The offseason can't end soon enough for Derrick Rose

It's easy to forget just how young Derrick Rose is. After seeing him juke Andre Miller out of his shoes, dunk all over Leandro Barbosa, and stuff the living hell - from behind! - out of Brian Scalabrine, all as a rookie, it's hard to believe Rose won't even be able to drink legally until October.

For all his heroics on the court during his first year with the Bulls, Rose has definitely had some trouble off of it. First, there was the post-draft day speeding ticket, when he was clocked going 105 MPH. Then there was that mysterious knife incident, which gave any Bulls fan flashbacks to when MJ nearly sliced off his finger using a cigar cutter following the Bulls' sixth championship.

In the last few months, things have only gotten worse. It appears someone took the SAT for Rose, and that his high school grades were changed while at Simeon.

All of these missteps are petty, to be sure. In the world of professional athletes, Rose's off-court behavior is hardly noteworthy, and probably not even a cause for concern. The Bulls have found their next superstar, and nothing that has happened off the court should lead anyone to believe Rose will be sidetracked before fulfilling his enormous potential.

It is a little alarming, though, that Rose keeps finding trouble. This photo, published last week at the Bulls blog DaBullz, probably won't ease anyone's concerns. 


Here's what Andrew Wamboldt, editor of DaBullz, wrote after posting the imagine on June 5.

A picture has surfaced on the internet of Derrick Rose flashing the hand symbol for the Gangster Disciples gang, which originated on the South Side of Chicago.

There's not really a lot to comment on this picture, other than it looks like there is a lot of smoke in that room, and to say that I hope that Rose isn't down with the gang lifestyle.

Given Rose's love of sweets, perhaps he opted for one of the "special" brownies?

There are a lot of ways you can go with this picture, but it's all speculative. Sure, it looks like there's some smoke in the picture, and Rose does look a little, um, goofy.

To me, the gang signs don't seem too troubling. We know Rose hails from Englewood, one Chicago's roughest neighborhoods and the scene of the Hudson family murders in 2008. But, by all accounts, he seems to be surrounded a sound family support group, led by his older brother Reggie.

Is this image a big deal? I'm not really sure. For one, it's unclear when the photo was even taken. It could be recent, or it could be from his days at Simeon or Memphis. 

And, let's be honest, there are plenty of people around Rose's age who have gotten high before - if that's indeed what is being depicted in this imagine. Should Rose be held to higher standards than the typical 20-year old? Probably, but before anyone goes too crazy, realize what the photo lacks: a weapon, a bong, or anything substantially incriminating.