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Former MVP Derrick Rose signs with new team

By Joe Setyon March 8, 2018 at 9:52am

One might think that a 29-year-old former NBA MVP would be highly sought after by multiple teams in the league.

However, that wasn’t the case for point guard Derrick Rose, whose career has gone downhill in recent years.

When he was just 23, Rose was named league MVP following the 2010-2011 season.

But injuries stalled Rose’s career, and he went from being one of the NBA’s best to just another player looking to catch fire with whichever team would take a chance on him.

Ever since the 2011-2012 league, Rose has failed to eclipse 20 points per game and five assists per contest for the duration of a season. In July 2017, he signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, hoping to revitalize his career, but Rose never really took off with Cleveland. He ended up playing 16 games with the Cavaliers, and averaged just 9.8 ppg.

Prior to the trade deadline, Rose was traded to the Utah Jazz, who promptly waived him.

At least for for the time being, though, Rose appears to have found a new NBA home. He is reportedly set to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the remainder of the season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski‏.

Free agent guard Derrick Rose is signing with Minnesota for the rest of the season, league sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 8, 2018

As pointed out by NBC Sports, Minnesota has wanted to add Rose ever since he was released by the Jazz.

Do you think Derrick Rose still has anything left to offer?

At the same time, the role he will play in Minnesota is not entirely clear, as the Timberwolves currently rotate point guards Jeff Teague and Tyus Jones.

Of that pair, Teague puts up better stats, averaging 13.7 ppg and 6.9 apg this season. Jones, meanwhile, is averaging 4.9 ppg and 2.7 apg.

According to Dan Feldman of NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk, the signing likely happened because Tom Thibodeau, who currently serves as the head coach and president of the Timberwolves, previously coached Rose in Chicago.

Of course, Rose may end up being just the spark Minnesota needs as they look to reach the postseason for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.

The Timberwolves currently stand at 38-28.

If the season ended today, they would be the sixth seed in the Western Conference, and would face off against Portland in the first round of the playoffs.

Minnesota will host the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

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Chicago Bulls, NBA

Joe Setyon

Deputy Managing Editor, Editorial

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Joe Setyon was a deputy managing editor for The Western Journal who had spent his entire professional career in editing and reporting. He previously worked in Washington, D.C., as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine.

@JoeSetyon

Joe Setyon was deputy managing editor for The Western Journal with several years of copy editing and reporting experience. He graduated with a degree in communication studies from Grove City College, where he served as managing editor of the student-run newspaper. Joe previously worked as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine, a libertarian publication in Washington, D.C., where he covered politics and wrote about government waste and abuse.

Birthplace

Brooklyn, New York

Topics of Expertise

Sports, Politics