133 | Derrick Rose's Journey: A Lesson in Temperance and Resilience

About the Host

Dr. Toby Brooks is a seasoned expert in athletic training, sports medicine, and movement science. He is well-respected in his field for his deep understanding of sports injuries, rehabilitation, and the virtues necessary for effective clinical practice. He is the host of "The Professor's Playbook" and the podcast "Becoming Undone," where he synthesizes complex sports and medical topics into actionable advice. His expertise is rooted in a thorough knowledge of biomechanics and a commitment to fostering long-term health in athletes.

Episode Summary

In this episode of Becoming UnDone: from the Professor's Playbook host Dr. Toby Brooks takes a deep dive into the concept of temperance within the context of athletic training and sports medicine, using NBA star Derrick Rose's career as a pivotal case study. At the height of his career, Rose faced a life-altering ACL injury that forced him to choose between short-term success and long-term health, a choice emblematic of temperance, which Brooks explores as a critical virtue for healthcare professionals. Through a detailed exploration of Derrick Rose's journey, Dr. Brooks weaves in the broader implications of temperance, both in decision-making processes and professional boundaries within sports medicine.

Brooks discusses the pressures athletes and clinicians face to fast-track recovery to return to competition, highlighting Derrick Rose's controversial decision to undergo a full meniscus repair instead of quicker-fix surgeries. The episode further delves into the broader relevance of temperance in maintaining ethical standards, navigating professional boundaries, and fostering lasting trust between clinicians and their patients. Filled with insightful commentary, Brooks frames his discussion with philosophical and ethical perspectives, bringing in Greek philosophy and biblical teachings to ground his arguments on temperance as balance and measured action. The episode not only highlights the moral complexity of sports medicine decisions but also offers actionable guidance for restoring balance in clinical practices.

Key Takeaways

• Derrick Rose's journey underscores the critical importance of temperance—a virtue reflecting balance and long-term thinking in decision-making.
• Decision-making in sports medicine should focus on long-term health over short-term gains to ensure the well-being of athletes.
• Professional boundaries and ethical practices in healthcare are essential, requiring restraint and careful judgment to maintain trust.
• Clinicians must balance empathy with clear judgment to avoid becoming over-identified with their patients, thereby maintaining professional effectiveness.
• Temperance is not simply about withholding desires but making the "right" decisions that align with ethical responsibilities and patient care.

Notable Quotes:

• "They don't come much more idiotic than Skip Bayless or Stephen A. Smith." — Toby Brooks
• "Temperance isn't about less; it's about right. The right measure, the right moment, the right motive." — Toby Brooks
• "That sweet spot. That's compassionate clarity and it's cool-headed confidence." — Toby Brooks
• "Temperance helps you hold th

Transcript

0:00:10 - (Toby Brooks): In 2009, Derrick 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 four of seven. Here's the penetration by Rose with three seconds. I know, all right.

0:00:36 - (B): I give, I give credit when there's.

0:00:38 - (C): Credit to be given.

0:00:39 - (B): Oh, another turnover.

0:00:41 - (C): Oh, this is in trouble.

0:00:44 - (D): Stop it. I want to go higher. That's what I'm talking about right there. That's your point guard, Neil F going up stairs to get that ball. Woo. Is that an elevator? That was an elevator all the way to the top floor. To the.

0:01:01 - (Toby Brooks): However, that trajectory to superstardom wasn't just altered in 2012, it was all but nearly cancelled.

0:01:08 - (B): You bypass the the harder team in Miami. Oh, Rose came down bad on his left foot. See him holding onto his knee, holding on to 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. There's coach Collins out there and all his teammates running and 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 is already decided for all intents and purposes.

0:01:44 - (B): I'm sure everyone around the country is going to say why was he in the. In the game? Shall he comes down on the left leg. Keep an eye on the left leg there. Yep. When he planted, that's when whatever happened happened. Let's see here. 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.

0:02:10 - (Toby Brooks): 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 20122013 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 the year prior with an acl, fans were desperate to see him back on the court.

0:02:38 - (Toby Brooks): Analysts speculated, fans debated and the pressure was intense. Many assumed he would opt for meniscectomy, myself included. The faster roo back, typically a four to six 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.

0:03:03 - (E): Rose is out indefinitely as he will undergo surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear in his right knee. After playing in more than 97% of the Bulls games over his first three seasons, Derrick Rose has only played in less than a third of Chicago's games over the last four seasons. What's your thoughts on his future? Derrick Rose, as a player in the.

0:03:22 - (C): NBA, you know, 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 Derrick Rose, almost like, oh, the guy snake bit, can't catch a break. This isn't like somebody dropped a dumbbell on his foot in the weight room. Like, that's bad luck. The biomechanics, right, start to kick in.

0:03:46 - (C): The way he plays, the force he generates, the way he changes direction, the torque he puts on his knees. He's very unique, very special. I think he and Russell Westbrook are the two greatest athletes that have ever played point guard in history of this league.

0:03:58 - (F): Can he do it? Mentally, I don't have any doubt he could do it physically, but mentally, I have grave doubt for his sake about. And I'm with you. He will never be that Derrick 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?

0:04:19 - (C): Four of them, yeah.

0:04:19 - (B): Four of them.

0:04:20 - (F): 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 obviously trained Michael Jordan, has trained D. Wade 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.

0:04:52 - (B): Well, he had one.

0:04:53 - (F): He already had him in his second one on the same knee. Maybe he needs to find somebody to work out with so he can prolong his career.

0:05:02 - (Toby Brooks): They don't come much more idiotic than Skip Bayless or Stephen A. Smith. Bayless bragged about Dwyane Wade saying, Dwayne keeps his gap as wide open as possible so the bones don't touch while he's playing.

0:05:17 - (D): What an idiot. Oh, what a loser.

0:05:22 - (Toby Brooks): 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 sidelined 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.

0:05:52 - (Toby Brooks): 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.

0:06:22 - (Toby Brooks): 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.

0:06:48 - (Toby Brooks): You know, for most, a 16 year career in the league two time FIBA 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.

0:07:17 - (Toby Brooks): 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. About 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.

0:07:55 - (Toby Brooks): 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.

0:08:21 - (Toby Brooks): Biblically, we root this in Titus 2:11 and 12. It says, for the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled. And that's the key right there. Upright and godly lives in this present age, temperance is that inner compass. Let's break down what that looks like practically. First, temperance and care decisions.

0:08:49 - (Toby Brooks): 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, not just the easy one.

0:09:14 - (Toby Brooks): 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.

0:09:42 - (Toby Brooks): 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 err. 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, do it on the flip. Insensibility.

0:10:08 - (Toby Brooks): 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 where 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 teammate quote knows something and they want to whisper it to you off the record.

0:10:34 - (Toby Brooks): 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.

0:11:02 - (Toby Brooks): 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.

0:11:32 - (Toby Brooks): 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 re center. That wraps up another episode of the Professor's Playbook and by extension, becoming a dun. If you found today's episode useful, be sure to subscribe, share and leave me a review. You can connect with me@linktr EE, Tobybrooks, or you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

0:12:07 - (Toby Brooks): 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 freaking professor.

0:12:37 - (D): Sam.