Derrick Rose retires with Plain Dealer thank you note

The circumstances: Rose is the youngest MVP in league history and played 723 total games ... just 16 of which were in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform.

Between the lines: The letter was not addressed to Cleveland fans specifically — that would've been overkill — but to the sport of basketball.

• The full-paged advertisement was published on page A3 of Thursday's paper, styled as a love letter on a red background.

What he said: "Thank you, my first love..." his message began.

• "You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain."

What we're wondering: We've seen multiple pro athletes take out ads in the PD after meaningful careers in Cleveland — C.C. Sabathia, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, etc. — but are there are any to do it who've had so fleeting a stint here?