Derrick Rose: I don't deserve All-Star nod, 'missed too many games'
When All-Star starters were announced Thursday, two Chicago Bulls took notice, albeit for different reasons.
While Jimmy Butler - who was roughly 81,000 votes shy of being named to the East's starting back court - has a legitimate bone to pick for being relegated to a possible star-studded bench (looking at you, Dwyane Wade), he need not fret about his All-Star status, as he's considered a mortal lock to make the mid-season showcase in Toronto.
Derrick Rose, on the other hand, had a different reaction to the final tally of fan votes.
Asked if he was bothered by the lack of support he received from voters and his omission from true All-Star contention, Rose - whose 302,389 votes placed him seventh among Eastern Conference guards and 262,248 behind Butler - was honest.
"Nah," he told ESPN's Nick Friedell. "Just the year I've missed too many games. That was about it. Missed too many games."
Interestingly, however, Rose has missed only six of the Bulls' 41 games.
Rather than pointing to the half-dozen missed contests, Rose could place less-misguided emphasis on his comparatively poor statistical output.
Through 35 games, the Memphis product is averaging 15.4 points (41 percent from the field) and 3.1 rebounds - career-lows - along with 4.7 assists and 0.6 steals.
His current 11.8 PER is well below league average, and is the worst of his eight-year career - save his 9.7 PER from a 10-game stint in 2013-14.
Fans throughout "The Windy City" have become accustomed to seeing Chi-Town's native son in street clothes due to multiple and prolonged periods of being shelved due to an assortment of injuries since his 2010-11 MVP season.
While the constant questioning whether Rose will ever regain his status as an elite guard is nothing new, it's not something the former No. 1 draft pick loses sleep over.
"I don't think about what people think or say," he said. "It's whatever they say, but the only thing I can do is just keep working on my game and focus on what I've been focusing on."
Perhaps resting during the All-Star break will benefit the 27-year-old floor general and also, by extension, the Bulls' aspirations of a deep playoff run.
And perhaps the storied Bulls franchise will see a rose bloom in the spring once again.