Trading Derrick Rose: Is It A Good Idea?
By Josh Hill
There are a few rings that are certain in life: you’re born, you die and Derrick Rose will always be a Chicago Bull. The basketball Gods formed him from the heavy metals in the Earth and placed him on the South Side of Chicago to hone is skills before leading his hometown team back to glory.
So to think for an instant that Gar Forman would mess with this, is not smart.
Derrick Rose will never be traded unless somehow Matt Millen decides to have a go at running basketball team into the ground and takes over in Chicago. But according to some, we won’t name names but it rhymes with Jedi (obligatory Star Wars Day reference), Derrick Rose should be traded and traded right now.
This is an insanely stupid idea. So much so that I actually feel like less of a man having to write to the contrary of what the RedEye was suggesting.
And this wasn’t some coy headline that was meant to mislead and bring readers to a story about something else. No this was literally a full length article published right after zero hour in Chicago on April 30th where Stephen Markley goes into great detail on why the Bulls would be better off without their MVP and the face of their franchise and there superstar — need I go on?
But before I destroy the concept of a Derrick Rose trade let me say this: it’s not that crazy of an idea in theory.
Take a look at hoe Rose plays. He relies on his ankle breaking moves and his blinding speed. His style of basketball reminds me of running backs in the NFL. But running backs are notorious for having short shelf lives due to the damage they do to their knees through contact and stress.
Rose doesn’t see that type of contact but he does see contact. Just look back at his $25,000 fine for bashing the officials for not calling hard fouls he draws.
Combine that with his ACL tear and you get a terrible, gut wrenching conclusion: we may never again see the same Derrick Rose we have fallen head over heels for.
Ever.
But that’s a theory and if the article was written and ended there I may not have such an issue with it. But to suggest that even if he does return to 100 percent and is the normal Derrick Rose monster he usually is that his shelf life is in question that’s the reason to trade him — insane.
I get it, the Bulls could clean up on a trade of Derrick Rose. Everytime a superstar running back hits his peak there is always a fringe group wanting to trade him and build for the future. Adrian Peterson hit his peak a year ago in Minnesota with the Vikings and what did fans say?
Trade Peterson to the highest bidder and build a better team for the future. I get that idea, I just reject it with extreme prejudice.
What would the Bulls be getting in return that could even come close to how valuable? Markley suggests trading Rose for a top draft pick and drafting Micheal Kidd-Gilchrist.
Okay, so we’re trading away the 23 year old reigning MVP that was just given a max contract extension for an unproven college kid who happens to be 5 years younger?
Let’s roll with that idiotic scenario for a moment. Chicago grabs Kidd-Gilchrist, who’s currently a year younger than I am and will be 19 years old when the next NBA season starts. Are we seriously expecting this kid who we don’t even know if he’ll be any good, to be on Derrick Rose’s level in his first year?
Yeah he’s got five years on Rose but it’ll take him until he’s 22 to fully develop into a true superstar if he even ever does. The gamble is absolutely too massive, so much so that Rose’s ACL doesn’t look all that bad in comparison.
Another scenario brought up is a trade with the Miami Heat which would send Chicago’s golden child to the most hated place in basketball for Dwayne Wade. Essentially we’ll give you our younger, more agile and athletic Chicago kid for your older, in the twilight of his prime, done a lot to be hated here Chicago kid.
Before my brain explodes from trying fathom how that’s a fair trade, I’ll say this: I don’t hate Dwayne Wade like Bulls fans do and if he were to come home to Chicago, those feelings of animosity would fade for Wade. But basketball players peak at 30, that’s the prime of their careers. Wade is there right now and given his play as of late we’d be in the exact same situation we are now, wondering how much time is left on the clock.
At least with Rose you get the safety net of an extra 7 years before he turns 30 and a lot can happen. The window is much smaller with Wade and all of a sudden this win long term team you’ve built dramatically and violently reshapes itself into a win now, Boston Celtics type team.
Markley states he doesn’t want Rose traded at the end of the piece (despite the convincing and obviously well thought out scenarios he listed at length above) but I do agree with him on one thing: Derrick Rose is a local hero.
For this and this alone right now he should not be traded. The ACL will heal, and sure it may have shaved 5-6 years off Rose’s career but he’s too important to the city of Chicago to be forced out. He’s 23 and already he’s one of if not the most recognizable, inspirational and influential person in Chicago.
Not Jay Cutler. Not Mayor Emanuel. Not even that gigantic Marilyn Monroe statue.
He’s bigger, better and more influential then all of them combined. Take everything that is touristically recognizable about Chicago: the Sears Tower (yes I still and always will call it that), Lake Michigan, the Chicago River, the John Hancock Building, the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, Soldiers Field.
All of it is instantly recognizable and is oozing Chicago out of it’s pours. But nine times out of ten if you mention Chicago to someone the image that pops into their head is either Micheal Jordan or Derrick Rose.
Sure there is uncertainty about Rose’s future. But there is no doubt about how much he means and how much he has left. Rose will be back and will try his hardest to reach where he was last year again. You’re talking about a guy who lives basketball. Derrick Rose is OCD about basketball, he’s the Rain Man of trying to better his game.
If you want that on another team when it returns, then I really feel sorry for you.
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