After being traded away from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the deal that brought Rodney Hood to the Cavs and sent Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose to Utah, Rose is now a free agent. The Jazz waived him almost immediately after the trade, and Rose is now an unrestricted free agent. Lately, there have been a lot of rumors about the possibility of the 2011 regular season MVP joining the Minnesota Timberwolves. Signing with them would mean a reunion with former Chicago Bulls teammates Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, plus his former head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Jace Frederick from the Pioneer Press asked Thibodeau, head coach and Timberwolves' president of Basketball Operation, on the possibility of signing Rose. He answered:
“We'll see. We're always looking to look at different ways that we can improve the club.”
It would be interesting to see what Rose's role with the team will be if both sides agree to a deal. Should Rose take Jeff Teague's starting spot? Will Rose take away Tyus Jones' or Jamal Crawford's backup minutes? Thibodeau is known for using short eight or nine-man rotations and for giving his starters heavy minutes.
Rose, as many of the new players the Cavaliers acquired this offseason, was a disaster in Cleveland. Not everything was his fault, but he had one of his worst seasons stat-wise and faced more injuries. Two seasons ago, when Rose played for the Knicks, he showed some of what he could do when healthy. He averaged 20 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds on 47.1 percent shooting from the field over 64 games. Those numbers may not come too close to pre-injuries Derrick Rose, but he still showed flashes of value.
The Wizards are another team that has Rose amongst their free agency targets.
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