Point guard Derrick Rose, a former NBA Most Valuable Player and one of the best the Chicago Bulls has ever had, has experienced tough battles on and off the court. But perhaps the toughest one he has had to deal with were the injuries to his knees.
Because of these injuries, Rose had to sit out previous seasons and watch the Bulls from the sidelines as they competed against other NBA teams without him.
Rose was able to return in time for the NBA playoffs and showed glimpses of his old and deadly form, but apparently he was not yet at 100%. This was to be expected following a long layoff due to injuries.
But with the team finding a new star in guard-forward Jimmy Butler, should the Bulls still keep the former MVP? Having two stars in a single team is rare but in this case, no one ever thought Butler would rise to stardom the way he did.
After assessing both players, it seems the Bulls will likely opt to keep Butler if forced to choose. Until that time however, the team will likely employ a wait-and-see approach to see how Rose holds up.
This will be the first time Rose will be entering the offseason healthy. Hopefully, he becomes cautious and makes it through the start of the regular season.
If all goes well, Rose may be starting the coming season with a bang, no matter how fragile some people think he may be with his troublesome knees.
A trade scenario involving Rose will probably not take place for now. Next season could be different, however, since it will be heading towards the final year of the point guard's contract. Rose will become an unrestricted free agent by 2017, but anything is possible before that.
For now, it is all about proving that he still has it. Rose has proven that at the recent NBA playoffs, though going through an entire regular season is a totally different thing.
If his performance holds up, then all those trade rumors about him may go away. If not, it wouldn't be surprising for Rose to be placed on the trading block, assuming that other teams would be willing to absorb his fat salary.
