In 2009, Derek Rose took the NBA by storm, being named rookie of the year after being drafted first overall out of the University of Memphis. In 2011, Rose became the youngest player in NBA history to be named MVP. He was on the fast track to becoming the league's next, and perhaps even greatest, superstar. That's 4 of 7. Here's the penetration by Rose with 3 seconds. I know, I get the credit when there's credit to be given. Oh, another turnover. Oh, this is a trouble. Oh, stop it, Bob! I want to go higher! That's what I'm talking about right there. That's your point guard, Neal Fock, going up, stands to get that ball. Woo! You've had an elevator, that was an elevator all the way to the top floor, to the pit-out! However, that trajectory to superstardom wasn't just altered in 2012. It was all but nearly canceled. You bypass the harder team in Miami. Oh, oh, oh, Rose came down, and on his left foot. See him? Holding onto his knee, holding onto his knee and down. He was flying, and he came down wrong on the left foot. Now, whether it was an ankle or a knee, I do not know. Here's Coach Cowan's out there, holding his two-man running in this with the injury. We just talked about the 26 games he has missed with an assortment of injuries, and now holding a knee late in a game that has already decided for all intents and purposes. I'm sure everyone around the country is going to say, why was he in the game? He comes down on the left leg, keeping eye on the left leg, there. When he plants it, that's when whatever happened, it happened. Yes, before he comes down, it's the plant right there, on that left leg. There was some give on that knee, and you could see it. He torn the ACL in his left knee, and his future as a basketball player was in doubt. He had surgery and missed the entire 2012-2013 season, rehabilitating. He returned to play in 2013, but in November, he suffered another significant injury, this time tearing the meniscus in his right knee. After such an incredible start to his pro career, then missing an entire season a year prior with an ACL, fans were desperate to see him back on the court. Analysts speculated, fans debated, and the pressure was intense. Many assumed he would opt for menisectomy, myself included. The faster route back, typically a 4-6 week recovery, that would get him back on the floor fast. Here's what it sounds like when people with no knowledge whatsoever, but strong opinions nonetheless are given a microphone and a platform to speak. Rose is out indefinitely, as he will undergo surgery to repair a meniscus in his right knee. After playing in more than 97% of the Bulls games over his first three seasons, Dere Rose has only played in less than a third of Chicago's games over the last four seasons. Your thoughts on his future? Dere Rose as a player in the NBA? Obviously none of us have a crystal ball. I can just speak from experience of having gone through some of the issues that he's dealing with now. I have a problem sometimes when we talk about these issues with Dere Rose, almost like, I got a snake bit, can't catch a break. This isn't like somebody dropped a dumbbell on his foot in a weight room, that's bad luck. The biomechanics start to kick in. The way he plays, the force he generates, the way he changes direction, the torque he puts on his knees, is very unique, very special. I think he and Russell Westbrook are the two greatest athletes that have ever played point guard in history this league. Can he do it mentally? I don't have any doubt he could do it physically, but mentally I have graved out for his sake about, and I'm with you, he will never be that Dere Rose who won MVP again. But by way of example, I look at a Dwayne Wade, you went through your ACL tear and other, you had some meniscus tears too. Correct, four of them, yeah. Four of them. Okay, Dwayne Wade at Marquette had almost all of his cartilage removed, his meniscus, all removed, and yet under the guidance and tutelage of the great Tim Grover, who has obviously trained Michael Jordan, has trained Dwayne his whole career, Dwayne has managed it by doing the right exercises and the right drills to keep the gap between the bones, because this is your cushion, but Dwayne keeps his gap as wide as possible so that they don't touch during games when he explodes. You're in trouble. Well you had one, you already had one in this case, this is the second one. On the same knee. Maybe he needs to find somebody to work out with so he can go along as correct. They don't come much more idiotic than Skip Bayless or Stephen A. Smith. Bayless bragged about Dwayne Wade saying, Dwayne keeps his gap as wide open as possible so the bones don't touch while he's playing. What an idiot. Oh, what a loser. Oh my goodness. Rose however made a different choice. He opted for the full meniscus repair. It was highly controversial at the time. It's a procedure that would keep him sideline for the remainder of the year, but preserve his long-term health. Criticism swift and severe. Talking heads called him soft. Fans said he was fragile. Even some in the medical community questioned his decision. Rose opted for the long game. He knew that a short-term return could cost him his entire career. He'd seen players rush back too soon and ultimately regret it and knew that just because you can doesn't always mean you should. So he chose to act with temperance, balancing emotion, pressure and public expectation with what he knew was right for his body and for his