The Chicago Bulls are growing tired of Derrick Rose, and in all honesty, who can blame them?
It’s painful for me to write this, because I have always been a fan of Rose’s game. When he first came into the league, he immediately caught the NBA by storm with his blinding speed and toughness, and to put the cherry on top, he did it all with a calm and likable demeanor that some branded as boring but was well needed at a time when the league needed an image makeover.
But those days are long gone.
Let’s not kid ourselves here; Rose is no longer the centerpiece of what the Bulls are trying to build. Heck, he isn’t even a viable piece of the puzzle. It’s not that Rose has fizzled into being an also-ran, it’s that his numerous injuries have forced Chicago to think, plan and implement a future that didn’t involve their once star player.
They have those building blocks now, with Jimmy Butler assuming the role that Rose once had, Pau Gasol providing much-needed scoring in the paint, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah providing the muscle and Nikola Mirotic being the “jack-of-all-trades” guy.
Those players I just mentioned would be enough to contend in the still watered down Eastern Conference, so you can’t fault management for believing that there may not be a role for Rose on this Bulls roster anymore.
The question now is what to do with him? Rose has one more year left on his five-year, $94 million deal that he signed in 2012, which makes him very much tradable. Or, the Bulls could let him walk in 2017. Either way you put it, it’s the end of the line for Rose in Chicago, and although it’s sad to see it come to this, this slow breakup is very much needed for both Rose and the Bulls.
Kareem Gantt gives his two cents on all things sports for Rant Inc. Want to know what’s on his mind? Follow him on Twitter at @kganttwrites.