Minnesota Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose has recently shed some light on his rather unsuccessful stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to the 30-year-old Wolves veteran, it was not the most ideal situation to begin with, and that it was just a matter of necessity for him.

Speaking to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Rose explained that teaming up with LeBron James — an arch-rival in the East that he would face several times in a season while Rose was still with the Chicago Bulls — felt unnatural and awkward.

“I was just trying to make it back to the league, man,” Rose told The Athletic. “I had to sign with a team that I had battled with for four or five years. I played with a player I battled with for four or five years in LeBron.”

Once the league’s youngest ever MVP winner at the age of 22, Rose’s promising career took a turn for the worse after he suffered an ACL injury that would cost him almost two seasons on the shelf. When he returned, he was never the same player he used to be.

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Three years after his injury, the Chicago Bulls finally decided to pull the plug on Rose, as they shipped him off to the New York Knicks in the summer of 2016. The three-time All-Star would spend just a solitary season with the Knicks before he eventually signed with the Cavs as a free agent the following offseason.

In Cleveland, Rose played only 16 games for the Cavs as he failed to make an impact on the team. After being traded to and subsequently waived by the Utah Jazz, Rose found his way to Minnesota where he now remains to be a pivotal role player off the bench.

Rose has been off to a great start this season and hopefully, he is able to stay healthy and make a significant contribution for the team down the line.