Derrick Rose has had a lot of trouble staying on the court in recent years. On the court now, Rose has, at times, looked like a shadow of his former self. The idea that the Chicago Bulls move on from the former No. 1 overall pick has been floated around, but is that the right move?
Should the Bulls part ways with Derrick Rose?
Gino Bottero: In today's age of super teams, kicking a star player to the curb is a move reserved only for teams with no desire to win a title. The days of one player carrying a team to a championship are over. The Bulls should be looking to add star players, not subtract them.
William Lou: Had it not been for Rose's knees, the Chicago Bulls very well could have emerged as a serious challenger to LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers for supremacy in the East. But it's time to move on. He's played in just 82 games over the last four seasons, and he's shooting an abysmal 40 percent over that time. The dream is dead.
Bottero: A lot needs to go right for a team to win a championship. Better to roll the dice and hope Rose is healthy come playoff time than throw in the towel. If the Bulls let him go, they'd be selling low on a player just four years removed from winning the MVP award.
Lou: Four years? Kobe Bryant was All-NBA First Team four years ago. And just like Bryant, Rose's best years are in the past (Bryant is actually scoring more points per possession than Rose). It wouldn't be selling low. It'd be salvaging what little value he has left, and trying to escape the $21 million owed to him next season.
Bottero: It's too early to assume he can't get back to playing at an elite level if he's able to consistently remain on the court. Even with Rose in his diminished state, the Bulls are comfortably above .500 and pushing the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings. An uptick of any kind to his production and the team will be very dangerous come playoff time.
Lou: There's a caveat to the Bulls' 15-11 record: They have the 14th-ranked point differential in the league. They're barely getting by in most games because Rose is a sinkhole on offense. Chicago has the fourth-worst offense in the league, and it somehow get even worse with Rose on the court. His play is bound to improve (especially now that he's shed the mask) but the Bulls need a lot more to be considered a serious contender.
Bottero: Then put more pieces around Rose. The Bulls can't compete with the Cavaliers' triumvirate without some star power of their own. Teams that give away star players simply don't get a fair return, whether it's the Timberwolves shipping Kevin Garnett to the Celtics, or Chris Paul's move from New Orleans to Los Angeles. If Rose leaves, the Bulls' talent level goes down and there's no way around that.
Lou: The Bulls definitely need an upgrade, but they need it at point guard. Their frontcourt is stacked, Jimmy Butler is a stud, they have enough shooters to play at the three, and they changed the head coach. It's time to swap out the broken, high-usage, low-efficiency point guard. The other option would be to roll the dice with Rose's health - not exactly a wise gamble.
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