Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Rose is the man now

The Jimmy Butler saga has finally come to an end for the Minnesota Timberwolves. So, does that mean that Derrick Rose is the man now in Minneapolis?

On Friday night at 11 p.m., the Minnesota Timberwolves officially released this year’s Prince-inspired City edition merchandise, to the delight of many basketball fans in Minnesota and around the world.

Within just a few hours, the Derrick Rose version of the jersey was sold out. It cleared out so fast that the Timberwolves team store had to release a tweet at 8:48 on Saturday morning to announce that the D-Rose jerseys had been restocked (before they sold out again).

Even LeBron James wanted a Derrick Rose City Edition jersey when they were first announced.

It’s no secret that the 30-year-old point guard has captured the hearts and the attention of the Minnesota faithful, returning to the team for the 2018-19 season on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract. But going into this year, who could have foreseen that Rose would eventually ascend to the position of face of the franchise?

Rose is already just four games away from reaching the total amount of games he played in for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season (16). He’s undergone four major knee surgeries over his 10-year career, and returned to the same team to start the season that he finished the previous one with for the first time since 2015.

His loyalty was called into question when he played 10 games in two years for Chicago and again when he disappeared from the Knicks organization without warning over a “family issue.” Then, he left the Cavaliers for a stretch last year.

And now, in 2018, another important number has popped up in the career of Derrick Rose: 50. On Halloween night at Target Center, Derrick Rose took the sporting world by storm by hanging 50 points on the Utah Jazz in a huge Wolves win.

In one game, Rose went from being a sentimental token on the Timberwolves bench to a member of Minnesota sportslore. And now, with Jimmy Butler gone, Rose does not have to seek the crown of leadership, for the crown has been thrust upon him.

He unites the locker room instead of dividing it, and he does it by walking the walk. Last week, the veteran Rose told Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press:

"“Being in this position, it’s all about leading by example and just being in their ear,” he said, “because we have a young team.”"

And his teammates, unlike the seemingly popular opinion when it comes to the recently-departed Jimmy Butler, respect Derrick Rose and love playing with him. After Rose’s 50-point night, Karl-Anthony Towns said,“We all love him. We don’t like him; we love him. I love that guy as a brother.”

Derrick Rose has not only become a leader and a mentor to the young players on this team, but with Jimmy Butler gone, the time is now for Derrick Rose to shed the role of veteran-on-the-bench and become the starter that the Timberwolves need.

I wrote last week how Butler was getting most of his help from an unlikely Derrick Rose. Now minus Butler, Rose is second on the team in scoring at 18.8 points per game, second in assists with an average of 4.7 per game, and he leads the team in 3-point percentage, according to ESPN.

According to Bryan Kalbrosky at Hoops Hype, the best three-man offensive lineup this season for the Timberwolves has been Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague, and Andrew Wiggins, leading statistically with an offensive rating of 143.1. Rose, Wiggins, and Towns are second statistically with an offensive rating of 120.2.

In regards to leadership qualities, statistics, and redemption, Rose has had a storybook season so far. And we are all waiting with baited breath as the sporting world hopes that Rose can navigate this season healthy.

This will be Andrew Wiggins’ team or Karl-Anthony Towns’ team one day soon. But for now, Derrick Rose is the man in Minnesota.