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BOBBY MOTUS
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Thursday, March 15, 2018
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IN HIS only collegiate season, he led the Memphis Tigers to 2008 US NCAA title. But that title under Coach John Calipari was stripped from Memphis because he was found to be academically unqualified. He applied for that year’s rookie draft and was picked number one by Chicago in the 2008 Draft in a class that included Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan, Goran Dragic, and Serge Ibaka, among others.
Derrick Rose immediately showed that he belongs to the roll of the league’s elite point guards when he won the Rookie of the Year honors. His second year was the start of his three consecutive All-Star appearances. Under Coach Tom Thibodeau, he became the youngest player at 22 to win league MVP in 2011, his third season in the league. Averaging 25 points, almost eight assists and four rebounds per game, he guided the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals during that season.
With impressive the credentials, Adidas then signed D-Rose to a multiyear, $180 million-plus signature apparel line contract, which was at that time the richest endorsement deal in sports. The company planned to pair him with Dwight Howard as their marketing dynamic duo.
Turned out it was a wrong move by the brand with three stripes because of recurring leg injuries which started during their 2012 playoff run where he tore his ACL and prevented him from playing the following season. That year (2014), rival company Nike showed a combined $640 million sales from top endorsers LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. D-Rose’s signature line only had sales of $32 million. Howard’s was more pitiful with $1.5 million. With his contract expiring and the emergence of a younger Jimmy Butler with whom he had frequently feuded, Rose was sent to New York.
He missed the preseason with his new team as he was in Los Angeles dealing with a court case over allegations of rape. Things did not turn out well in his single season with the Knicks as he was critical of their defensive strategies and overall effort. He was also fed up with Phil Jackson’s insistence of the triangle offense.
The following year, D-Rose was dealt to Cleveland on a one year, veteran’s minimum contract but has only played in 16 games because of an ankle injury and only averaging less than 10 points per game. Sent to Utah in February in a three-team deal, he was waived by the Jazz two days later until he was signed by the Wolves recently.
There’s a reunion in Minnesota with coach Thibodeau and former Bulls Butler, Taj Gibson and Aaron Brooks, who all played together under Thibs in Chicago in 2014. If we include Jamal Crawford who was with Chicago when joined the league in 2004, that’s five former Bulls with the Wolves. As per D-Rose on his new/former teammates and coach, “I’ve been in battle with them for years. It’s comfortable, I’m very comfortable here and usually when I’m comfortable I play well.”
In his Minnesota debut, he was in the game for six and a half minutes as a backup to Jeff Teague, contributed 2 points, two assists and a rebound in their win over the Golden State Warriors. He could be seeing more minutes in the team’s remaining games as Butler is indefinitely out with a torn meniscus.
I hope that we will be seeing a revitalized Derrick Rose back to his MVP-caliber days while playing with the Wolves and had patched things up with Butler. Still 29 years old, the nine-year vet compiled career averages of 19.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 34.2 minutes in 486 career games with 476 starts while playing for the Bulls, Knicks and Cavs.
Meanwhile, Adidas will try to scrutinize the fine prints on their D-Rose shoe deal maybe to get a few years off on that large contract. At least the company is doing well with James Harden, Damian Lillard, John Wall, Andrew Wiggins, and young stars Kristaps Porzingis, Joel Embiid, Larry Nance, Jr., Brandon Ingram, and Jaylen Brown.
For shoe geeks, if Adidas is your trip, the D-Rose line is well designed and still available on the market at a discounted price./PN
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