According to ESPN, the Timberwolves have reached out to the Knicks regarding a possible trade involving Derrick Rose. What could this mean for the Wolves?
We all remember how good Derrick Rose used to be; he won the Most Valuable Player award back in 2011 and is still the youngest player to ever receive this honor. That season, he led the Bulls to a 62-20 record.
Of course, that is not the same Derrick Rose that is currently playing. D-Rose, as we all know, has had countless injuries and has no chance of ever fully recovering from those injuries. Rose has even been a problem in the media. He constantly says crazy things like back in the summer when he referred to the Knicks as a “super-team”.
So, he says crazy stuff and is not as good as he once was…what’s the upside?
I’m not here to hate on Derrick Rose; in fact I’m here to do the opposite. I’m here to tell you how this could be good for the Timberwolves. People like to make jokes about Rose and act like he isn’t a good player, but looking at his baseline stats tells you otherwise.
So far this season, Rose is averaging 17.7 points on 46.2 percent shooting. Ricky Rubio (assuming that Rose would be traded for Rubio) is only averaging 8.9 points per game on 38.6 percent shooting. Of course, Rose also only averages 4.5 assists per game.
I know a lot of people might not agree with me, but Ricky Rubio is not who we want leading the Wolves into the playoffs. Rubio is in his sixth season in the league and has never made the playoffs, let alone won a round.
Rose has not only made it to the playoffs, he’s won a series or two. At his peak, he made it to the Conference Finals. In 2014-15, just two seasons ago, Rose took the Bulls to the playoffs as the three-seed in the east with a 50-32 record. The Bulls beat the Bucks in the first round, and then went on to play the Cavs.
This was a big series. In case you don’t remember, the Bulls won two of the first three games. The Cavaliers went on to win in six games before advancing to the NBA Finals, only to lose to the Warriors. In Derrick Rose’s last playoff series (2015) he averaged 21.7 points and 8.2 assists per game.
He even had a game winning shot to remember:
Best angle:
The Bulls were very close to winning that series. The team the Cavs played in the Eastern Conference Finals? Oh, the Hawks. So the Bulls, led by D-Rose just two seasons ago, almost beat LeBron and the Cavs and would have only had the Hawks between them and the NBA Finals.
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This is the same Derrick Rose that plays today. There is not difference in the way he plays now and the way he played then. The only difference that there might be is that it appears as though Derrick Rose is the healthiest he has been in six years.
So, if the Wolves are going to make the playoffs, do we want a point guard who is going to put up eight points and 10 assists in a best-case scenario, or do we want a point guard to score 20 points and eight assists?
Sure, Rubio is a much better passer and defender, but Rose can score the ball and win when it counts. Rose has a will to win and the know how to do so. If I’m a GM and I have to pick between Derrick Rose and Ricky Rubio, I’m taking Rose every time.
I don’t mean to throw shade at Ricky Rubio; he’s a fine point guard. I just know that when many Wolves fans heard the news about seeking Rose, they panicked. There is a bad stigma around Derrick Rose and I’m here to let you know that he just might be the guy we want.
Also, the rumored trade talks are not limited to Rubio and Rose, either. There were talks of the Wolves trading for Iman Shumpert while the Cavaliers are looking for a play-maker. I could see the trade somehow involving Shumpert and Rose to the Wolves, Rubio to the Cavs, and maybe some scraps to the Knicks (as we all know, they can get tricked into anything). And who knows, it could even involve Carmelo Anthony somehow.
Next: Would Trading For Derrick Rose Make Sense For The Wolves?
Next thing you know, you could be hearing “NBA Finals MVP, Derrick Rose of the Minnesota Timberwolves”. Now that would make for a great ESPN 30-For-30, wouldn’t it?