Derrick Rose has been in the news a lot lately, what with the alleged sexual assault and the broken orbital bone suffered in practice. First-year coach Fred Hoiberg is still hoping for Rose’s return before October 27, when the Bulls open their season against archrival Cleveland and LeBron James.
However, the Bulls might need to cut their losses with Derrick Rose and start to rebuild from the point guard out. Rose is undoubtedly talented, but that talent is not worth much on the bench. With 14 injuries, the 2011 League MVP has played in only 113 of 359 games in the last four seasons. He really hasn’t been able to contribute to the Bull’s somewhat debatable success over that period.
CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28: of the Chicago Bulls of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the United Center on April 28, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the 76ers 103-91.(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Chicago has a lot of valuable pieces in place, to include a solid bench line up. However the guaranteed money paid to Rose could buy Chicago a valuable point guard who’s sitting on someone’s bench, who’s good at distributing the ball, and will give them 12 points and 6 assists a night. It’s better to have a durable point guard who’s in the lineup rather than paying money for a player who has proven to be very fragile and simply has not been there during the Bull’s time of need.
Take your chances, Chicago, and move on without the 2011 MVP. It’s not personal for the home town Chicago hero, who keeps the hometown fans coming out, but fans also want to see the team advance in the NBA Playoffs.
CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 17: Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls watches his teammates from the bench during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the United Center on March 17, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The Thunder defeated the Bulls 97-85. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Good Luck Chicago in supporting Derrick Rose while your team needs healing as well. The team’s healing will come from a point guard who can be there every night. Whether he’s distributing the ball or playing lockdown defense, it’s good to have the player’s presence on the court rather than on the injured list.
During NBA regular seasons, teams aren’t permitted to carry more than 15 players on their rosters, except in rare instances. Generally, when a club with 15 players on its roster acquires a new player, it must waive someone to clear a spot. In the offseason, however, teams are permitted to carry up to 20 players on their rosters, as the Bull’s current roster below shows.
Roster from http://espn.go.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/chi/chicago-bulls
| NAME | COLLEGE or COUNTRY | POS | AGE | HT | WT | 2015-16 SALARY |
| Jake Anderson | Iowa State | PG | 28 | 6-2 | 205 | $525,093 |
| Cameron Bairstow | New Mexico | PF | 24 | 6-9 | 250 | $845,059 |
| Aaron Brooks | Oregon | PG | 30 | 6-0 | 161 | $2,250,000 |
| Jimmy Butler | Marquette | SG | 26 | 6-7 | 220 | $16,407,500 |
| Jordan Crawford | Xavier | SG | 26 | 6-4 | 195 | $947,276 |
| Cristiano Da Silva Felicio | Brazil | PF | 23 | 6-10 | 275 | $525,093 |
| Mike Dunleavy | Duke | SG | 35 | 6-9 | 230 | $4,500,000 |
| Pau Gasol | Spain | PF | 35 | 7-0 | 250 | $7,448,760 |
| Taj Gibson | USC | PF | 30 | 6-9 | 225 | $8,500,000 |
| Stefhon Hannah | Missouri | PG | 30 | 6-1 | 175 | Not Known |
| Kirk Hinrich | Kansas | SG | 34 | 6-4 | 190 | $2,854,940 |
| Doug McDermott | Creighton | SF | 23 | 6-8 | 225 | $2,380,440 |
| Nikola Mirotic | Spain | PF | 24 | 6-10 | 220 | $5,543,725 |
| Nazr Mohammed | Kentucky | C | 38 | 6-10 | 250 | $1,448,490 |
| E’Twaun Moore | Purdue | SG | 26 | 6-4 | 191 | $1,015,421 |
| Joakim Noah | Florida | C | 30 | 6-11 | 232 | $13,400,000 |
| Bobby Portis | Arkansas | PF | 20 | 6-11 | 230 | $1,391,160 |
| Derrick Rose | Memphis | PG | 26 | 6-3 | 190 | $20,093,064 |
| Marcus Simmons | USC | G | 0 | 6-6 | 220 | $525,093 |
| Tony Snell | New Mexico | SF | 23 | 6-7 | 200 | $1,535,880 |
| Coach: Fred Hoiberg $25,000,000 for 5 Years | ||||||
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LAWRENCE NORMAN, call sign Sarge, is a basketball fanatic with Texas ties and a retired Army senior NCO who loves to talk and write “smack” about basketball. Works for the VA in the Education Division in St. Louis. BA degree in progress from Columbia College.