2 weeks after trading Derrick Rose, the Bulls continued their makeover for the 2016-2017 season by agreeing to sign Chicago-native Dwyane Wade. Wade, a 34 year old guard, had spent his entire career with the Heat, winning 3 NBA championships. He joins a Bulls team in transition, Rose, Joakim Noah, and Pau Gasol all gone from last year’s starting lineup. At his age, Wade will likely play second fiddle to Jimmy Butler as the Bulls try to head back to the playoffs without a major rebuild.
Tag / Derrick Rose
Tearing It Down
After 8 years of hopes, dreams, and frustrations, the Bulls bid farewell to former MVP Derrick Rose yesterday, trading the former superstar to the Knicks, along with Justin Holiday and a second round pick in 2017, for Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant. Rose, the overall number one draft pick in the 2008 draft, had trouble staying on the court in the last 4 seasons of his tenure, missing more games than he played.
Rose’s career with the Bulls started off with great promise, leading the team to their best showings since Michael Jordan retired the second time following the 1997-1998 NBA Championship. They looked to be a team on the rise following the 2010-2011 season, which they finished with the best regular season record in the league and lost a hard-fought Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat. The following December, Rose signed a 5-year contract extension and the Bulls looked to again challenge for the Eastern Conference title. Sadly, in the first game of the first round against the Sixers, Rose tore his ACL and the favored Bulls were quickly eliminated.
Rose missed the entire 2012-2013 season, despite being cleared by doctors to play in March. He finally returned for the start of the 2013-2014 season, but a torn meniscus in late November again put him out for the season. The next two seasons were marred by inconsistent play, more knee injuries, coaching turnover, and a sexual assault lawsuit. When the Bulls failed to make the playoffs this past season, changes were bound to be made, with this being the first.
What To Do With Derrick Rose?
Following the 2010-2011 season, the Chicago Bulls looked to be at the top of the basketball world. They had just finished with the best regular season record in the league, they lost a hard-fought Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat, and their young superstar, Derrick Rose, was just named league MVP. However, things did not go as planned. Multiple knee injuries kept Rose off the court for much of the next 3 seasons, and tensions grew between the hometown star and the team he grew up cheering for. Things may have come to a head yesterday, when Rose was accused of drugging and gang-rapping an ex-girlfriend in a civil suit.
Rose, of course, released a statement, claiming that he will be proven innocent. The Bulls released a much shorter statement, and you could feel that Rose’s time in Chicago may have just gotten shorter. Only time will tell if the allegations against Rose prove to be true, and an initial reading of the lawsuit does show some problems in the accuser’s accounts, but this type of accusation causes damage regardless.