Reggie Rose Explains Decision To Sit Derrick Rose For Season
(CBS) When Derrick Rose was cleared to return to action in March, 11 months after suffering an ACL tear in his right knee, few understood why the former MVP opted to sit out the remainder of the season.
Was there something structurally wrong with his knee? Was it pressure from Adidas? Was there some type of rift between Rose and the Bulls front office?
The Rose camp was quiet, offering only that Derrick wasn't ready to return, even though doctors made it clear that the final step in the recovery process was playing in NBA games.
Now, in an interview with K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Rose's older brother Reggie explained the decision to forego the entire season.
"We couldn't base his whole career on one year," Reggie Rose said. "We look at the longevity of it. Derrick is going into his fifth year. I think Derrick should probably be able to play 15 to 18 years. So it was like why take a gamble on one year when we can make sure that he's all right and have him for the next 10 years? That was ultimately the decision we made as a team after he tried to get back. And we just stuck with it."
Reggie insisted Rose will be ready when the Bulls open up the season in October.
"He'll come back at the level he was at before, and he's going to have a better jump shot when he comes back," Reggie Rose said. "He does a whole lot of shooting drills. He used to put up a lot of shots with (assistant) Coach (Ron) Adams. Unfortunately, Coach Adams isn't here anymore. That was kind of like his shooting buddy. And Coach Adams did a great job all last year and basically since he was in Chicago before the Bulls let him go."
