10 Greatest NBA What-Ifs in the 2000s

#6 What if Derrick Rose never got injured?

The moment that ruined Rose's future and Chicago's title hopes

Derrick Rose was supposed to be the man to bring the Chicago Bulls back to the heights they were at in the era of Michael Jordan.

The Bulls selected him with the first pick of the 2008 draft and he immediately made everyone aware of his talent. He was voted Rookie of the Year and helped the team force a seven-game series against reigning champions, Boston Celtics.

Two years later, he made history after winning the MVP award at the age of 22, the youngest to do so. The Bulls made the conference finals that season, losing to the Heat, but the future looked bright for him and Chicago.

However, the injury Rose suffered during the first game of the 2012 playoffs, up 12 with 1:22 left in the fourth quarter, saw him missing the rest of the series, which the Bulls eventually lost.

Rose never bounced back; every time he returned to the court, he found himself injured again. The stage was set for the Bulls to embark on a new Eastern Conference rivalry with LeBron James and Miami, but instead, they had to lower the curtains prematurely.