Bulls need to bring Derrick Rose home |
Over the past several days, there has been some good news and Bad news coming out of the Bulls camp. Starting with the bad, it was revealed by Arturas Karnisovas during draft night that he doesn't expect Lonzo Ball to return this season. That means entering the third year of his contract, the Bulls will have had Ball on the floor for less than 40 games as his career is now in jeopardy.
That puts the Bulls in a challenging position as they enter a second straight season without a starting PG, and you saw how much that affected them last season. This is where the good news comes in; unless we see it for ourselves, it is hard to believe. According to AK, the Reinsdorf family has signed off on him going above the Luxury Tax in free agency, which could mean more moves are coming than initially expected. One of those moves better be adding a PG to replace Ball unless the Bulls want to enter the season with Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White splitting the reps. Let's say the Bulls are in the market for a PG. Fred VanVleet should be at the top of their list, but they will unlikely pay what he is asking. However, that wouldn't be the end of the road, as the Bulls would have additional options. Retaining Patrick Beverley could be one of those options. I know this may not be a sexy pickup, but the Bulls were 14-8 after acquiring him last season, and he loves playing for his hometown team. Beverley is very similar to Ball in what he brings to the table, but he lacks the scoring the Bulls would like to have in a PG. If Beverley is retained, don't expect him to be the last pickup Chicago makes, as they will also be looking to add talent around him. That could include another veteran PG off the bench which is where Derrick Rose comes into play. After the Knicks elected to decline his $15 million dollar option for the upcoming season, Rose is once again a free agent, and now is the perfect time to bring him back for a reunion. This has been an ongoing topic for the last several seasons, as his tenure with the Bulls ended sooner than expected and ended on a sour note. After a series of knee injuries slowed down what was a promising career, it took Rose a little while to reinvent himself as a player, but he has now come off of a few nice seasons as a role player. That would fit perfectly with the Bulls and their current direction while also bringing with him the veteran leadership they lack. According to recent reports from Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski, Rose is viewed to be coveted by four teams and listed the Celtics, Suns, Lakers, and Bulls as the favorites to land him. When you look at that list, the Celtics make sense, given what their roster looks like and Rose's role. The Suns could be a close second, with the Lakers and Bulls being a distant third. When it comes to the Bulls, Rose may be getting to that point in his career where he wants to come home and retire with the team that initially drafted him. Rose is not the player he once was when he earned Rookie of the Year in 2009-2010 and then followed that up with an MVP to become the Youngest MVP in the history of the NBA. Having a series of devastating knee injuries will do that to you. However, Rose is still valuable to this team even if he doesn't produce at the level he once did. After playing in fewer than 51 games for the first time since 2016, Rose will be fresh after the offseason and eager to prove he has a little bit left in the tank. This is someone who has found a home coming off the bench, but you can also give him starting minutes if you need him to. Most importantly, he is a veteran who can mentor the young guys while also understanding the history and culture of the Bulls organization. If the Bulls ever wanted to bring him back, now is the time to do it, and the Bulls owe him that to let him retire at home.
