Tuesday 05th November 2024,
The Hoop Doctors

Michael Carter-Williams Won’t Wear No. 1 with Bulls to Avoid Derrick Rose Controversy

milwaukee-bucks-michael-carter-williams-hip-injury
Michael Carter-Williams is a smart man.

Soon after his trade to the Chicago Bulls became official, it also became official that the team was going to let him wear No. 1, Derrick Rose’s old number, per Sean Highkin of the Athletic:

https://twitter.com/highkin/status/788135729830297600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Some tiny level of hysteria naturally ensued.

How could the Bulls do that? Rose has only been gone a few months? Sure, he didn’t turn out to be Michael Jordan’s heir apparent, but shouldn’t Chicago still retire his number?

On and on it went, until Carter-Williams took matters into his own hands.

First, there was this not-so-cryptic tweet:

And then came news of an official change, per Chuck Garfien of CSN Chicago:

Look, there really shouldn’t be an issue. Rose, who is still facing a civil trial levied by an ex-girlfriend who says the point guard and two of his friends sexually assaulted her, didn’t do enough with the Bulls overall to warrant his jersey being retired. There was a two to four year period during which he was supposed to bring them back to the mountaintop, but then injuries derailed said euphoria swiftly and completely.

Yes, that’s unfair. And yes, the Bulls could get away with retiring Rose’s number if they wanted to. If they don’t, they should be allowed to give it away to whomever they please.

That, of course, won’t stop people from being pissed off or talking about it, which is why, for Carter-Williams’ sake, he was smart to put distance between himself and this should-be non-issue.

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