After his latest injury, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose is seriously evaluating his future in the NBA and might decide to retire and end an injury-filled career. Sources told Dave McMenamin and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Rose has left the team and there is a possibility that he might not return to the Cavaliers, where he signed a one-year deal worth $2.1 million in the offseason. A sprained left ankle has sidelined Rose for 11 of the Cavaliers’ 18 games this season, including the last seven, leaving him frustrated and questioning his future in the NBA.
According to a source, Rose is tired of being injured and it’s taking a toll on him mentally. Other sources said, Rose has not been talking to multiple people close to him inside and outside of the Cavaliers in the past days as he mulls his future in the NBA. Rose was last seen with the Cavaliers in their Monday’s 116-88 win over the Detroit Pistons. Last week, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue announced that Rose will be out for two weeks due to the ankle injury that he suffered in their Oct. 20 game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Rose’s absence is excused, say Cavaliers
However, the Cavaliers said Rose’s current absence from the team is excused. A team spokesman clarified that Rose's current absence is different than his situation with the New York Knicks because he is not an active player.
Also, the team said Rose communicated with the franchise at the outset of his leave. During his time with the Knicks, Rose went missing on game day without informing the team of his whereabouts. Later, Rose said he returned to Chicago due to a family issue. In seven games this season for the Cavaliers, Rose averaged 14.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 26.9 minutes of play.
After winning the MVP trophy in 2011, Rose’s career has been plagued with different injuries. In 2012, he suffered a torn left ACL during his time with the Chicago Bulls. Since then, he played in just 237 out of a possible 412 regular-season games.
Rose bet on himself this season
Before the start of the season, Rose explained his decision to sign with the Cavaliers, saying he is betting on himself to regain his old form.
“Next time you’ve got to pay me, you’ve got to pay me double, so it’s fine with me,” said Rose, per McMenamin. Rose was expected to back up Kyrie Irving but the latter was traded to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick. Rose was catapulted to a starting role because Thomas has yet to recover from a hip injury that he suffered last season.
