Derrick Rose should be the Timberwolves sixth man
If the Timberwolves seriously want Derrick Rose this offseason, they should consider making him the sixth man.
The rumors of a Tom Thibodeau/ Derrick Rose reunion have followed the Minnesota Timberwolves for over a year now. For the record, I am against adding Derrick Rose… as a starter. If Thibodeau is intent on bringing Rose to Minnesota, he should consider recruiting him as a sixth man.
With the arrival of Jimmy Butler, the front office has shown that they are all in on building a contender right now. In order to become a well-rounded contender, an area the team must address is the bench.
Last year the Timberwolves ranked dead last in bench efficiency. Their leading bench scorer, Shabazz Muhammad, is set to become a free agent on July 1st. Tom Thibodeau and the front office will most likely elect to let Muhammad walk due to his inconsistency.
With the departure of players like Nikola Pekovic, the Timberwolves will have close to 20 million in cap room this free agency. Assuming the front office elects to stick with Ricky Rubio, the focus should be on rebuilding the bench.
This is where Derrick Rose comes in.
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According to Marc Berman, league executives think that Derrick’s value is in the $10 million-$12 million range. New York has shown interest in re-signing Rose, but also just drafted a point guard in this year’s draft.
Imagine for a second if Thibodeau could swing bringing in his former MVP for a team friendly deal. Let’s say Rose signs a three-year contract for $9 million per year. This would leave the Timberwolves with roughly eleven million left in cap to add more pieces.
Derrick Rose was ranked 44th in assist totals with 4.4 assists per game last season. So setting Rose as a starter would be an absolute disaster. However, if the Timberwolves set him on the bench he can be a more consistent scoring option for the second unit.
If Derrick Rose were to sign for a deal in that team friendly ballpark, the Timberwolves could shift their focus to 3-point shooters.
Guys such as C. J. Miles, Joe Ingles, Jodie Meeks, and Kyle Korver could all be had in Thib’s price range. By adding one or two of these guys the Timberwolves would finally address a glaring hole going into next season.
By making Derrick Rose a sixth man he could thrive for the Timberwolves.
This move would benefit the team, and allow Thibodeau to make another reunion happen. Although this move wouldn’t be the most attractive to most Timberwolves fans, it’s one that could end up making a ton of sense.
Adding a player of Rose’s caliber would allow for some bench flexibility as well. Imagine for a second that the Timberwolves sign a pair of the aforementioned shooters.
The bench could look like Rose, Meeks, Miles, Bjelica, and Aldrich/Patton. Or Thibodeau could run a two point guard set and put Tyus at the point with Rose as the off guard.
The bottom line is that if the front office is intent on bringing Rose in then they need to make sure they do it in a way that benefits the team.
Am I the biggest Derrick Rose fan? No.
Do I think that in a sixth man position he could help us? Absolutely.
The bottom line is that Derrick Rose has been in the spotlight and helped win big games. The young Timberwolves need more veterans and this guy happens to have a special connection with our fearless leader, Tom Thibodeau.
Next: Minnesota Timberwolves free agency needs
I would love to see the Timberwolves pull the trigger on a huge name like Kyle Lowry, or Paul Millsap. However, the bench is a real area of concern and this may be the way to fix it.