Three hours before the Timberwolves took on the Boston Celtics on Thursday, before the fans were even allowed in the building, Derrick Rose was on the Target Center floor warming up.
This isn’t a unique thing for players to do before a game. It’s a good time to get a feel for the floor before they have thousands of eyes on them, critiquing their every move.
For Rose, who has been under a microscope for a number of issues both on and off the court over the past handful of years, it would make sense if moments like those were sacred.
But when he first met with the media that same morning, he made his state of calm clear.
“I never worry about basketball. I worry about real-life stuff. This is sports,” Rose said at Thursday morning’s shootaround, moments after the announcement of his signing came to life. “So I never worry about that. I put in my hours, over 10,000 hours, so I’m fine with it.”
Rose has a track record that speaks for itself; he’s the youngest MVP in league history, has made three All-Star games and was the figurehead in Tom Thibodeau’s best teams during their collective tenure with the Chicago Bulls.
Of course, the years that followed featured multiple knee surgeries and a pair of leaves of absence during his time in New York and Cleveland, respectively.
It’s been seven years since that MVP season, and has mostly been a downward trajectory in terms of productivity ever since.
But Thibodeau has little worry about any of that. While he’s aware of the changes in Rose’s ability post-surgeries, he still believes in his former MVP to a capacity.
“I know who Derrick is,” Thibodeau said Thursday. “I know who he is. I spent a lot of time with him.”
Rose also feels comfortable here, surrounded by a coach that believes in him and teammates he — in the grand scope of things — thrived with.
“It was huge, for sure,” Rose said when asked about how past relationships influenced his decision. “Especially when Thibs got the job, for one. Him even being here. And you throw in Taj, Jimmy, and the coaching staff, I’ve been knowing them and been in battle with them for years, so it’s comfortable. I’m very comfortable here. Usually, when I’m comfortable, I play well.”
And while his teammates might have other opinions behind closed doors, all that spoke were very openly for the signing following his first game in uniform — in which he didn’t play.
“I’m big on the eye test. I don’t know what the numbers say, but my eyes tell me how good he is,” Jamal Crawford said.
Even Jeff Teague, who could justifiably find a reason for frustration for the signing, had nothing negative to say about him. In fact, he relished the opportunity to share the floor with him.
“I think it’s going to be good for us, having another guy that can make shots for others, get to the line and make plays,” Teague said.
So if Rose is comfortable, his coach believes in him and his teammates are excited for him to be in Minnesota, all that’s left is his actual fit on the floor.
But that’s tough to do when looking at the roster.
Even with Butler expected to be out a few more weeks, Rose plays the one position the Wolves seem to have a health-permitting stable grasp on down the stretch.
On top of that, Teague and Jones have barely shared the floor at all this season — just eight minutes through five games all year — making it impossible to judge their proficiency as a backcourt duo.
But upon the new signing, Thibodeau said still plans to try it out.
“Jeff can play both positions, Derrick can play both positions, and Tyus can play both positions.”
In theory, it could work. Jones as the lead guard and Teague as the off-ball shooter and off-the-dribble shot creator could be a workable duo. They have skills that complement each other.
Rose has a better history as a lead guard than either player, but his current skill set makes it harder to envision him a scenario in either a lead or secondary role.
Looking to Cleveland, his most recent stomping grounds, he struggled to play with other ball-dominant players. This includes LeBron James, whom Rose played 217 minutes on the floor with.
To put that into context, Rose played 308 minutes total in Cleveland. This means he spent most of the year with another guy that demands more time with the ball.
In those 217 minutes, the Cavaliers put up a minus-4.6 net rating according to NBA.com‘s media stats site, one of the worst among two-man lineup combinations that Cavs put out there this season.
In fairness, two-man lineup stats don’t always tell the whole story.
But Rose’s individual stats with another primary ball-handler — James and the prime example, again — according to NBA Wowy don’t do him any favors. Rose shot almost identical numbers whether James was on or off the floor. His true shooting and effective field goal percentages are almost exactly that same when taking James off the floor — hovering between 45 and 47 eFG%, and between 52 and 54 TS%.
His numbers mirrored teammate Jae Crowder’s who had a notably bad stint in Cleveland after a breakout season in Boston the year prior. Crowder was dealt to Utah in the same trade Cleveland used to part with Rose.
This could mean a few things. It could mean that no matter who is on the floor, Rose will give you the same level of inefficient scoring, over-handling of the ball albeit occasional nights of high scoring output.
His numbers could also be a factor of Cleveland’s constantly erratic play prior to the deadline. In other words, his struggles to be more a reflection of his surroundings, rather than his direct influence.
It could also mean that Rose hasn’t gotten to play he’s used to playing. But on this team, the chances for him to play minutes as the sole lead guard will not exist.
If he’ll be expected to play with other point guards — as Thibodeau has suggested — the same problems might occur. And after Butler returns from injury, the ball will be his to distribute nearly 75 percent of the game.
Off the ball, Rose doesn’t bring much for a guy like Butler. He’s only shot over 30 percent from 3-point land three times in his career and hasn’t done so since 2014. He’s shooting under 20 percent in catch-and-shoot situations — those attempts make up just 14 percent of his shot attempts — and shot just 25 percent in a larger sample size last year.
Every indication suggests this signing won’t move the needle in the right direction for the Timberwolves, but Rose will get his shot.
And Crawford is right, the eye test remains in Rose’s favor. He still has moments where he looks like an elite basketball player. He still has a bounce, still attacks the hoop well and is still smooth at the rim. But every number indicates that smooth play stopped being effective as his knees starting to give out.
Maybe under his new/former coach that still believes in him and a group of teammates that are excited to play with him, something good can happen.
Every game the rest of the season, Rose will prepare as a member of the Timberwolves. He will become familiar with the court he warmed up — for the first time in a Wolves uniform — on Thursday.
The rest will have to be figured out as time goes along.
Listen to Tim on Wolves Wired!
