Former Charlotte Bobcats guard Raymond Felton seemingly confirmed an NBA urban legend known as the “Derrick Rose Flu.”
The ‘flu’ refers to a phenomenon where opposing players would allegedly fake injuries to avoid playing against Rose, particularly during his MVP season with the Chicago Bulls in 2010-2011.
Raymond Felton, who played for the New York Knicks during Derrick Rose‘s MVP season, made the comments during an appearance on Theo Pinson’s “Run Your Race” podcast.
“That dude right there is probably the toughest point guard I ever played against when he was in his prime,” Felton said of Rose. “When he was in his prime, ain’t nobody touching him bro. I don’t care… CP, whoever can’t touch him.’
“And he proved that. Coz he went through everybody,” he continued. “The way that man was playing that year, the year he won the MVP, it was crazy how many people was getting sick when it was time to play Chicago. It was crazy, out because of illness.”
Raymond Felton talks about “the D-Rose flu”:
— DRoseMuse (@DerrickRoseMuse) April 9, 2024
“The way that man was playing that [MVP] year … it was crazy how many people was getting sick when it was time to play Chicago.”
(via Run Your Race/@TidalLeague) pic.twitter.com/vYOASB9JQh
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Derrick Rose Gave People The ‘Flu’
Felton also told listeners about Derrick Rose’s phenomenal on-court skills. Breaking ankles and he wasn’t even doing a cross-over dribble.
“That man was so fast, so shifty, he’s making people fall bro, wasn’t even doing that. He wasn’t even crossing over,” said Felton. “He was just going and changing directions and people was buckling. That’s how fast he was. The way he dunked man.”
“Do you remember how he dunked over Goran Dragic?” he added. “He dunked on a man that was still going up.”
CJ Watson, a former teammate of Rose on the Chicago Bulls, also suggests the urban legend is true.
“That was actually true,” Watson said in an interview with Inside Buzz last year. “When I signed with Chicago, I’ve never seen players run from other players or guard certain players.”
Like (John) Lucas (III) said, having the flu and is supposedly sick because they don’t wanna guard D-Rose. It definitely happened; he was playing at an unbelievable clip that year.”
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Derrick Rose Stats His MVP Season
What made Derrick Rose so lethal during his MVP season that players were allegedly feigning the flu (injuries)?
Rose became the youngest player to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in the 2010-2011 season, at the age of 22.
He led the Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 record, showcasing his exceptional skills with 23 double-doubles and scoring at least 30 points on 23 occasions.
Rose’s MVP season was marked by his unique ability to rank in the top 10 in scoring (seventh) and assists (10th), a feat that solidified his place among the NBA’s elite players.
Derrick Rose’s stats tell the story.
By season’s end, he became only the third player since the 1972–73 NBA season to record 2,000 points and 600 assists in a single season.
The other two players? LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
Sadly though, and contrary to Felton’s statement, Derrick Rose never really had a ‘prime’. Rose tore the ACL in his left knee during the 2012 NBA playoffs.
He would miss all of the 2012-2013 season. Rose then tore the meniscus in his right knee during the 2013-2014 season, cutting it short.
Rose would never really again approach the stats he put up during his MVP season at just 22 years old, though he did continue making solid contributions for his clubs several years later.
