NBA Rumors: Tom Thibodeau wants Derrick Rose on Timberwolves
By Jason Evans
With NBA Free Agency set to begin on July 1. could Derrick Rose and the Minnesota Timberwolves be a free agent match?
With head coach Tom Thibodeau and the trade for Jimmy Butler during the 2017 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves might be trying to get the Chicago Bulls band back together.
Another way they could add to that is by former Bulls MVP and current New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose. According to the NY Post, that’s something Thibodeau would be interested in because he wants to reunite all his former Bulls players.
Rose had a tumultuous season with the New York Knicks last year. Between missing part of training camp due to a sexual assault trial, being injured and leaving the team without letting anyone know, Rose and the Knicks’ season did not go as planned.
He finished the season averaging 18 points per game but averaged only 4.4 assists per game, which was 48th in the league and less than ideal from a point guard.
Can reuniting with Butler and Thibodeau help Rose resurrect his career? I’m not quite sure. If they sign Rose, does that mean they are going to trade Ricky Rubio, who played much better in the second half of last season? The Timberwolves already traded backup point guard Kris Dunn in the Butler deal, so perhaps they’d keep Rubio if they signed Rose and have the former MVP come off the bench?
But that raises the question about whether they can co-exist. I’m not sure Rose would want to be a backup at this point in his career, even for his old coach.
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However, Rose back with Thibodeau and playing in a system he excelled in along with Butler, could be exactly what Rose needs to get his career going in the right direction again.