been alright to pass on players like Kobe, Garnett or Pau—unless it's for Derrick Rose.
Maybe that was the plan the whole time. Who knows? Only David Stern can know for sure.
But we can all be certain of one thing heading into the future: Derrick Rose brought a city that seemed to be stuck in a winter depression since the Jordan era into a blooming spring.
A new beginning.
Chicago, the city of Derrick Rose.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/773375-derrick-rose-and-the-city-of-his-broad-shoulders
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