After a round of post-trade deadline speculation, the rumors surrounding Derrick Rose and a Tom Thibodeau reunion are now the real thing.
After being waived by Utah following a deadline-day trade between the Jazz and Cavaliers, Rose cleared waivers, paving the way for Thibodeau to — eventually — reunite with the Timberwolves and his old coach.
After nearly a month since the trade deadline, it seemed as though a Rose signing might have lost traction. This was especially after Wolves owner Glen Taylor said the Wolves had no immediate plans to sign Rose, or anyone else.
But Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic discovered the reason for the delay on the day of the signing.
Rose comes to Minnesota with a complicated history. It features one of the most historic starts in NBA history, including an MVP award in 2011. He is still the youngest in NBA history to win the NBA’s highest individual honor.
Since then, a series of knee injuries have limited his play to the point of his release in Utah.
Since a season-ending injury in the 2013-14 season, Rose’s numbers got steadily worse. He was playing a career-low 19.3 minutes per game with Cleveland.
He has also experienced some off-court drama. He’s had two leaves of absence in each of the past two years. In New York last season, he flew to Chicago – to attend to a family issue, he said – without telling his team.
This season, he left the Cavaliers in late November to “seriously evaluate his future in the NBA”.
It’s possible that the presence of Thibodeau, his coach for several in Chicago and a person he’s remained close with, gave Rose a feeling a potential stability.
Rose’s on-court fit on the Wolves isn’t yet clear, with new signee Jeff Teague as the starter and Tyus Jones having a breakout year of sorts as Teague’s backup.
We’ll have more on the signing as information becomes available.