Back in 2012, Adidas decided to invest a big-time shoe deal
in Chicago Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose, which was valued by numerous
sources at over $200 million dollars. Adidas has been number two in the
athletic wear industry behind Nike (and Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron
James, and Carmelo Anthony) for decades and they see Rose as the X-Factor that
could potentially close the gap on their rivals from Oregon.
At the time of the deal, Rose was the reigning NBA MVP and
was the definition of the perfect athlete, possessing unrivaled passion and
desire in a young, strong 24-year old body. Rose was destined to lead the
Chicago Bulls (and Adidas) into a profitable 13-year run of dominance…on and
off the court.
Then, during Game One of the Opening Round of the 2012 NBA
Playoffs versus the Philadelphia 76ers, Rose suffered a devastating ACL tear.
The injury occurred on April 28 and as of writing, Rose has yet to return from
the injury despite being cleared to play without risk of re-injury back in
February. This is where Adidas’ potential issue arises…
Rose has always been impenetrable from the criticism usually
reserved for the likes of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony because he has
always come off as humble, hard-working, and all about his team. But that
sentiment has turned very grim in recent weeks as basketball pundits and fans
alike have begun to question Rose’s number one asset: his heart. Fans cite
Rose’s apparent uncertainty on his future in interviews (giving cryptic answers
such as “Only God knows”) and other factors (including the case of New York
Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, who tore his ACL the same exact day as Rose yet
returned months ago as well as Rose’s own teammate Joakim Noah, who is currently
playing in the playoffs despite suffering from the crippling pain caused by
plantar fasciitis) as to why they have begun to turn on the once-invincible
Rose. The longer Rose continues to leave his status in limbo and feed the
notion of him being “soft”, it seems that the more we see articles questioning
him on espn.com, SB Nation, and other respected sites.
Now, Adidas is in an awkward position. They invested $200
million dollars into Rose for him to be their savior, however if Rose is moved
into the “Dwight Howard hero-to-villain” suite in the public’s eyes, then they
may have made a huge, critical mistake. Nike can afford to represent Carmelo
Anthony and LeBron James (who both have mixed public perceptions) because they
are the undisputed leader in the industry and have that luxury. Adidas, on the
other hand, needs this deal to pay off for them to get an adequate return on
investment.
Rose’s “D-Rose 3.5” shoe line is currently one of the
top-seller at many shoe retailers around the country including Foot Locker and
Finish Line so its performance in the subsequent months will be very telling in
the story of D-Rose and Adidas.
So the million-dollar question is this: Is Rose just facing
a valley in a lifetime of peaks or has he lived long enough to see himself
become the villain?
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Aaron J. Coleman is currently a sport management major at Drexel
University in Philadelphia, PA minoring in Communication (with a focus in
Public Relations). He was born and raised in Upper Marlboro, MD, a suburb
outside of Washington, DC. He is currently a supervisor for Drexel’s Intramural
Sports program and also an intern for the Arena Football Legaue’s Philadelphia
Soul franchise. He covers the Chicago Bulls, New York Yankees, and Washington
Redskins (his favorite squads along with the Washington Capitals and Drexel
Dragons) for sportsfansnews.com. Follow Aaron on Twitter @shutupCole. 
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