Reggie Rose rips Bulls' inactivity

[panthermark]

This is what it all boils down to. You can agree with Reggie Rose if you want to. In fact, I'm not saying that I completely disagree. With that said, I have always been a firm believer that if you are going to open your mouth to criticize someone's decisions, you should be able to articulate your thoughts on what YOU felt should have been done and HOW it could be done. Reggie's failure to do this is what disallows me to take his comments seriously.

You don't like Boozer? Okay. Who do YOU think is going to put us in a better position to when and HOW can we acquire said player? Same with Deng and everyone else for that matter. This isn't the NBA 2k series where you can concoct silly ass trades and magically force them to go through. Another team has to agree. Contracts have to work. Players have to fit. These are all things that lots of people think they understand but hardly ever do.

If I were in front of Reggie Rose right now, I would have one question for him. Just how good do you think your brother is as a player? 9/10, he'd probably respond by saying "my brother is one of the best players on the planet". I would then respond by telling him that this team (that your dumb ass just through under the bus) is a possible top 4 seed without Rose. So what do you think they'd be with one of the best players on the planet?? Yep....a contender you idiot!! And that's pretty much how that dialog would go.

See, that's what so many people tend to ignore...or maybe they just don't understand. The Bulls owe the fans a contender. They owe Rose a contender. They don't owe his family a damn thing. But they cannot promise championships. 30 teams enter each season with that goal in mind and 29 walk away having not achieved that goal. Therefore, as a player or as a fan, all you can really ask an organization to do is be in position to do some big things.

This is not a Lebron in Cleveland type situation where the entire team is based on Rose. This team has two All-Stars besides Rose and two former All-Stars. This team has players that have come from winning backgrounds. They have great coaching. That's why (even without Rose), they are still a very competitive team. It's just that Rose makes them elite. Which is exactly how it should be.

As far as Derrick goes, I wish I could have a sit down with him so that I could look him dead in the eye and plead with him to understand that family will take you off the map quicker than any enemy that you could have. Mainly because they know exactly how to get into your head and manipulate you. What his family was 5 years ago is MUCH different than what they are now. When hundreds of millions of dollars are involved, Derrick has to understand that he is a cash cow for them now. Their livelihoods. They cannot survive without him. That in itself should have him questioning the motives of everyone around him....family included. If he keeps letting Reggie speak for him, his brother is going to ruin him. It;s Derrick's talent, Derrick's career, and Derrick's life. He needs to take some damn control instead of allowing everyone else to control him.

Word!

[Blooming Rose]

The way the last month of "thereturn" has been handled has left a bad taste in my mouth. These comments from Reggie Rose remind me of the way Lebron looked at his teams in Cleveland. The rest of the roster is a lot better than those Cleveland teams. Up until this last month there was never a reason for anything negative to be said about rose outside of his SAT scandal. He was the golden child of Chicago. I wish Reggie would have acknowledge his little brothers unwillingness to call anyone to recruit them to play in Chicago during the summer of 2010.

The only positive to take away from this situation is that maybe this lights some fire under the FO to get something done.

The whole Rose calling LBJ, Wade and Bosh is overblown and ludicrous. D.Rose wanted Joe Johnson hell Joe Johnson was here popping bottles talking about being a member of the Bulls about a week before ATL gave him a max deal. Rose's ideal summer was Joe Johnson and David Lee. He was also a fan of Anthony Morrow. Those were his guys and to be honest with those two guys I think the Bulls have a ring today.

Fans are funny and fickle though, it's amazing how condescending and rude some of you all can be behind a computer. Who are you all to call someone dumb or ignorant? It just doesn't make sense. I've never been so disturbed reading this board before.

[jumpmanjay]

My favorite thing about this now is how it plays out. If Rose comes back and the Bulls lose, it's a SEE, NOT ENOUGH argument. If Rose comes back and wins, the discussion is OMG, THEY WERE OK WITH ROSE BUT THEY WON A TITLE WITH HIM, ALL TIME GREAT. If they lose and don't add anyone, they can say "SEE, WE TOLD YOU" and if they go out and add someone, it's "THANKS FOR LISTENING"

No matter what happens, you can't blame Derrick and you can credit him.

exactly.

the problem is his image has taken a major hit.

[blumeany]

i agree that list sucks and does not put us as favorites.

even if we traded noah for harden, we would not win that trade. imho, that trade would make okc the clear favorites in the league, and we would be left with no center.

