Jimmy Butler And Derrick Rose: A Dichotomy Of Drive And Durability

By Court Zierk @courtzierk on November 28, 2014

The city of Chicago has a unique and palpable identity. It has long been considered a hub of industry, and along with that has always come a general sense of pride, toughness, blue-collar durability, and workmanship. It is with that grittiness and purpose that even the coldest of days are faced in the Windy City.

Perhaps no current athlete defines the lifeblood of that city more than Chicago Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler. His life story is quickly becoming an inspirational tale of overcoming dire and formidable circumstances to achieve greatness.

As Nick Friedell put it in a recent article on Butler, “the odds have always been against Butler. His path to the NBA is as unlikely as anyone who plays in the league given that his backstory (of being homeless at 13 before moving in with a friend’s family) reads like the basketball version of ‘The Blind Side.’” Now, if that doesn’t have Chicago written all over it, I’m not sure what does.

Ironically, one of only two current Bulls player actually from Chicago is gradually evolving into an anti-hero of sorts among Bulls fans. Derrick Rose, once viewed as the savior of a franchise looking to return to its previous glory, is now being cast more as a hindrance than as a centerpiece with which to build around. His frailty, apparent disinterest in returning from injury, and perceived mental softness, has drastically changed the narrative around Rose the past few seasons.

When looking at what the Bulls have managed to accomplish, even without Rose in the lineup, many fans now believe he is an unnecessary piece, and a distraction from the ultimate goal — an NBA Championship. It is no coincidence that the majority of Bulls fans are beginning to turn their loyalty towards Butler, as someone they can always count on, and as someone whose mindset they can relate to. To them, he is much more representative of the city they love, and the culture it represents.

There are no two pair of teammates in the league that have so many glaring differences in their durability, toughness, mental construct and fan perception. The juxtaposition between the two is fascinating when examining them in detail.

Durability

The Rose saga has evolved from a tragic story of unfortunate circumstances to an absurd display of sheepish behavior. Prior to this season, Rose had played in 49 games since 2011, for a total of 1686 minutes. Over that same time period, Butler has played in 191 games for a total of 5084 minutes, including a league leading 38.7 minutes per game a year ago. Through the first 13 games of the 2014-2015 season, that number has increased to 39.2 per game.

Through the first month of this season, Rose has yet to play two straight full games in a row, having twice left early in the second game due to injury, or “tightness” due to a previous injury. Every time Rose sits out a game or leaves a game early due to injury, he instantly becomes the storyline, and his team’s play becomes an afterthought. This, of course, is not Rose’s fault, but it is the reality of the situation, and Bulls fans are quickly tiring of the unending drama.

Meanwhile, Butler is having a career season, almost single-handedly — I see you too Pau Gasol — making the Bulls an elite team despite their consistently diminished lineup. Rarely does Butler even exit the game, and I have to imagine if he felt tightness in his hamstring, he’d probably find a way to battle through.

View on Basketball

To Rose, basketball has seemingly become of secondary importance judging by his recent comments. “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, having graduations to go to, having meetings to go to. I don’t want to be in my meetings all sore or be at my son’s graduation all sore just because of something I did in the past.”

Rose has been beleaguered for these comments, and understandably so, as it shows where his priorities truly lie, and how he views the game that has elevated him to such an elite social status. To Rose, basketball is getting in the way of what he could have in the future. Now, I can’t fully blame him for thinking this way. Basketball has come easy to Rose, and he has been the premier and most sought out player his entire life. It’s easy to see why he could forget how few people actually have the talents he is blessed with.

To Butler, basketball has allowed him to escape the dire circumstances of his youth, and has provided him an opportunity that only a tiny fraction of the population has available to them. He knows this, and he treats the game with the respect of a man who understands the rarity of his opportunity. The future to Butler doesn’t stretch any further than winning an NBA Championship this season. Basketball, in essence, saved Butler’s life.

Psychology

Toughness, as we all know, is not just a physical attribute. In fact, I imagine if you could somehow dissect what makes someone “tough”, it would be 90% mental. This may actually be where Rose is struggling the most right now, and what he is being lambasted the most for as well.

It started with the extended timeframe he was out following his first ACL injury. After tearing his ACL in a first round playoff series in 2012, he would subsequently sit out the entire 2012-2013 season. Given the rapid recovery times many athletes have displayed for torn ligaments — as short as six months — many viewed Rose sitting out nearly 18 months as a sign of mental weakness.

Once he did return, he only played in 10 games before tearing the meniscus in his other knee, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the 2013-2014 season. Now, entering this season, Rose is taking an extremely cautious approach to reintegrating himself into the Bulls’ regular lineup. Many are now chalking up that egregiously cautious approach to his fear of injury, even going as far as to suggest he needs a sports psychologist to help him overcome his jitteriness.

Butler has been fortunate enough to avoid major injuries in his career, and has proven to be one of the more durable players in the league. He did miss 15 games last season due to several nagging injuries, but he spent more time stewing over having to miss that time than anyone else.

Last year, when asked if he was frustrated over missing so many games, Butler said, “I haven’t missed a game, let alone this many games in my career. It’s tough, but I guess it’s part of it. I didn’t know it was part of it like this, but it is. Day-to-day type of stuff. I just have to get comfortable moving and breathing normal again.’’

I’d say that’s quite a different narrative than Rose’s.

Two teammates, two entirely different backstories, and two irreconcilably different mindsets. Rose and Butler are both Bulls, but really only one displays the attitude representative of that city.

Court Zierk is a Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CourtZierk, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.