Derrick Rose was an absolute force in Chicago, especially in his 2011 MVP season.
In fact, his former Bulls teammate John Lucas III said in January 2021 that rival players used to get ‘The Rose Flu’ by faking a sickness or injury so they didn’t have to match up with him.
Now, another old teammate of Rose’s, CJ Watson has backed up Lucas’ claims.
“That was actually true. … When I signed with Chicago, I’ve never seen players run from other players or guard certain players,” Watson said on Inside Buzz. “Like Lucas said, having a flu and supposedly sick because they don’t wanna guard D-Rose. It definitely happened, he was playing at an unbelievable clip that year.”
Rose averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 81 games in 2010-11, which made him the youngest MVP of all-time at just 22 years old.
He also led the Bulls to the first seed in the East that season and a Conference Finals appearance.
Of course, Rose later suffered an ACL injury that derailed his career. But even as injuries robbed Rose of his athleticism, he made an admirable effort to evolve his game and remain relevant well beyond his prime.
