On Friday afternoon, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Cavs point guard Derrick Rose has left the team to “evaluate his future in the NBA.” It’s hard to say what he might be going through, but if the former MVP does choose to step away from basketball, he would be losing $70 million dollars from Adidas.
Rose and Adidas have collaborated on eight signature shoes over the years. As long as he continues playing in the NBA, the company is contractually obligated to produce them.
As most hoops fans know, Rose, now 29 years of age, has dealt with several injuries over the course of his nine-year career in the NBA. This season, the former Memphis Tigers standout suffered an ankle injury, which has kept him out of commission to this day. Coach Lue was expecting Rose to miss at least two more weeks of action.
While his current absence from the team is said to be excused, one source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that Rose is “tired of being hurt and it’s taking a toll on him mentally.”
In his seven games played for the Cavs this season, Rose has turned in averages of 14.3 points on 47 percent shooting from the field (23.1 percent from beyond the arc), 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
The Cavs, who host the Charlotte Hornets at 8:00 p.m. on Friday night, will just have to keep their “next man up” mentality alive.