It has been obvious for quite some time now to the rest of the NBA that Derrick Rose neither is or will ever be the player he once was before numerous knee injuries.
The incredibly explosive guard who could get up and down the floor at breakneck pace and explode to the rim and finish over or around any defender at will no longer exists.
Derrick Rose is currently averaging 13-5-3 on 37% shooting from the field, 22% shooting from three point range and 69% from the free-throw in what has been his first truly healthy season since 2011-12.
A far cry from the MVP caliber numbers he put up from 2009-2012 when he averaged 22-7-4, won a league MVP and shot 46% from the field.
When you take a deeper look though, you see just how far Rose has fallen from grace and how has devolved into more of a hindrance for the Bulls.
Here are a few eye opening numbers:
– Rose is ranked 417th out of 420 qualifying players in plus/minus rating as the Bulls are -5.26 points worse per 110 offensive and defensive positions with Rose on the court as opposed to when Rose is on the bench.
-His PER (Player Efficiency Rating) is 9.9 which is ranked in the 300s and is far lower than his career high of 23.5 in his MVP season in 2010-11.
-His VORP (Value Over Replacement Player rating is -0.3 which is 416th out of 432 qualifying players and the only current NBA starters who have a worse rating in this category are Kobe Byrant, Kevin Martin, Emmanuel Mudiay, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor.
-His field goal percentage is 37% for the season and only four players who average over 10 shots per game have shot a worse percentage: Emmanuel Mudiay (31%), Kobe Bryant (33%), Joe Johnson (36%) and Wes Matthews (36%).
Rose still has his throwback nights where he looks explosive and gets to the rim with ease but those are few and far between and as sad as it sounds the Bulls may need to cut ties with him and try to trade him while has some appeal and potential trade value left if they want to truly compete in the eastern conference.
As a basketball fan it is a shame for the game that Derrick Rose is a shell of his former self and it’s a tough pill to swallow for Rose, the Bulls organization and the NBA community but it’s time for the Bulls to face reality and cut ties with Rose.
