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The Parallels Between Derrick Rose And Dwyane Wade

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By @blackirishpr

Miami Heat v Chicago Bulls - Game Five

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Derrick Rose should trade in his Adidas for a pair of crutches was the gist of what one Twitter user quipped when the Chicago Bulls’ point guard exited last night’s game in the fourth quarter with an unknown left leg ailment.

The injury turned out to be a hamstring problem, which sent fans into a tizzy because of his recent history of missing time over the last few years.

First there were the knee injuries that sidelined him for all but 10 games in two seasons and then 2014-15 reaffirmed the fragile chatter after he missed four out of nine games for his hometown team. Now, the shaky hamstring is almost guaranteed to knock him out for a couple more — at least out of precaution. The same kind of precaution that got Rose criticized by fans and Hall of Famers when he said:

“I feel I’ve been managing myself pretty good. I know a lot of people get mad when they see me sit out. But I think a lot of people don’t understand that when I sit out, it’s not because of this year. I’m thinking about long term. I’m thinking about after I’m done with basketball…” (Chicago Sun-Times)

No matter how poorly worded his statement may have been, basketball-wise, everyone knows that preserving long-term health was the point of his quote. But as championship starved fans, no one wants to hear that. Not even if it is for the future success of the team. And not when they feel like so many years of potential is being wasted. This is why he is continuously labeled soft.

The funny thing is, that four-letter word has never been thought about when mentioning his Illinois counterpart, Dwyane Wade.

Perhaps it’s because he has constantly battled through pain when the Miami Heattruly needed him or because he already has three NBA titles stashed in his credibility bank. No matter how you break it down, D-Wade has had a similar mindset to D-Rose.

Last year’s maintenance plan was the same as resting with an eye on the future. Which Wade has said as recently as today with his own left hamstring issues:

“Tonight, I’m not playing. It’s as simple as that. It’s just not smart for me to try and push it.” (ESPN)

Truth be told, if Wade missed another 28 games, people would make comments, but the harsh jokes and criticism would not get as nasty as they do for the Bulls star, because winning became a part of his DNA.

When Rose gets to that point it will all subside. Until then, he will continue to be drilled with names like little Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill, Jr.

Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.

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