A fourth knee surgery has not changed Derrick Rose’s opinion of his place in the NBA.
He still believe he ranks among the league’s best.
From the Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds:
Here’s what Rose hopes people know, or at least soon know: He believes he’s still among the NBA elite. So for Rose, this season alongside LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers is a reset, maybe a redemption, maybe even a reinvention. He made $21 million last season; he’ll make about $2 million this season after signing for the minimum , even after averaging 18 points with the dysfunctional New York Knicks a year ago.
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Rose knows people doubt whether he can still play. He doesn’t share those doubts. And though he won’t say so, he wouldn’t mind proving some wrong.
“When I get on a good team and I’m still hooping the same way, what are you going to say then?” Rose said. “The only thing that you’ll can say is that I can still play.”
Reynolds’ entire piece—an exclusive–is worth a read. It provides some additional insight into Rose’s character. And, truthfully, the point guard’s stance isn’t a surprising one, not even after he settled for the veteran’s minimum when the initial goal, way back when, was to get another max contract.
Professional athletes have the utmost confidence in themselves. That’s why they are where they are and make what they make. Rose, a former MVP still on the right side of 30, isn’t about to showcase doubt himself. But his future is iffy at best. Right now, he’s not among the NBA’s elite. Not even close. People point to his 18 points per game last season as some sort of renaissance. It’s not. Point guards who can’t shoot threes, don’t move the defensive or rebounding needles and have yet to prove they make their teammates measurably better will not figure prominently into any good team’s plans. And Rose’s best skills, his driving and scoring, aren’t all that hard to find in better doses.
Maybe playing on the Cavaliers will reinvigorate him. If the Kyrie Irving trade goes through, and Isaiah Thomas isn’t ready to begin next season, he’ll have a chance to rebuild some of his stock. But we’ve been having this conversation for almost a half-decade, and Rose has neither changed his game nor remained healthy enough to suggest he’ll ever get back to an elite level. Watching him try to buck that perception in Cleveland, a legitimate powerhouse, will be intriguing.
