Tom Thibodeau got one step closer to bringing his old band of the Chicago Bulls back together by signing Derrick Rose. He joins Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson as players who once played for Thibodeau and joined him in Minnesota to play for him and the Timberwolves.
But apparently the owner of the Timberwolves wasn't exactly sold on signing Rose at first, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
The Wolves also explored trade possibilities for Rose when he was with the Knicks in February of 2017 and again had talks with him this summer about adding him as a free agent. Wolves owner Glen Taylor was believed to initially be reluctant to add such a polarizing player to the roster, but ultimately signed off on it after Butler’s injury.
Before joining the Wolves, Rose wanted and received assurances that Taylor was supportive of the move, sources told The Athletic.
Who can blame Taylor? Rose has been a shell of himself after suffering who knows how many injuries to his knees over the years. While with the Cavaliers earlier this season, Rose hurt his ankle and then decided to leave the team for a while, and even contemplated retirement.
But he returned to the Cavaliers before being traded at the trade deadline and subsequently released, which gave Rose the chance to sign with whatever team he wanted. He chose his old coach and teammates.
There's no telling how Rose will fit with the Timberwolves roster as a whole, but we already know that he is intimately familiar with his former teammates and with Thibodeau's system. In that sense, the adjustment period should not be too long for Rose.
But the Timberwolves are headed to the playoffs this year, and Rose may be looking for a significant role on a team that has done quite well without him. Time will tell if it ends up working out for all involved.
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