With homecomings becoming more of a trend in sports today, Derrick Rose says that he would be open to returning to the Chicago Bulls in the future.
Before LeBron James announced that he was “coming home” when he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, Derrick Rose had risen to national prominence as the hometown kid leading his team to the highest levels.
He was a star at Simeon High School in Chicago and after one season in Memphis, he was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the top pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Then in the 2010-11 season, he became the youngest MVP in NBA history.
Yet, injuries would rob us of his prime years and ultimately things got stale for the player and the organization and Rose has been a basketball nomad in recent seasons. Now with the Detroit Pistons, the closest he’s been to home since leaving, the former All-NBA guard is having a resurgent season on the court.
Tonight, the Pistons come to the United Center to take on the Bulls and before the game. The allure of having his jersey hanging in the rafters appealed to him, Rose said, “I’m from here, who wouldn’t want their jerseys up with Mike and everybody up there.” Fansided’s Mark Carman spoke with Rose who said this about a possible return home, “You probably gotta [sic] ask Jerry about that, it’s out of my hands.”
In the summer, Rose agreed to a two-year, $15 million contract with the Pistons. At 30 years old and in his 12th season in the NBA, the former Bull would not be anywhere near the player he used to be but his return could be something that Chicago looks to do.
This season, Rose is averaging 20.4 points per game and 6.2 assists per game. He hasn’t averaged either of those for a full year since he tore his ACL in 2012. Meanwhile, the Bulls have three point guards (Tomas Satoransky, Coby White and Kris Dunn) who combine to average 24.2 PPG and 9.6 APG.
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