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Chicago Bulls: Proposed Derrick Rose Trade Makes Bulls Title Favorites in 2015

By Dalton Russell | Yahoo Contributor Network

COMMENTARY | The Chicago Bulls deciding to trade Derrick Rose is not going to happen, but it should.
What if the Orlando Magic would have traded Anfernee Hardaway in 1997 for one of the top picks in the draft?
At the time, Hardaway was a young superstar battling back from injury, but those injuries ultimately denigrated his abilities to the point that this once perennial MVP candidate spent more time in a suit than in a uniform. Had the Magic made the tough decision to trade Hardaway early, they could have had the opportunity to rebuild their franchise around Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups or Tracy McGrady.

Chicago finds itself in a similar position as superstar point guard Derrick Rose has suddenly begun following in the footsteps of the Hardaways and Grant Hills of the game. Injuries to both knees in corresponding seasons have allowed Rose to see the court in only 49 total games over the last two years.
It may be hard for most fans to even allow themselves to consider the idea of moving the Chicago native, but, if the Bulls could get back one of the top picks for a draft class expected to rival that of 2003, should Chicago trade Rose and start over?

I can see the indignation creeping into your thought bubbles as you read this article. I can only imagine your first reaction would be something along the lines of, "This writer is stupid. Why would they trade the most explosive point guard in the league who averaged 25 and 7 the year he won MVP?"
And you are exactly right. A team would have to be out of its mind to trade a player that productive for an unproven rookie. But is that really what the Bulls would be doing?

Rose was never a great shooter. The thing that made him a difference-maker was his quickness and his explosive jumping ability that allowed him to drive the lane and play among the trees near the rim. If Rose goes up to dunk and finds his explosion is not longer there, is he really worth $20 million per year to be a jump-shooter?

After Hardaway's first injury cost him 23 games in 1997, he came back and only averaged 35 games per season over his final two years in Orlando. Penny was only 25 years old at the time of his first injury, which happens to be exactly how old Rose is right now.
And the most troubling aspect of Rose's injuries is that they each occurred on non-contact plays. These were not freak accidents that happened during the course of a game, instead, these injuries could be signs of chronic problems that will plague Rose the rest of his career.

Trading Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers allowed the Bulls some financial flexibility. Chicago is also expected to clear Carlos Boozer's money from its balance sheet after it pulls the trigger on the amnesty clause this offseason. If the Bulls were also able to remove Rose's money from the ledger, they could suddenly become a hot team-up destination for two high-profile free agents this summer.

Imagine if the Bulls could sign Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh and add them to a team that already has Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson. Add in the fact that their high draft pick could turn into Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle or Joel Embiid, and the Bulls could really start building something special.
But the good news would not stop there. Chicago would also be sitting with two additional first-round draft picks in the middle of the draft that it could use or trade for additional pieces, and its highly touted 6-foot-10-inch international sharp shooter, Nikola Mirotic, is expected to finally come over to begin his reign as the next Dirk Nowitzki in 2015.

A Potential Chicago Roster Without Rose
Joakim Noah
Chris Bosh
Carmelo Anthony
Jimmy Butler
D.J. Augustine
Andrew Wiggins
Nikola Mirotic
Taj Gibson
Mike Dunleavy
Tony Snell
*Additional First-Round Draft Pick
* Additional First-Round Draft Pick

Obviously, this roster would be wishful thinking and denotes a best-case scenario, but trading Rose would give the Bulls the resources it would need to assemble a roster similar to this one.
There would always be the chance Rose could become the NBA's version of Peyton Manning and come back stronger than ever and make the Bulls regret dealing him, but I think Chicago would have to take that gamble.

Rose's $20 million salary eats up too much cap space for a player who suddenly cannot be counted on stay healthy. There is a very small window for the Bulls to make the moves needed to immediately evolve into a championship contender, and one major step could be allowing themselves to part ways with Derrick Rose.
 
