Bulls Trade Former MVP Derrick Rose to New York

Trade rumors aren't always true, but in the case of Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks the rumors became fact Wednesday afternoon shortly before 3 p.m. CT. The youngest MVP and hometown hero won't be back in a Bulls uniform and it's no surprise to many as Rose's large contract handicapped the Chicago front office during an unexpected time of mediocrity. It was a deal that had to be done as the Bulls look to rebuild after a disastrous season that left them on the couch during the playoffs, despite playing in the woeful Eastern Conference.

It's 2016 and Derrick Rose is leaving Chicago without a ring and zero trips to the Finals. Who could have ever guessed that five years after becoming the youngest MVP in the history of the Association that this would be the case? Who would have thought back in 2011 that Rose would have more torn ACLs than Finals appearances? You would have been a fool to think Rose wouldn't retire as a Bull back then.

The story had all the makings of a fairytale. Rose dominated for four seasons at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago before playing a year of college basketball at Memphis. He helped carry the Tigers to the NCAA championship game, before entering the NBA Draft. The Bulls had a 1.7% chance of landing the number one pick in the lottery, but the ping pong balls were in Chicago's favor and Derrick Rose was coming home to play pro ball.

Rose averaged 17 points, four rebounds and six assists en route to being named the Rookie of the Year for the 2008-09 season. Two years later, he posted 25 points, four rebounds and eight assists per game to become the youngest MVP in the league. The Bulls, winners of 60 games that season, entered the playoffs as the number one seed in the East. That year marked the start of one of the great rivalries in recent sports history as Chicago battled Miami and its Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. In the Eastern Conference Finals, Miami dispatched Chicago in five games and thus began the downward spiral of Rose's career.

Sure, he followed up his MVP campaign with another solid season in 2011-12, but he tore his ACL in the first round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Bulls would go on to lose the series to the eighth seed. With a serious knee injury, many speculated Rose would miss much of the 2012-13 season, but fans and the league were excited for The Return.

Only problem: The Return never happened. Rose didn't suit up despite being cleared by doctors, and it only aggravated the fan base more when the wounded Bulls left it all the floor to defeat the Brooklyn Nets in seven games in the first round of the playoffs. While his teammates limped through a taxing series, Rose watched in his suit from the bench.

Finally, he returned for the 2013-14 season. 10 games into the season it was clear there was some rust to knock off, but Rose put up respectable numbers of 16/3/4 per game. And then it happened again. Rose went down with another torn meniscus against the Portland Trail Blazers, required surgery and missed the remainder of the season.

He came back in 2014-15 and played in 51 games, missing 20 due to another knee surgery for a torn meniscus. Still, he returned in time for the playoffs and buried a game-winning three at the buzzer in the Eastern Conference semifinals to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3. However, the Cavs won the next three games and took the series, as LeBron James slammed the door shut once and for all on the Bulls' championship window. 

Rose played in 66 games this season, but the Bulls looked nothing like they once were under Tom Thibodeau. Chicago limped through the regular season and missed the playoffs, despite a roster with Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol. Wednesday marked the end of Rose's run in Chicago.

What a cruel story it seems to be. What had all the makings of a fairytale turned into a nightmare for Rose and Chicago fans as silly remarks were made in the media, tension with the front office mounted and rumors of incoherency in the locker room became weekly fodder for the media. Rose, a hometown hero, was supposed to bring a championship to Chicago. He drew the praise of LeBron James, Scottie Pippen and even Michael Jordan. But his knees failed him, his game changed and the hype faded. 

He is now a 27-year-old former MVP who seems to be past his prime when he should be in the thick of it. He's a point guard that relies on explosive drives to the hoop who has been forced to try and fix a broken jumper to no avail. He's a Chicago kid who no longer plays in Chicago.

It goes to show that not all fairytales have happy endings.