Why Derrick Rose Should Make No Apologies For His Free Agency Comments

Yesterday at the Bulls media day, star point guard Derrick Rose put himself in the spotlight once again when he opened Pandora’s Box by uttering the words, “free agency”.

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With those two words, the spotlight soon turned to the firing line, with some critics stating he should have handled the situation better and demanding that his focus should be squarely on the season ahead instead of his current contract that expires in 2017.

Then the groans emanated, as they often have prior, from a percentage of the Bulls fan base that believes he should think before he speaks or that he shouldn’t be let near a microphone.

Hold up a minute; let’s not insult the man’s intelligence any further shall we?

Derrick Rose will be 27 years old on Oct. 4. This will be his seventh season as an employee of the Bulls organization and a co-captain of this team. I think by now he knows exactly what he’s saying when the cameras turn on.

"“My mindset was I was working out every day and spending as much time as possible with my son, making sure my family is financially stable. As far as you see all the money they’re passing out in this league — just telling the truth — and knowing my day will be coming up soon. It’s not for me. It’s for P.J. and his future. So that’s what I’m thinking about right now.”"

So with that said, it’s clear as day that Rose’s focus was targeted on improving his game and bettering his situation for his son and family for generations to come. Let’s just take a moment to remember which notorious Chicago neighborhood the fatherless Rose clawed his way out from. Can you really blame him for looking towards the future betterment of his son? This is obviously a young man that is acutely aware that injury can cut short a career in professional basketball at any time. By the way, the average NBA career is 4.8 years.

Now let’s dissect the “money they’re passing out in this league” comment. It’s almost a year since the NBA announced they had struck a nine year, $24 billion dollar media deal with the powers that be at ESPN and Turner Sports. Under the terms of the new deal, ESPN and Turner will jointly pour $2.6 billion annually into the NBA’s coffers. I’ll give you one guess when that takes effect?

So it would be naive to think that Rose and the other superstar members of the free agent class of 2017 (and of course, their agents) aren’t already factoring that time frame into their financial planning and preparations. Think about the last time you looked towards your next pay rise or holiday bonus. Now, put yourself in Rose’s shoes for a second. At the end of the day he’s just like you and I (all freakish athleticism aside), ultimately us humans tend to be compelled by the power of the almighty dollar.

Now, for those of you still thinking Rose shouldn’t be looking so far ahead, let’s look closer to home, where he just watched his teammate Jimmy Butler sign a $95 million extension. Jimmy bet on himself and it paid off. My money is on Rose to do just the same. Perhaps that’s why he chose to speak on his free agency. Maybe putting it out into the universe is his way of further motivating himself, in a similar vein to the lead up to his MVP season in 2011.

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Of course, Jimmy Butler and a lot of players just like him, have opted to push the topic of money to the side or not speak on free agency publicly. Rose however, has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind or matters that are of importance to him, so why would he start now? At this junction of his career, the continued criticism aimed in his direction for doing so, is simply misguided and an exercise in futility. Simply put, Derrick Rose doesn’t care what his critics think of him.

I guess you can count me in the minority that is glad Rose is candid with his approach towards the media. In this day and age, the transparent professional athlete is all too rare. Remember, it was Rose‘s actions that primarily led to a worldwide spotlight being shone on the death of Eric Garner at the hands of the New York City Police department. If he didn’t express his mind, his NBA peers wouldn’t have followed suit. Give me the athlete every day of the week that values the heart on his sleeve over the designer tag on his clothing.

Lost in the storm yesterday following his comments to the media, was the barely mentioned fact that Rose yet again mentioned his desire to remain a Bull when his contract is up. That’s nothing new for those that have followed his career closely. Time and time again, he’s maintained his goal is to bring a championship to the city he calls home; a championship he most likely still believes is just around the corner.

Bulls general manager Gar Forman said yesterday that Rose “seems like he’s in a great place” and Rose’s own bold proclamation that he’s still a great player also made headlines.

"“I know I’m great,” Rose said. “Some people don’t know I’m great, but that’s cool. … I can’t get mad at how they criticize the way I play or the way I used to play. I know I’m great.”"

Rose has never possessed a boisterous personality nor gone out of his way to attract attention from the media, generally preferring to let his game do the talking for him. When he speaks so confidently, it often catches people off guard. He’s often scrutinized more than most in his position, but make no mistake, he means and believes in what he says.

Let this video serve as further reminder that greatness is coming.

Next: Five takeaways from Bulls Media Day

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