And to add to my point, where was Rose there? Maybe Rose gives Harden a call one day and says - hey, I'd like to play with you, how about you refuse to do a sign and trade and become a free agent. Maybe we can clear some room to sign you? Not saying Harden would bite, but hey, if you want top tier talent to come play with you, that's the crap that you need to do. It happens every day in the NBA. Even if you're not that bold - maybe you just tell him he'd look good in red, or something. Plant the idea in his head that 'hey, maybe I should consider getting my ass to Chicago'.

In other words, Rose must become what he does not like to be - a recruiter. It's his team, it's on him.

[johnnyvann840]

It is not just the timing...which was indeed horrible. There was nothing to be gained from saying it now. NOTHING.

It is the vailed threat at not returning...as if D-Rose the name is now bigger than the Chicago Bulls (his employer) that is the real killer.

Rose is being paid $16.4M this year by Chicago....and if he is healthy, he should play. The idea of milking an injury just does not sit right. This team has led the NBA in wins that last two years. Maybe if the team was 23-31 instead of 31-23, and was working on it's 3rd straight trip to the lottery, the reacation would not be so bad. But the timing and the threat?


R U all in Derrick?

Do the Bulls need more talent to have a better chance at beating the Heat? Yes...Chicago, and 28 other teams in the league feel that way. It isn't that people disagree with the underlying message, they disagree with the timing and the tactic.

Can I just say.... AND ONE.

Nothing good can come from this at this point. Just a dumb, asinine move and the timing could not be worse for Derrick or his teammates. Why now? Why just after the deadline passes. And it's not as if there were even any real moves the Bulls could have made. They tried to move Boozer and Rip. No takers. I mean Geezus.. they could not even get Toronto to trade Bargnani for Boozer and we were "throwing in" Nate for JL3. Couldn't give away Rip. Reggie basically said he thinks Noah and Deng are good enough and that they are not the problem, if you just read his statements.

[Indomitable]

I think Reggie fails to appreciate how good a job the FO did in putting this team together. It's not like we're the Cavaliers. Two years ago, we got to the ECF and lost a tough series in which Rose blamed himself for the loss and not a lack of quality teammates. Then last year, we looked poised to make a championship run until getting hit with injuries. I think it's far too early in Rose's career for him to be complaining about not having enough to win when this team has really only had one playoff run so far. Besides, I think this year's Lakers have shown that you can't just acquire a superstar and expect to be an automatic contender.

Actually we are worst then the team in 2011. We also are older and more expensive.

[Mech Engineer]

What the hell are you talking about? He had to leave in free agency. None of the pressure he put on Cleveland worked at all. In fact, it has widely been reported that he was behind forcing the moves that ended up crippling Cleveland into that lousy roster around him.

That's the point. It is not about just making the superstar as the "GM" which is what probably Cleveland did and got Larry Hughes for LeBron. It is about listening to his problems and acting on it in the right way. As I said, GarPax probably listen to Reggie/Derrick. It is more important for GarPax to learn from what Cleveland did by listening too much. I don't envy them. They have to do both "this" and "that".

I think it shows the smartness of Reggie in that he didn't start suggesting some stupid trades like why can't we get Durant to team up with Rose. He kept the message simple and I am glad that he took the message delivery to another level. For all we know, Derrick and Reggie might have had a screaming match in private and Gar gave his usual diplomatic crap.
So, throwing tantrums is sometimes the only way a kid can get toys from his frugal dad.

[CalilLove89]

The way the last month of "thereturn" has been handled has left a bad taste in my mouth. These comments from Reggie Rose remind me of the way Lebron looked at his teams in Cleveland. The rest of the roster is a lot better than those Cleveland teams. Up until this last month there was never a reason for anything negative to be said about rose outside of his SAT scandal. He was the golden child of Chicago. I wish Reggie would have acknowledge his little brothers unwillingness to call anyone to recruit them to play in Chicago during the summer of 2010.

The only positive to take away from this situation is that maybe this lights some fire under the FO to get something done.

The whole Rose calling LBJ, Wade and Bosh is overblown and ludicrous. D.Rose wanted Joe Johnson hell Joe Johnson was here popping bottles talking about being a member of the Bulls about a week before ATL gave him a max deal. Rose's ideal summer was Joe Johnson and David Lee. He was also a fan of Anthony Morrow. Those were his guys and to be honest with those two guys I think the Bulls have a ring today.

