Former MVP Derrick Rose signs with new team
One might think that a 29-year-old former NBA MVP would be highly sought after by multiple teams in the league.
However, that wasn’t the case for point guard Derrick Rose, whose career has gone downhill in recent years.
When he was just 23, Rose was named league MVP following the 2010-2011 season.
But injuries stalled Rose’s career, and he went from being one of the NBA’s best to just another player looking to catch fire with whichever team would take a chance on him.
Ever since the 2011-2012 league, Rose has failed to eclipse 20 points per game and five assists per contest for the duration of a season. In July 2017, he signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, hoping to revitalize his career, but Rose never really took off with Cleveland. He ended up playing 16 games with the Cavaliers, and averaged just 9.8 ppg.
Prior to the trade deadline, Rose was traded to the Utah Jazz, who promptly waived him.
At least for for the time being, though, Rose appears to have found a new NBA home. He is reportedly set to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the remainder of the season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
As pointed out by NBC Sports, Minnesota has wanted to add Rose ever since he was released by the Jazz.
At the same time, the role he will play in Minnesota is not entirely clear, as the Timberwolves currently rotate point guards Jeff Teague and Tyus Jones.
Of that pair, Teague puts up better stats, averaging 13.7 ppg and 6.9 apg this season. Jones, meanwhile, is averaging 4.9 ppg and 2.7 apg.
According to Dan Feldman of NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk, the signing likely happened because Tom Thibodeau, who currently serves as the head coach and president of the Timberwolves, previously coached Rose in Chicago.
Of course, Rose may end up being just the spark Minnesota needs as they look to reach the postseason for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.
The Timberwolves currently stand at 38-28.
If the season ended today, they would be the sixth seed in the Western Conference, and would face off against Portland in the first round of the playoffs.
Minnesota will host the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
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