I wouldn't hold my breath on this one, but fun to think about it. Don't think that's a championship team anyway, need someone better to run it and rookies take time. Noah could lead a championship team though if Carmelo would listen.

For some reason too, the big FAs seem to avoid Chicago. Not as sexy as NY or LA I guess, though I'd rather live there than either of the other two, and I've been in NYC for, ugh, 25 yrs. now.
 
Such a harsh plight for a good and hard working player like DRose to be even subject of such 'proposition' while he is still injured. He's one of the few players whom I admire for playing pure basketball.

Something must be wrong with the C fan in me. I just saw Boston up by 18 at the half and I felt disappointed. The 9 game losing streak plus the big chance to land Wiggins or Jabari must have caught up on me. :D
 
C's need a big Phil?

Check this out, Joel Embiid just might go higher than our boys Andrew and Jabari :D

 
C's need a big Phil?

Check this out, Joel Embiid just might go higher than our boys Andrew and Jabari :D


Wow. He's got moves, Jack. This kind of big is what my C's need, badly. :D
 
Watching the Lakers at Miami where it's 20-12 Heat

What's amazing is the arena IMO is at best 1/3 full

Yeah, I noticed too, Steve. The Heat home fans may be always late. :D Wonder if they have road fans. :D

The lament of this era is the failure of a LeBron vs Kobe Finals matchup. Same case as we miss a MJ vs Hakeem Finals in the 90s. I am be biased, but by far, the most electrifying superstar headbanging was the Magic vs Bird Finals in the 80s. MJ vs Barkley didn't make my adrenalin rush up. :D
 
Yeah, I noticed too, Steve. The Heat home fans may be always late. :D Wonder if they have road fans. :D

The lament of this era is the failure of a LeBron vs Kobe Finals matchup. Same case as we miss a MJ vs Hakeem Finals in the 90s. I am be biased, but by far, the most electrifying superstar headbanging was the Magic vs Bird Finals in the 80s. MJ vs Barkley didn't make my adrenalin rush up. :D

IMO it was the Magic vs Bird and Lakers vs Celtics rivalry that provided the impetus to make the NBA a truly big league sport
 
Who did the Bulls get in exchange for/of Marco Bellineli? He's doing great for SA off the bench.
 
IMO it was the Magic vs Bird and Lakers vs Celtics rivalry that provided the impetus to make the NBA a truly big league sport

Agreed, Steve. Prior to their arrival, my friends here kinda lost interest in the league. But I was still watching, the dream team of Philly that lost to the Sixers, the 'sleepy' finals between the Sonics and the Bullets, 2 consecutive years even. The next decade belonged to Bird and Magic, or Magic and Bird for you LAL fans. :D
 
Who did the Bulls get in exchange for/of Marco Bellineli? He's doing great for SA off the bench.

Nobody. They wanted to keep him but there was a $$/cap issue.

I heard a few analysts say Embid might be #1 now and that Parker will likely stay another season at Duke.
 
I wouldn't be surprised Bob. Randle looks like he can only finish reliably with one hand and Wiggins' court awareness leaves much to be desired at this point. I think one more year in the NCAA and he'll surely be No.1 with a bullet. A 7 footer like Embiid with that kind of wingspan, not to mention his spring and mobility are rare indeed. Hard to disagree with those analysts. He's Wiggin's teammate and he's the one getting the attention.

I really like Parker. He looks slow but he really isn't. Great Bball IQ for a teenager! Great passing ability from outlets to needle threading. I think he's ready now.
 
I really like Parker. He looks slow but he really isn't. Great Bball IQ for a teenager! Great passing ability from outlets to needle threading. I think he's ready now.

Yeah, that's what I see in Parker too. Great feel for the game, way ahead of his age. Not comparing, but LeBron was like that.
 
Garnett and Pierce visits the Boston TD Garden as the Nets play the C's for the first time since the trade. KG and Pierce got a rousing ovation at the intro. I feel like the Nets is a 'sister team' of Boston, and I think it's not only me. :D
 

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