Fans are funny and fickle though, it's amazing how condescending and rude some of you all can be behind a computer. Who are you all to call someone dumb or ignorant? It just doesn't make sense. I've never been so disturbed reading this board before.

I see you are new to the internet, it only gets worse.

[Red Larrivee]

Again, for those asking "who should the Bulls have got that they didn't?" It's not really that. It's about the mentality of the FO and the type of deals they've made for 10 years under Paxson. Here are all the notable non-draft related deals made by Paxson:

2003:
-Traded guard Jalen Rose and forwards Donyell Marshall and Lonny Baxter to the Toronto Raptors for forwards Jerome Williams, Antonio Davis and Chris Jefferies.
-Traded guard Roger Mason to the Toronto Raptors for guard Rick Brunson.

2004:
-Re-signed guard Jamal Crawford and traded him with forward Jerome Williams to the New York Knicks for guard Frank Williams, forward Othella Harrington and centers Dikembe Mutombo and Cezary Trybanski.

2005
- Re-signed center Eddy Curry and traded him along with forward Antonio Davis to the New York Knicks for guard Jermaine Jackson, forwards Tim Thomas and Mike Sweetney, a 2006 first-round pick, second-round picks in 2007 and 2009 and a conditional right to swap 2007 first-round picks.

2006
-Traded forward Tyson Chandler to the New Orleans Hornets for guard JR Smith and forward PJ Brown.
-Traded guard JR Smith to the Denver Nuggets for guard Howard Eisley and two 2007 second-round picks.

2008
-Traded forwards Joe Smith and Ben Wallace and a 2009 second-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers and forward Adrian Griffin to the Seattle SuperSonics for guards Larry Hughes and Shannon Brown and forwards Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons.

2009
-Traded forwards Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni, Cedric Simmons and Michael Ruffin to the Sacramento Kings for center Brad Miller and guard John Salmons.
-Traded guard Larry Hughes to the New York Knicks for guard Anthony Roberson, forward Tim Thomas and center Jerome James. Traded guard Thabo Sefolosha to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a conditional 2009 first-round pick.

2010
-Traded guard John Salmons and 2011 and 2012 second-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks for forwards Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander
-Traded forward Tyrus Thomas to the Charlotte Bobcats for guards Ronald Murray and Acie Law and a future first-round pick
- Traded guard Kirk Hinrich, the draft rights to forward Kevin Seraphin and cash to the Washington Wizards for the draft rights to forward Vladimir Veremeenko.

2012
-Traded guard Kyle Korver to the Atlanta Hawks for a traded player exception

----

How many of these deals were aimed to make the Bulls a better basketball team and not dump a player that was disgruntled, the Bulls lost faith in, or a deal that was financially-inspired?

You could maybe make a case for Eddy Curry, but the idiocy and ineptitude of Isiah Thomas made that deal a once-in-a-lifetime robbery.

Someone will mention the Nocioni/Gooden for Salmons/Miller deal, but that was deal was to get out of Nocioni's huge contract and get shorter contracts. The Bulls had no idea that Salmons and Miller would do what they did for that half a season.

All of the deals above are salary dumps. Anything else they got from it was a bonus. That's Reggie's point. This team does not make deals like a big market team and rarely, if ever, makes basketball deals.

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

Who should the Bulls get that they didn't? Who am I forgetting?

Now I heard they could have done the Deng for Evans and Barnes trade. At least this is what Ralph and Boogie claimed.

Not saying that this particular rumor is correct, but it would line up with one of the initial posts on this board that speculated about a possible "unknown to the public" deal that was on the table. If the FO, Rose's camp, & the trading partner were the only ones to know about the potential deal, it would help explain why Reggie went public yesterday.

[lu9]

Brooklyn called Derrick a "dumbass" and accused him of not being able to read.

I think this thread is just that.. a thread. That is being pulled from a sweater until there's no sweater left. Is this the end of realGM bulls forum as we know it?

Derrick is not the first athlete to take bad advice, nor will he be the last. Derrick deserves some critique I agree. But I think (as always) the extreme opinions in here are just that, too extreme. Somewhere in the middle is a dude who isn't an angel but also isn't D12.

[jumpmanjay]

It is not just the timing...which was indeed horrible. There was nothing to be gained from saying it now. NOTHING.

It is the vailed threat at not returning...as if D-Rose the name is now bigger than the Chicago Bulls (his employer) that is the real killer.

