A Rose of a different color: Should the Celtics be interested in Derrick Rose?
“Here’s how I feel about Derrick Rose: The breakup with the Bulls has begun,” said Windhorst. “I don’t know how long it’s going to last, I don’t know when it’s going to be complete, but you can sort of see it. The team and the franchise have moved on, to a little bit of a certain extent."
A break-up between Rose and the Bulls would have seemed unthinkable even this time last year. It is still a little hard to believe. With over 40 million dollars left on the extension Rose signed coming off his MVP season, he certainly isnt playing on a bargain deal. And even with the cap expected to rise above 90 million this offseason, Rose may only become more expensive if he can rebound and perhaps regain a semblance of his old form.
And yet.
And yet as soon as this news broke, the question floated in many Celtics fans’ minds. Should the Celtics be interested in Rose? The obstacles to such a move are obvious. The Celtics spent their only top ten pick since 2007 on a point guard, Marcus Smart, and their overall best player, Isaiah Thomas, also handles the ball quite a bit (if you haven't noticed).
Getting the salaries to match (both the Bulls and Celtics are over the salary cap and neither has a sizable trade exception, so salary-matching comes into play here) wouldn't be much of an issue. The issue would be the players attached to those salaries. A theoretical move of one of the larger big-man contracts -- either David Lee or Amir Johnson -- in addition to either Avery Bradley or Isaiah Thomas would work, and draft picks have tiny cap holds because future picks are considered with the salary of the fifteenth overall pick for the purposes of future transactions and projections.
The issue is none of those player combinations are particularly enticing for either side. The Bulls would certainly want immediate help in a Rose trade, as they are one of the more talented squads in the east, and would more than likely want it either at the swing spot or at the point. Thomas is a compelling piece for them, and obviously a team like Chicago can value first round picks even more because they are one of the few teams who gets a meeting with most any major free agent they pursue.
However, the other pieces simply dont work either way. Johnson or Lee would be filler and essentially redundant in a crowded Chicago front court; on the Celtics they are vital pieces of the rotation. Bradley is entirely redundant with Jimmy Butler in the fold, and the Bulls aren't sacrificing a possible title chance -- however slim -- for unproven youngsters or picks that could land literally anywhere depending on the fortunes of other teams.
All of these obstacles exist, but the question still persists. The Celtics recent loss to the Pacers on wednesday exemplifies where the intrigue comes from. As Chris Forsberg pointed out, the Celtics simply couldn't generate offense in crunch time, whereas the Pacers just fed Paul George the ball and let him score.
Therein lies the intrigue with Rose. He used to be one of those players -- a guy you could just let go one on one or run a flat pick and roll and score you key buckets. He’s even shown glimpses of being that guy again this year, and his performance thus far should be taken with a grain of salt since he cant see out of his right eye.
Thomas was that guy at times last year before a wrist injury derailed him somewhat. But so far this season he looks miscast in that role, forcing shots and looking indecisive in the lane. The Rose our memory conjures up soared in the moments we’ve seen these Celtics flounder in. The question is whether the Rose of our memories is gone forever.
If Rose could regain that capability, the Celtics should throw the kitchen sink at the Bulls to try and pry him away. People have remarked that Thomas’ contract is a really valuable trade chip since Danny Ainge acquired him, and Rose would be the kind of star who could help break the Celtics big-ticket free agency woes.
It all sounds so perfect. But then, so did Rose when he came out of Memphis. Humble, hard-working, and a relentless competitor, that Rose took the NBA by storm. Now he has to deal with a storm of a different kind -- a storm of uncertainty, as he heads towards a possible seperation from the only town he has ever called home.
Salary information courtesy of Hoopshype.com
Photo courtesy of Bullshift.net
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