Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose took a leave of absence to contemplate his future in the NBA on Nov. 22, and when he might return was the question most fans of the team were asking.
Rose returned to the Cavs on Dec. 4. Some analysts thought the former MVP might have been dealing with a bout of depression, but he recently cleared that up.
In an interview with The Undefeated, Rose, now 28 years of age, said he is glad the team “let him be” during his time away.
“They just left me alone,” Rose told Marc Spears of The Undefeated. “They let me be. I’m grateful to be in this situation to be around my teammates, [general manager] Koby [Altman], the franchise and the front office. It shows that they really care about me. They are happy I’m on the team.”
Rose was then asked what sort of support he received from LeBron James.
“He didn’t have to say anything,” Rose said. “It’s all about me coming in and them knowing I want to be a part of the team too. I think they know I want to play in games too. I want to be in the heat of the moment too. It’s all about taking my time and just being smart about it.”
Without a doubt, Rose is a feisty competitor. In his 64 games played for the New York Knicks last season, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 Draft turned in averages of 18.0 points on 47 percent shooting from the field, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds.
When Rose might be able to re-join his new teammates in an actual game setting remains to be seen. With this sort of mentality, it won’t be long.