Chicago Bulls: Is Bringing Back Derrick Rose Asking Too Much?
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When the 2018-19 NBA season started, Derrick Rose was an afterthought. The offseason talk around the water cooler was focused on LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and DeMarcus Cousins. It’s funny how a few months changes things.
LeBron has fit it nicely with the Los Angeles Lakers, George decided to stay on with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Cousins put it all on the table for the Golden State Warriors. However, it’s Rose who has been the surprise so far.
Last season, Rose was all over the place. From the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves. That’s quite a bit of traveling for a former MVP who was still under the age of 30. In his first full season in Minnesota, Rose didn’t do enough to garner much interest from other teams.
With options limited, the former Chicago Bulls star decided to take the Timberwolves offer of a one-year deal worth $2.4 million and pushed all his chips to the middle of the table. How many times have athletes bet on themselves with their backs against the wall? Rose was no exception.
This season, Rose is averaging 18.9 points and 4.8 assists while shooting .486 percent from the floor in 29.7 minutes while earning praise as one of the top candidates for Sixth Man of the Year. All this from a player who averaged 5.8 points for the Wolves last season. No one saw this coming.
What Rose has done is put his name atop the list of players to watch as the NBA trade deadline looms.
Of all the places he’s being tied to, the Chicago Bulls may be one of the best destinations. Yes, if LeBron can go back home, then why not Derrick Rose?
The Bulls are in need of another face. Rose’s presence in the United Center was always bigger than just MVP’s and averages. He’s to Chicago what LeBron was once to the city of Cleveland. A figure that was larger than life who the residents got behind because he was one of their own. But Rose and the Bulls fell on hard times and the former MVP was sent packing. But now, as fate would have it, there may be a slight chance at reconciliation.
Should the Bulls make a move?
The Timberwolves just can’t seem to get their ducks lined up in a row. For all the talent they have, they have continued to struggle. While Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins are names being tossed around, Rose holds just as much weight as his teammates, if not more.
The reason for that is, what have Towns and Wiggins accomplished that has put them over the edge? Neither has an MVP to their name and neither has put a franchise on their shoulders as Rose was able to do in Chicago. The Bulls are in dire need of a spark. They’re headed toward another lottery pick this summer, but adding Rose will ignite something the city has been missing since, well, when Rose was first there.
Their makeshift lineups are more Washington Generals than anything else. Imagine a back-court that features Derrick Rose and Zach LaVine. Pair them with the outstanding play of Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter, and the Bulls could have something special going forward. But it all starts with Rose.
His play this season has brought back fond memories of his glory years. The dunks have turned into layups, but the speed has returned. What’s more important than any crossover is that his passion for the game has returned. This is exactly what Chicago needs at this point.
There are similarities to the Chicago Bears at this point. You could see the talent in the young players but they were missing that spark that would push them over that hump. For the Bears, it all came together once they made that huge trade for Khalil Mack. The same can be done for the Bulls if they were to bring Rose back home.
The issue will be the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite having Jeff Teague, the Wolves are better with Derick Rose leading the charge. But is any team willing to take Teague over Rose? The Wolves may be willing to take a risk and let Teague walk while trying their best to re-sign Rose in the offseason to a lucrative contract.
The Chicago Bulls may want to call the Timberwolves and see what the price tag for Rose is before it’s too late. If they can’t trade for him, a pursuit in free agency would make a lot of sense.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
