Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose is betting on himself to regain the form that netted him the MVP Award in 2011, saying that teams interested in his services will have to pay double after this season. Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Rose said signing with the Cavaliers gives him a chance to reintroduce himself to the league and bet on himself. “Next time you’ve got to pay me, you’ve got to pay me double, so it’s fine with me,” said Rose. After a one-year stint with the New York Knicks, Rose hit the free agent market. He signed a one-year deal with the Cavaliers worth $2.1 million as a backup point guard.
Rose was supposed to back up Kyrie Irving but the latter was traded by the Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick. However, Rose became a starter as Thomas has yet to recover from a hip injury that he aggravated in the playoffs last season. With the Knicks, Rose averaged 18.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 64 games.
Rose to start until Thomas returns
Rose will start alongside LeBron James, Jae Crowder, Kevin Love, and Dwyane Wade, who was recently named as the fifth and final starter. The Cavs’ decision relegated J.R. Smith to his former role as the sixth man of the team. Wade recently signed with the Cavaliers after getting a buyout from his $23.8-million contract with the Chicago Bulls, where he played for just one year.
Rose tried recruiting James, Wade in 2010
With the Cavaliers, Rose’s dream of playing alongside James and Wade in the starting lineup will finally come true. In an interview with KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Rose said he tried recruiting James, Wade, and Chris Bosh to the Bulls in 2010. It was unknown to many, but Rose put out a video where he encouraged the three to join him with the Bulls.
According to Rose, the Bulls failed to inform media that he was participating in recruitment efforts to strengthen the team. The Bulls’ failure to mention Rose’s participation earned the point guard a reputation that he was not into recruiting players.
That year, Wade, James, and Bosh joined forces with the Miami Heat, where they won two straight titles in 2012 and 2013.
Rose also tried recruiting Carmelo Anthony in 2014, joining the team as they toured the then-Knicks superstar around the United Center. However, Rose failed to show up at the fancy dinner for Anthony that night, earning him the ire of the organization.