Rose is being paid $16.4M this year by Chicago....and if he is healthy, he should play. The idea of milking an injury just does not sit right. This team has led the NBA in wins that last two years. Maybe if the team was 23-31 instead of 31-23, and was working on it's 3rd straight trip to the lottery, the reacation would not be so bad. But the timing and the threat?


R U all in Derrick?

Do the Bulls need more talent to have a better chance at beating the Heat? Yes...Chicago, and 28 other teams in the league feel that way. It isn't that people disagree with the underlying message, they disagree with the timing and the tactic.

Can I just say.... AND ONE.

Nothing good can come from this at this point. Just a dumb, asinine move and the timing could not be worse for Derrick or his teammates. Why now? Why just after the deadline passes. And it's not as if there were even any real moves the Bulls could have made. They tried to move Boozer and Rip. No takers. I mean Geezus.. they could not even get Toronto to trade Bargnani for Boozer and we were "throwing in" Nate for JL3. Couldn't give away Rip. Reggie basically said he thinks Noah and Deng are good enough and that they are not the problem, if you just read his statements.

i disagree.

i actually was doing some research about conflict resolution a couple weeks ago, so its still on my mind...but one of the keys when making an apology (not saying what reggie said was an apology of any sort), you need to avoid words like "if" "maybe" or "but" since they just negate whatever you said prior.

Joakim Noah is a great player. Luol Deng is a great player. But you need more than that.

he said they are great players. definitely not good enough, though.

[CalilLove89]

Brooklyn called Derrick a "dumbass" and accused him of not being able to read.

I think this thread is just that.. a thread. That is being pulled from a sweater until there's no sweater left. Is this the end of realGM bulls forum as we know it?

Derrick is not the first athlete to take bad advice, nor will he be the last. Derrick deserves some critique I agree. But I think (as always) the extreme opinions in here are just that, too extreme. Somewhere in the middle is a dude who isn't an angel but also isn't D12.

The board will survive.

[bullslas]

The way the last month of "thereturn" has been handled has left a bad taste in my mouth. These comments from Reggie Rose remind me of the way Lebron looked at his teams in Cleveland. The rest of the roster is a lot better than those Cleveland teams. Up until this last month there was never a reason for anything negative to be said about rose outside of his SAT scandal. He was the golden child of Chicago. I wish Reggie would have acknowledge his little brothers unwillingness to call anyone to recruit them to play in Chicago during the summer of 2010.

The only positive to take away from this situation is that maybe this lights some fire under the FO to get something done.

The whole Rose calling LBJ, Wade and Bosh is overblown and ludicrous. D.Rose wanted Joe Johnson hell Joe Johnson was here popping bottles talking about being a member of the Bulls about a week before ATL gave him a max deal. Rose's ideal summer was Joe Johnson and David Lee. He was also a fan of Anthony Morrow. Those were his guys and to be honest with those two guys I think the Bulls have a ring today.

Fans are funny and fickle though, it's amazing how condescending and rude some of you all can be behind a computer. Who are you all to call someone dumb or ignorant? It just doesn't make sense. I've never been so disturbed reading this board before.

Sorry, Bulls don't have a championship with Lee and Johnson. Lee went awol and Johnson was going to be overpaid to sit at the corner and shoot 3's. Sounds like Deng..

[CalilLove89]

It is not just the timing...which was indeed horrible. There was nothing to be gained from saying it now. NOTHING.

It is the vailed threat at not returning...as if D-Rose the name is now bigger than the Chicago Bulls (his employer) that is the real killer.

Rose is being paid $16.4M this year by Chicago....and if he is healthy, he should play. The idea of milking an injury just does not sit right. This team has led the NBA in wins that last two years. Maybe if the team was 23-31 instead of 31-23, and was working on it's 3rd straight trip to the lottery, the reacation would not be so bad. But the timing and the threat?


R U all in Derrick?

Do the Bulls need more talent to have a better chance at beating the Heat? Yes...Chicago, and 28 other teams in the league feel that way. It isn't that people disagree with the underlying message, they disagree with the timing and the tactic.

Can I just say.... AND ONE.

