The Derrick Rose Roller Coaster never stops. Thankfully for Bulls fans, it relocated from Chicago to New York last spring. In the wake of his recent mysterious disappearance earlier this week, Rose's name has been plastered on headlines nationwide. We've learned that he experienced some kind of emotional breakdown and flew home to Chicago to be with his mother.
He returned to New York on Tuesday and met with the media at the Knicks' practice facility. Derrick didn't give any further details about what happened, just that he needed to be with his family. The Knicks fined Rose but did not suspend him, and coach Jeff Hornacek said that he plans to start the former MVP in their game against Philadelphia Wednesday night. Rose denied in his media session that there's a growing rift with his coach, despite recent reports that he was upset about a recent 4th quarter benching.
After all that, the PR nightmare continues for Rose.
Money
Earlier today, ESPN Knicks reporter Ian Begley published a column that revealed a dirty secret about Rose; one that couldn't have come at a worse time from a PR perspective. Here's an excerpt from that report: "Before this incident, Rose made it clear he’d welcome a long-term deal with New York. The Knicks were said to be keeping an open mind about a long-term relationship with Rose, but the trust that has eroded between the point guard and the organization will surely factor into any decision the club makes. And then there is the potential price tag. Some close to Rose have told friends he will seek a max contract this summer. For Rose, that pact would be for five years and nearly $150 million." - Ian Begley 5 years and $150 million? Even with the extreme spike in the salary cap this season, and another expected jump to $102 million next season, everyone knows Rose isn't worth that kind of money. The Knicks don't have an abundance of cap space. Signing Derrick to a max deal would eat up almost all of what they project to have available this summer. As Knicks fans look at their team's money situation and Rose's mediocre production on the court this season, they must be laughing at such a ridiculous idea. To quote Dr. Evil, "How 'bout no?" Speaking of Knicks fans, another ESPN analyst weighed in on the Rose situation today, and he made it perfectly clear what will happen next for the former MVP. [USE ARROWS ABOVE TO CONTINUE READING]He Gone
Stephen A. Smith joined the guys of Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio this morning. When asked what he expects to happen next in the ongoing Rose saga, Smith give Knicks President Phil Jackson his two cents."I expect him to complete his season with the new york knicks and be up out of here...Derrick Rose is a really nice guy if you talk to him, he's a pleasant individual...But the one knock against him is that he's been entirely too sensitive." - Stephen A. SmithSounds like Rose's bloom in the Garden will be over after just one year. Smith continued to hammer Rose for his poor decision making and weak will.
Assuming that the Knicks decide to part ways with Rose, he will likely have multiple free agency suitors despite his declined level of play. But it's hard to imagine any of those suitors offering the 28 year old a max deal. Between the knee surgeries, the PR nightmares and the mediocre stats, he's worth nowhere near that kind of money."You are a professional athlete. You are a grown man...There's simply no excuse-unless you were incapacitated-I don't care what your emotional state of mind was. You have a job...Think about a teenager that has a job but doesn't want to go to work or something happens. What do they do? They pick up the phone. They tell somebody. For Derrick Rose not to do that was bad enough." "You are a professional, but you come across as a bit weak. That's just intolerable when you talk about a guy making the kind of money that he's making. He doesn't give you the impression that he's somebody that can be relied upon...all because of his mental makeup." - Stephen A. Smith
