With only a season and a half remaining on the Derrick Rose’s contract that he signed back in December of 2011, the main question for both parties is: What’s Next for Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls?
After somehow coming atop the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery, with a 1.7 percent chance of winning, the Chicago Bulls selected Derrick Rose out of Memphis with the #1 overall pick. Right out of the gate, Rose displayed superstar potential during his rookie season and eventually won Rookie of the Year honors. Rose proved himself to be ultimately worthy of that number one overall selection, as he would only get better as the seasons progressed. In Rose’s next season, he was an All-Star, and the season after that, the 2010-2011 season, he won the Most Valuable Player award and lead his Bulls to the first seed in the East with a 62-20 record. In his prime, Derrick Rose was without question Chi-Town’s most notable star since the infamous Michael Jordan. With such a long, fruitful career ahead of him, no one could predict the unfortunate series of injuries that would transition Rose from one of the top point guards in the NBA, to the face of fragility.
After his very impressive MVP season, Rose would see his career rapidly spiral downwards. Over the next three seasons, he would tear his left ACL and his right meniscus twice. Rose would only appear in a total of 49 games; missing a whole 82 games in the process. For a player whose skill and talent didn’t depend on speed and athleticism, these injuries may not have been so career-altering. However, Rose was fast, agile, uber-athletic, and possessed outstanding body control while airborne. Nonetheless, withstanding those tears and damages took a toll on Rose’s body and he hasn’t looked the same since. Of course he shows spurts of the player he once was, but his upside has significantly decreased from its once high stature. So at this point, the main question for Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls is where is he off to next?
It will be a sad day when either Rose is forced to leave in free agency, or the day he is traded to a team willing to soak up his enormous contract. On the other hand, he is no longer the face of the franchise (Jimmy Butler takes the crown on that one) and his play so far hasn’t justified the amount of money he’s receiving. With this season and next season still left on his contract and his salary only increasing, it’ll be hard fought for Chicago to find a trade match. However, whether it be through trade or offseason signing, Rose should become a member of an organization with nothing to lose because they’re still be rebuilding. The teams that fit that description are the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns.
In terms of trade, neither team probably has any assets that the Bulls would want nor would equal in salary amount to that of Chicago’s point guard. The only players on either team worth value are Robert Covington and Markieff Morris, both of whom would solve the Bulls’ issue of a lack of three point shooting. Although Rose is a shell of his former self, I’m sure those two players wouldn’t be enough in return. The 27-year-old should take it upon himself, once his contract has expired, to sign a short term deal with one of those two teams in order to get his career back on track. There won’t be any pressure to compete for a championship because neither team is going in that direction any time soon. In Phoenix or Philadelphia, Rose can prove to himself and every NBA front office and fan that he is capable of being a productive starting point guard for a championship contender in the future.
It would be rather optimistic thinking to believe that Derrick Rose would be able to play out his contract with the Bulls, sign a new deal, and ultimately fulfill his desire of retiring as a Chicago Bull. When he was asked by ESPN’s Nick Friedell if he would like to remain playing for the “Windy City” his whole career, his response was: For sure, for sure. It’s hard to blame him, who wouldn’t want to retire for the team that plays in your hometown and drafted you first overall? Nevertheless, the time has come for both sides to part ways because the Bulls need a new point guard and Rose needs a new home where he is not pressured to be at his MVP best; especially with his injured past.