Nothing good can come from this at this point. Just a dumb, asinine move and the timing could not be worse for Derrick or his teammates. Why now? Why just after the deadline passes. And it's not as if there were even any real moves the Bulls could have made. They tried to move Boozer and Rip. No takers. I mean Geezus.. they could not even get Toronto to trade Bargnani for Boozer and we were "throwing in" Nate for JL3. Couldn't give away Rip. Reggie basically said he thinks Noah and Deng are good enough and that they are not the problem, if you just read his statements.

i disagree.

i actually was doing some research about conflict resolution a couple weeks ago, so its still on my mind...but one of the keys when making an apology (not saying what reggie said was an apology of any sort), you need to avoid words like "if" "maybe" or "but" since they just negate whatever you said prior.

Joakim Noah is a great player. Luol Deng is a great player. But you need more than that.

he said they are great players. definitely not good enough, though.

Everything before "but" is about to be shat upon.

Literally and figuratively.

[Jory04]

I'm not worried Derrick Rose will read this. I am more worried that Derrick Rose cannot read this.

You're ****ing ***h*** and a piece of ****! I would love to see D.Rose force his way out of bulls.....just to see bulls fans like you cry, b***h and moan.

That would be soooooo awesome. I mean, you wouldn't have Derrick Rose on the Bulls. But what is that compared to schadenfreude?

Derrick and I have been talking, and Reggie has been busy, so could you explain to us what that word means?

[Blooming Rose]

The way the last month of "thereturn" has been handled has left a bad taste in my mouth. These comments from Reggie Rose remind me of the way Lebron looked at his teams in Cleveland. The rest of the roster is a lot better than those Cleveland teams. Up until this last month there was never a reason for anything negative to be said about rose outside of his SAT scandal. He was the golden child of Chicago. I wish Reggie would have acknowledge his little brothers unwillingness to call anyone to recruit them to play in Chicago during the summer of 2010.

The only positive to take away from this situation is that maybe this lights some fire under the FO to get something done.

The whole Rose calling LBJ, Wade and Bosh is overblown and ludicrous. D.Rose wanted Joe Johnson hell Joe Johnson was here popping bottles talking about being a member of the Bulls about a week before ATL gave him a max deal. Rose's ideal summer was Joe Johnson and David Lee. He was also a fan of Anthony Morrow. Those were his guys and to be honest with those two guys I think the Bulls have a ring today.

Fans are funny and fickle though, it's amazing how condescending and rude some of you all can be behind a computer. Who are you all to call someone dumb or ignorant? It just doesn't make sense. I've never been so disturbed reading this board before.

Sorry, Bulls don't have a championship with Lee and Johnson. Lee went awol and Johnson was going to be overpaid to sit at the corner and shoot 3's. Sounds like Deng..

Awol? What are you talking about? And Joe Johnson is a legit playmaking guard at the 2 nothing like Deng really. I'm just telling you what I know Rose wanted out of 2010. And after seeing his growth that season I am inclined to believe that we would have beaten Miami with those two on the roster.

[League Circles]

I'm probably gonna say some stuff that rubs some people the wrong way, but I think it needs to be said again.

Derrick Rose comes across as an extremely loyal guy. Everything he's every said supports that, as does everything that's ever been said about him, by anyone. We happen to have an organization, that, despite DWade's best efforts to make people think otherwise, is very loyal. Ask Pax, Gar (who survived the Tim Floyd debacle), Pippen (who basically "works" for the Bulls just so his financial problems aren't a depressing thing for everyone to think about), Randy Brown, Kirk Hinrich, Phil Collins, BJ Armstrong (DRose's AGENT who was signed to finish his playing career in Chicago and worked for the FO before becoming an agent and who apparently still thought enough of the Bulls to not push Derrick to get an opt-out clause), Charles Oakley (who, like Pippen, Kirk, Armstrong, etc was given the opportunity to come back and finish his career with another payday from the Bulls ) etc.

I believe Derrick's behavior and response to this is best seen through what I allege is a defining personality trait for him, which is his loyalty. The key to remember is that he's loyal to multiple parties. He's loyal as hell to his family, but he's also loyal to the Bulls. He listed BJ, Gar, himself, and Pax as the people who will decide when he returns, NOT Reggie.

Derrick probably feels that Reggie has spent his life trying to make sure Derrick succeeds, which is the only thing Reggie has ever been known for. Reggie has been an adult for Derrick's entire life. When Derrick went to KINDERGARTEN, Reggie was an ADULT already. Derrick will never throw Reggie under the bus, even when/if he disagrees with Reggie when Reggie is, as always, trying to control Derrick's life.

