Derrick Rose: ‘I Want People to Think of Me as Being a Clutch Player’

Still reeling from the Chicago Bulls’ crushing loss in Miami on Sunday, Derrick Rose told the media in Washington last night that he planned to go “crazy” (which he did: 35 points, 8 assists in the win), and discussed what he hopes his legacy ends up being. From the Daily Herald: “After missing potential go-ahead free throws and a last-second jumper against Miami on Sunday, Rose was ready to take out his frustrations on whomever happened to be standing in his way. ‘It just makes me hungrier,’ Rose told reporters before the game. ‘Tonight, I’m going to try and go crazy.’ If a season-high 35 points, 8 assists and 3 blocks — all against [John] Wall — qualifies as crazy, then Rose met his goal. […] As Rose kept talking about the misses in Miami, the future of the Bulls was getting brighter. ‘That’s something I live for,’ he said. ‘I think of my legacy. I want people to think of me as being a clutch player; someone that always comes through the majority of the time when they’re on the court. It hurt a little bit, but I know it will help me in the long run. I like seeing my city happy, especially if I’m one of the reasons why. I know what we went through after Mike (Jordan) left and all the years that people really didn’t watch the Bulls. For them to start watching the Bulls and for the organization to get our fans back, it means a lot to me. Knowing that when you see people, they’ve got Bulls hats on, Bulls apparel on. It means a lot to me.'”