CHICAGO — There are bad analogies and then there’s Joakim Noah comparing a knee injury to the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.
“When I found out Derrick [Rose] tore his ACL, I remember the smells, who I was with, I remember everything,” Noah said on an ESPN podcast with host Zach Lowe. “I had the same feeling of when I saw the plane hit the tower [on Sept. 11th].”
Noah was referring to Rose’s knee giving out during the 2012 playoffs, when the Bulls were seeded first but lost in the first round following the devastating injury.
It became the end of not only Chicago’s opportunity at a title that year, but also the Bulls’ shot at another dynastic run. Rose became injury-prone and the team never again advanced past the second round of the playoffs.
“That was our time,” Noah said. “Derrick represented that much hope. Every time he stepped onto the court, we had the most special player in the world. That’s a lot of hope to carry on one person.”
To be fair to Noah, he was only comparing his emotions and recollections of the two events, not necessarily the magnitude or tragedy of 9-11 to Rose’s ACL tear.
But he also knew probably knew the comment would cause waves.
“People will be like, ‘He’s f—king crazy for saying that.’” Noah said. “No. I’m telling you how I felt.”
