Derrick Rose now is coming off a season with the New York Knicks where he had a decent season averaging 18 points per game and appearing in 64 of 82 games. He rated out as an Average offensive player on Synergy and slightly better as a defensive player. However, there is a reason that Derrick Rose is still unsigned as of the writing of this blog. There have been several teams that have shown interest including Lebron and the Cavaliers. Derrick Rose has suitors, but I would steer clear because Derrick Rose still plays like it is 2011 and 2012 even though those days are long gone.
The Chicago Bulls teams of 2011 and 2012 were unbelievably stubborn defensive teams that were led by the defensive guru, Tom Thibodeau. Derrick Rose was flanked by great defenders like Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Ronnie Brewer, etc. While the Bulls were the best defensive team in those years, they were not very good on offense, which was on full display in those 2011 conference finals. The Heat essentially dared other Bulls to beat them and they could not do it. Rose flourished in this Iverson-esque style that allowed him to penetrate and dish or take as many shots as he would like. Those Bulls teams were good, but when faced against another elite team in the playoffs they could not hang. I'm not sure if that 2012 series with the Heat would've gone differently, but we will never know.
Derrick Rose is an NBA player and he will have many more years in the NBA, but I would not want to take him on. He is a ball dominant guard that cannot shoot and does not like to pass the ball. He takes over possessions and is one of the reasons that Kristaps Porzingis was not happy with his year with the Knicks. This player is not going to contribute to a team's success in the NBA of today. Give Derrick Rose a 3 point shot and he is a different player. The other issue that seems to follow him is that Derrick Rose still thinks he is a superstar. One of Phil Jackson's quotes about Kobe Bryant mentioned that he would not like to coach Kobe when he could no longer play like Kobe. The same can be said of Iverson. Both guys believed that the success of the team depended on them getting shots and points even when they could no longer get those points as easily. Unfortunately, this is the fate of Derrick Rose. My thinking is that he will take a one year minimum deal thinking he will get back into free agency and get a bigger contract that in my opinion will not be there next year or the year after. Derrick Rose has a choice to make. He has to adapt his play style or he will not be successful. He is an unbelievable athlete that dominated the NBA for a couple of seasons and had a terrible injury that derailed the track that he was on. Hopefully, that will not be his legacy. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.