Getty Bulls head coach Billy Donovan
The Chicago Bulls have been urged to trade for a former MVP and three-time All-Star.
On September 27th, former NBA guard Brandon Jennings tweeted that the Bulls “should bring back” Derrick Rose.
Bulls should bring back D Rose
Rose currently plays for the New York Knicks. The Chicago native appeared in 406 games with his hometown team from 2008-09 to 2015-16, averaging 19.7 points and 6.2 assists. Rose became the youngest MVP during the 2010-11 season and guided the Bulls to the best record in the NBA. The Memphis product is eighth in franchise history in field goals, fifth in assists, 10th in points and eighth in points per game.
A three-time All-Star, Rose would have accumulated more stats with the Bulls if he didn’t tear his left ACL on April 28th, 2012. The 2008-09 Rookie of the Year missed the entire 2012-13 season recovering from his ACL surgery. Rose underwent a total of four surgeries while he played for the Bulls, who traded the fan favorite to the Knicks in the summer of 2016.
Bulls Need Another Point Guard
The Bulls need another point guard since Lonzo Ball will be out for the foreseeable future. The UCLA product, who will undergo another arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in Los Angeles, told reporters on September 27th that he can’t run or jump without feeling pain in his knee.
“There was a point where we would warm up and stuff and I would go through certain days and it would be fine,” Ball said. “Then whenever I got to real basketball activities, I just couldn’t do it. Unfortunately, this is what’s at hand and has to be dealt with. We feel like surgery again is the best option.”
Ball only appeared in 35 games last season for the Bulls, who lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. The 24-year-old averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc. Chicago went 22-13 in Ball’s 35 appearances.
The Bulls signed Goran Dragic in the summer and have Alex Caruso, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu at the point guard spot. However, adding Rose could be beneficial since he’s still an electric scorer and playmaker when he’s healthy. During the 2021 playoffs, the Windy City Assassin averaged 19.4 points and 5.0 assists for the Knicks while shooting 47.6% from the field and 47.1% from 3-point range.
Rose Is Healthy Again
Rose told Knicks reporters on September 26th that he’s 100% again after undergoing two ankle surgeries last season. The former Bulls star played in just 26 games in 2021-22.
Derrick Rose says he is 100 percent healthy now.
Rose, who turns 34 in October, will make $14.5 million this season. He signed a three-year, $43.6 million contract with the Knicks in the summer of 2021. Since Rose was born and raised in Chicago and won an MVP with the Bulls, he is adored by fans in the Windy City. Whenever he comes back to the United Center, Rose gets a standing ovation when he checks into the game and receives MVP chants at the free-throw line.
“Every game I play back in Chi I remember, because it’s love,” Rose wrote in his 2019 book, I’ll Show You. “I loved it because the people really came out. Even when they talked s*** about me, I know it’s only basketball … The ‘MVP’ chants were amazing. I always appreciate the love because Chi made me the man I am right now; my family is there. It’s great having that feeling of the crowd. It’s home.”
Multiple teams called the Knicks in the summer attempting to trade for Rose, but New York wasn’t interested in moving him, sources told Heavy.com.