The Shattered Dreams of an MVP: Derrick Rose's tragic fall from the brink of greatness

Derrick Rose is about to log in his 15th NBA season and even still as an active player, his story as one of what could have been in the league still lingers in barbershop talks.

The former Memphis Tiger was once the 1st overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and took the league by storm playing for the Chicago Bulls. In just his third year in the league, Rose became the youngest NBA MVP at 21 years old after averaging 25 points, 7.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and one steal per game.

MVP Derrick Rose was once a force to be reckoned with in the NBA

The Bulls fell to the Miami Heat's big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the NBA Conference Finals but it felt that Rose is just getting started.

There were high hopes for the young promising NBA star the following season. The Bulls finished on top of the NBA Eastern Conference with a 50-win season but as soon as the playoffs began that is where this tragic story began.

In the first game of the NBA playoffs, the Chicago Bulls matched up with the Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala-led Philadelphia 76ers. As expected from a top-seeded team in the playoffs, the team dominated Game 1.

Still playing with 1:22 minutes left in the game, the Bulls were leading by 12. Derrick Rose was still on the court and as he tried to pad up the lead, he landed awkwardly from a jump -- brutally putting him down.

An MRI afterward reveals that Rose suffered an ACL tear that is expected to heal in 8-12 months.

Even with the devastating news, there was a sense of optimism that Rose could still get back to his old form since he is still young and the chance of healing is better.

But the MVP-form Rose never came back as he then tore his meniscus during the 2013-14 season.

Going in and out of the lineup, the Chicago Bulls gave up on Rose and traded him to the New York Knicks before the 2016-17 season. Rose came from averaging to 25 points, eight assists and three rebounds to just 16.4 points, 4.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in his final year with Chicago.

The former NBA Rookie of the Year bounced around the league from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and now the Memphis Grizzlies.

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Derrick Rose tallied his career-high 50 points playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves

The story of Derrick Rose is not yet over and it had some milestones along the way. On October 31, 2018, in his second season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rose delivered a 50-point performance in the team's win over the Utah Jazz, 128-125.

Derrick Rose is still writing his story with a 50-point performance wearing a Timberwolves uniform

An emotional Rose was hounded by his teammates and MVP chants filled the arena.

"Everything," Rose said on what his 50-point night means to him during the post-game interview. "I worked my *ss off. I did this for the franchise, the fans, the organization. I'm doing everything just to win, and tonight was a hell of a night."

The previous career-high of Derrick Rose was 44 points against the Atlanta Hawks way back on May 6, 2011 in his MVP year.