But Derrick's world has expanded A LOT in the last few years. He's surely spent tons of time AWAY from Reggie's control, enough to likely get a little more perspective on it. He's had Gar, Pax (you know, the Bull with 4 rings who drafted him and all), BJ (you know, the former Bulls executive and 3 time champion PG), Noah, Boozer, Deng, RIP, NBA champion coach Thibbs who he clearly loves, etc all in his hear probably as much or more than Reggie for a few years now. Reggie I'm sure genuinely does feel the Bulls need more talent. John Paxson himself has clearly said the same thing. Scottie Pippen has too IIRC! Derrick and Thibbs have not, FWIW.

So two of the Bulls FO executives, both of whom have won multiple titles as players with the team in Scottie and Pax, have both said damn near the same thing that Derrick Rose's father/brother reggie just said, except that Reggie implied blame to the FO for it. Except that he didn't really. All Reggie did was point out that they in fact haven't added talent to better compete with Miami, and that he's frustrated about it. you guys don't think Gar, Pax, and Pip are frustrated that they haven't been able to add more talent? Everybody involved wants to win titles.

This is all being blown completely out of proportion. The notion that Derrick "obviously" agrees with the comments of his father, who, as far as we can tell, has probably spent his ENTIRE ADULT LIFE trying to control Derrick, and possibly run rackets at the same time (yeah, I said it - what did Reggie Rose do for a living from age 18-34?), is absurd. Derrick MIGHT agree with Reggie like Paxson and Pippen do, but there is precisely zero evidence to suggest that.

Even if Derrick thinks Reggie is out of place and wrong, his loyalty will prevent him from turning his back on Reggie, which is fine. He's not going to make a bigger bad story out of calling out Reggie in the media. It's absurd for anyone to ask or expect him to do that. Derrick, IMO, likely spoke to his teammates about this. That's all that matters. But his teammates aren't a bunch of bitches who are likely to tell ESPN about it, so we'll probably never hear about it. The Bulls are a tight lipped organization. It's one of their defining characteristics.

We fear that Reggie might have too much influence over Derrick, but at least we KNOW that BJ, Pippen, Gar, Paxson, Thibbs, Noah, and Deng definitely have his ear too, as well as his woman and child, etc. Derrick has pretty clearly placed BJ ahead of Reggie in the hierarchy of who is important in his career in very recent public statements. Has Derrick himself EVER implied that Reggie, specifically, is his guiding light? Not that I recall. Reggie quite likely just WISHES he had the control/influence that he believes he has, that the handout from Derrick for "management" has meaning.

Why is it not possible that Derrick is just so loyal to Reggie that, despite Derrick knowing that Reggie is insecure and lacks the perspective of all the NBA champions Derrick gets to listen to on a daily basis, and despite that, Derrick still lets Reggie think he's important to Derrick's career (so Reggie can have a feeling of self worth he might otherwise lack), whereas in reality, maybe Derrick just sees Reggie as important to his PERSONAL life.

If you guys became $300 mil rich at age 24, would you not hire friends, whose opinion of your company you could give a damn about, to be part of your "camp" so they wouldn't have to work a crappy 9-5 job for pennies, even if you knew they didn't know things as well as the people who have actually mastered your field who are your current bosses? And even if your friend spoke his misinformed, perspective-lacking mind (because you weren't listening to his advice to leverage and pressure your bosses), wouldn't you still let him hang around and try to just kill the situation with as vanilla of a comments as you could?

Now imagine that that friend has acted as your father your whole life, except that instead of leading like a normal father by example, has basically spent his entire life focused on the kid, with no other independent focus of his own. Of course Derrick is going to tolerate this from Reggie, no matter how easily (and believe me, it would be easily) the NBA champions BJ, Paxson, Thibbs, Pippen, RIP, etc can explain the truth to him. Derrick isn't 17 anymore. His horizon of influence is MUCH deeper and more competent and has much greater perspective than Reggie could ever dream of.

[DuckIII]

Derrick Rose deserves zero blame. Its moronic to think that he won't return this year. Rose loves the game not to return for any reason.

Him not returning would certainly make it worse. Him returning, however, does not make what happened yesterday better. And panthermark noted, the threat itself can't be mitigated. Well it could be, but it would require an extreme response from Rose that we obviously aren't going to get.

[LobosJordan]

This front office man I tell you. Let's get it right this time Gar/Pax. Bulls nation is depending on you.