future. That decision most certainly cost him the applause of the moment, but it was made in hopes of preserving the possibility of a longer, healthier career. Sadly for D. Rose it didn't matter much. He wound up opting for that repair that cost him the balance of the 2013-2014 season. And while he would go on to play another 10 seasons in the league, he was never quite the same. After stops with teams like the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, finally the Memphis Grizzlies, he was released in September 2024 and soon after retired. You know, for most a 16-year career in the league, two-time People World Cup gold medal career would be outstanding. But for Rose, especially that meteoric start, it was a sad what could have been. But I recall that stinging criticism that he was selfish, that he wasn't a team guy and that by opting for that procedure, that might offer the best long-term outcome, but the longest recovery time, he was putting his dollars before his teammates. But friends, that's temperance. And that's what we're talking about today. Welcome back to the Professor's Playbook, where we break down complex topics in athletic training, sports medicine, and movement science into practical, applicable knowledge. I'm Dr. Toby Brooks. Today, we're diving into one of the most underrated virtues in the clinical world, temperance, and how mastering it can make you a better practitioner, stronger leader, and a more trusted voice for your athletes. I'll also be cross-listing this episode with my long-form podcast, Becoming Undone. So if you're joining from there, welcome. Temperance is not about denial. It's about balance. In the context of healthcare, especially athletic training, it's the ability to regulate our responses, measure our interventions, act in the long-term best interest of the patient, not in the short-term gratification or pressure to perform right away. Biblically, we read this in Titus 2, 11, and 12. It says, Temperance is that inner compass. Let's break down what that looks like practically. First, temperance and care decisions. Sometimes we, as clinicians, over-treat because we want to fix everything right now. Other times we under-treat because we're playing it safe or unsure. Neither extreme serves the patient. Temperance teaches us to assess the whole picture. How severe is the injury? Where are we in the season? What's the long-term health or the mental state? We weigh those and we find the wise path. That's just the easy one. Number two, temperance and professional boundaries. This one's tough. We care deeply. I know the reason I got into athletic training is because I love sport. I loved to know the roster and to know every athlete individually. But empathy isn't permission to over-identify with our athletes. That's how boundary lines can blur. Temperance says, feel with them, but don't let emotions steer the ship. Your judgment must lead, not your feelings. That balance is where the trust lives. Number three, the two vices. Aristotle talks about the golden mean, how a virtue lives in the center. And if we have too much or too little of that virtue, we air. Self-indulgence is the over-identifying with pleasure or acting from impulse. Think, I'm the hero, I can fix everything. Or the hedonistic approach, if it feels good to do it. On the flip, insensibility, where we're cold, unfeeling, detached, no connection whatsoever, no care. But we aren't robots, we're people. That sweet spot, that's compassionate clarity. And it's cool-headed confidence. Number four, third-party temptations. Here's what things can get messy. A coach pressures you to clear a player too soon. A parent wants details that they're not entitled to. Or a teammate, quote, knows something. And they want to whisper it to you off the record. Temperance helps you hold the line. It says, I care, but I also have a job to do. And I'll do it with integrity. That means being the bad guy, or the bad gal in the short term. But it's what earns you lasting respect. Shifting gears just a little bit, ethics wrap up. We've all seen unethical conduct. It's not always malicious. It's often just a slow drift away from what's right. Small breaches in confidentiality. Conflicts of interest. Exploitation. Temperance calls us back to the center. It keeps the mission in view. The welfare of the patient above all else. To sum up, temperance isn't about less. It's about right. The right measure, the right moment, the right motive. It's what allows us to stay anchored amid pressure, emotion, and complexity. This week's challenge, I want you to think of one current case, or athlete that you're working with. Or if you're not a clinician, maybe a relationship with a friend or a colleague. Ask yourself, am I acting out of impulse, emotion, or pressure? Or am I choosing the tempered path, the wise middle? Take one step this week to recenter. That wraps up another episode of the Professor's Playbook. And by extension, becoming undone. If you found today's episode useful, be sure to subscribe, share, and leave me a review. You can connect with me at linktr.ee backslash, Toby Brooks. Or you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get podcasts. Your feedback helps shape the direction of the show. And I'm always thankful for your insights. Thanks for tuning in to this episode. Until next time, be purposeful, be relentless, never stop learning. Always act with measured intention. But above all else, listen to your freakin' professor.
