Should The Bulls Move On From Derrick Rose?

CHICAGO, IL — Point guard Derrick Rose has gone from beloved son to sob story, to an inspiring comeback figure, to much maligned target during his six seasons in Chicago. He’s won a Rookie of the Year award, an MVP, suffered through multiple catastrophic knee injuries, other assorted ailments (including a fractured orbital bone and hamstring/knee issues this season), and play that has run the gamut from extraordinary, to pedestrian, to frustratingly passive.

His free agency looms in 2017 — should the Bulls move on?

Why They Should Let Him Go

The Bulls will be on the hook for $21 million next year. Rose is being paid like a top ten player (No. 9, to be exact), but he certainly isn’t performing like one. Now you can’t fault the man for collecting his paycheck-certainly pre-injury Derrick Rose was worth that kind of money- but Rose should not be given max money in his next contract without performing at a maximum contract level. Rose is off to a sluggish 2015-2016 season, currently 255 in PER among qualified players at 10.44, and averaging a career low 14 points per game.

That’s simply not good enough.

The salary cap is expected to explode in the coming years, and from his comments made to the media, Rose is looking to get a piece of that pie. That’s fine–the man’s livelihood is basketball, and given his injury history, it is understandable he wants to get paid while still (relatively healthy). That means a lot of teams will have a lot of money to throw around and Rose would be a nice piece for a team that could use a veteran point guard with some scoring punch; even with his injury history, Rose will garner a lot of interest should he become a free agent. Can the Bulls afford to give him a max-level contract and still attract other max-level star? Probably not.

Additionally, Chicago also has another legitimate NBA star already on their roster in guard Jimmy Butler. He’s the Bulls best player hands down, a legitimate top ten individual defender, good for about a steal a game, and the most consistent Bulls scorer the past two seasons. He has been adament about being a leader this season, more vocal in both on the court and off it, as evidenced by his comments about head coach Fred Hoiberg. Butler has backed up his words with his play, recently scoring 40 points in a half against Toronto Raptors (breaking Michael Jordan’s franchise record), singlehandedly willing the Bulls to a win. At only 26 years old, Butler is a player the Bulls can build around.

Besides basketball reasons, Butler is arguably more marketable (a heartwarming story of overcoming adversity), more articulate, and could very easily be the face of the franchise, but it will be hard to make that transition with Rose still in house (look at LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard and the strained relationship that affected the TrailBlazers).

Can the two co-exist? Possibly. Winning solves a lot of problems, losing often exacerbates them. Another exit at the hands of the Cavaliers could lead to a roster shakeup, and nothing would signal a bigger change than moving on from a former face of the franchise.

Why They Should Keep Him

There is little to no organizational depth behind him at the point guard position. Kirk Hinrich keeps on playing, and is capable of doing so at a high level, but his body will betray him if he gets over-used. E’Tuan Moore has nice size and plays solid defense, but his ceiling seems to be that of a role player. Aaron Brooks has been hampered by injuries, and though his scoring punch and three point shooting is nice, he lacks the size to be a starting point guard night-in and night-out in the NBA.

Rose can still be a very good point guard. He may not have the raw athleticism he once had, but he still has elite quickness and speed, an array of floaters, layups, push shots at his disposal that may eventually start to go in, as they have during his recent stretch of better play. He can shoot the three on occasion, and has been noticeably more competitive on the defensive end of the floor this year. In theory, the Hoiberg system is one Rose should flourish in, (though the Bulls have yet to click for more than a quarter at a time), and so perhaps in a few month’s time, Rose will be looking at comeback player of the year award. It would take, however, a substantial turnaround in order to achieve that.

Depth is a problem that could be addressed through the draft, free agency, or a trade (just kidding on the latter, not with Gar-Pax at the helm), but there’s no guarantee any of those options will be better than Rose (look at Marcus Teague). Of those options likely to be available, how many have the credentials Rose has, in addition to only being 27 years old? No one has ever questioned Rose’s work ethic, only the ability of his body to hold up. If he stays healthy, Rose could be an integral piece in a championship caliber team even without the breathtaking athleticism that made him a star.

 

VERDICT:

Derrick Rose should be paid according to how he plays. While it may be simpler for the Bulls to cut their losses and build around Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose wants to play in Chicago. Perhaps he’s willing to take a smaller deal to stay in the city he loves; perhaps he rounds into form, regains his shooting touch, and co-leads Chicago to that elusive victory over whatever team LeBron happens to be on come playoff time. But paying based on what he has done in previous years, or paying him based on the assumption he will regain some of his prior form, is asking for disappointment.