Derrick Rose’s brother, Reggie Rose, who is also his manager went in on the Bulls today for their inability to improve their roster & said that no trades is a big factor in Derrick Rose’s return. I wonder if Derrick has a problem with his brother speaking out?! Damn siblings! Check out the full report after the jump…
According to Scott Powers at ESPN:
Reggie Rose said Thursday the franchise hasn’t put enough quality players around the Chicago Bulls star to win a championship and that could be a “big factor” in whether he returns this season from a knee injury.
Reggie Rose said he was speaking for himself and not his brother.
“What have you pieced together? Have you made any moves? Have you made any trades to get better? You know all roads to the championship lead through Miami,” Reggie Rose told ESPNChicago.com. “What pieces have you put together for the physical playoffs?
“Joakim Noah is a great player. Luol Deng is a great player. But you need more than that. You have to put together pieces to your main piece. The players can only do so much. It’s up to the organization to make them better.”
The Bulls stood pat at Thursday’s trade deadline.
“It’s frustrating to see my brother play his heart and soul out for the team and them not put anything around him,” Reggie Rose said.
Pulling off a trade would have been complicated for the Bulls, who are hard capped at $74 million in payroll this season.
“We’re up against what’s called a hard cap,” Bulls vice president John Paxson said last month on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN Chicago 1000. “In order for us to do something we’re not in a position to take on any real salary so we’re kind of limited in what we can do. I think our team has grown — it’s not always pretty, let’s face it; we’ve had some ugly games this year and that’s kind of who we are right now. But we do grind it out and play hard.
“You’re always on the lookout to do certain things, but I think our move hopefully will be bringing Derrick back into the fold.”
The Bulls, who have had the NBA’s best record the past two seasons, have been without Rose all season as he recovers from May knee surgery but have stayed near the top of the Central Division standings. They enter Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat with a 31-22 record and are the fifth seed in the East.
Initially believed to return sometime after last weekend’s All-Star break, Rose said last week he wouldn’t “mind missing this year” if he didn’t feel ready to return and insisted that the decision is his to make.
Reggie Rose said the Bulls have known all along Rose could sit out this season, but the organization hasn’t mentioned it because it would have affected ticket sales.
“Everyone is expecting Derrick to come back,” Reggie Rose said. “If Derrick comes back, they’re going to sell more tickets. Is the reason for Derrick to come back to win a championship or make money? Right now, I don’t believe a championship. Everything in the NBA is financial.”
(STORY CONTINUES…)
