On Monday afternoon, the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers officially welcomed three-time NBA All-Star Derrick Rose to the team. Rose, a 28-year-old point guard by trade, agreed to the terms of a one year, $2.1 million deal.
Most hoops fans, especially the Cavaliers faithful, remember Rose’s rise to prominence with his native Chicago Bulls. After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 Draft, the former Memphis Tiger went on to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award for his spectacular play in the 2010-11 season, becoming the youngest player in history to be given the distinguished title.
Since losing to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals in five games, both Rose and the Bulls have failed to make it so deep into the playoff bracket. Why did the Bulls fall off, you ask? One of the biggest reasons was the injuries Rose sustained (ACL, torn meniscus). Those setbacks simply led to a lot of down-time and recovery.
There was a time, however, when Rose was asked by a Bulls team executive to recruit James when he was a free agent. If you’re one of his fans or followers, you’ll know that Rose is one of the more reserved players in the association, so he basically wanted no part in trying to lure LeBron to Chicago. In fact, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Bulls had to plead with Rose to reach out to James.
“Derrick Rose loathed the idea of recruiting LeBron James,” Woj writes in his recent article.
“In Rose’s mind, he was available to answer whatever questions James had about joining the Bulls in free agency. Chase him? The world was changing rapidly, and Rose wanted no part. The prospect of pitching praise on a fierce rival felt distasteful, desperate. Perhaps this was becoming common practice, but that made it no easier for Rose.”
Rose finally sent James a text message, but as everyone in the basketball-loving universe knows, the King ultimately decided to “take his talents to South Beach” instead. Since then, James has come home to Northeast Ohio, where he’s led the Cavs to three straight Finals appearances and an NBA title. Now, after all of this time, the two stars will be teammates.
