The Washington Wizards got linked to Derrick Rose because of John Wall's absence. Wall is on the sideline after undergoing knee surgery on the 31st of January. Rose was seen as a potential replacement since he is on the market. The former NBA MVP is now a free agent after clearing waivers.
However, Washington may be setting aside the reported interest in Derrick Rose to look at other options. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Wizards have several veteran point guards on their radar.
The return?
As mentioned, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski shared in one of his reports that the Washington Wizards are eyeing other candidates that can fill the void John Wall left at the No.
1 position. Wojnarowski mentioned that one of them might be Ty Lawson. At the moment, Lawson is with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Before Lawson tried his luck overseas, he suited up for four NBA teams. These were the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, and the Sacramento Kings. It was in Denver where the 30-year-old had the most success. With the Nuggets, Lawson proved that he is capable of being a go-to guy on offense, while still fulfilling the duties of a court facilitator. Perhaps this is why the Washington Wizards are considering him, despite the availability of Derrick Rose.
Risky Rose
Many would see Derrick Rose as a better fit for the Washington Wizards.
The game of Rose is closer to John Wall as they are both potent scorers and have that explosiveness. Sadly, signing the Chicago native is a gamble nowadays, and there are two reasons why. First is his infamous bout with injuries through the years. There was a time when Rose was the superstar point guard ruling the NBA. Unfortunately, in 2012, that ended when he suffered an ACL tear that marked the beginning of his downfall.
Second is his commitment to basketball.
In November, Rose just left the Cleveland Cavaliers and was thinking of retirement. Reports said that the 29-year-old was frustrated with his endless battle with injuries that he questioned his love for the game. It is possible that these factors are preventing the Washington Wizards from adding Rose to their roster.
But there is no need for them to rush at this point. Even without John Wall, the Wizards are playing excellent basketball winning six of their last eight outings to improve their record to 32-24, the fourth-best in the Eastern Conference.
