While Sad Derrick Rose continues his sad comeback, his brother and business manager, Reggie Rose, decided to take a few shots at the Bulls organization. In an interview with ESPN Chicago, Reggie Rose expressed his displeasure at the Bulls for not making a deal before this year's trade deadline.
"What have you pieced together? Have you made any moves? Have you made any trades to get better? You know all roads to the championship lead through Miami," Reggie Rose told ESPNChicago.com. "What pieces have you put together for the physical playoffs?
"Joakim Noah is a great player. Luol Deng is a great player. But you need more than that. You have to put together pieces to your main piece. The players can only do so much. It's up to the organization to make them better."
Taken at face value, Reggie Rose's comments don't make much sense. The player that the Bulls would be most willing to part with is Carlos Boozer, but the $45 million he is owed over this season and the next two make him an unattractive asset to other teams. If the Bulls had wanted to land a player of consequence through a trade this year, they would have likely had to have given up Joakim Noah or Luol Deng—the two players on the team that Reggie Rose actually likes.
So what gives? What we have here is a not-so-gentle reminder from the Rose camp that the NBA is indeed a player's league, and that when Derrick Rose does return to the team, he wants to see the organization take aggressive steps to get better. The Bulls could, for example, amnesty Boozer in the offseason and use his cap space to land a big free agent. That would be a tough pill for a thrifty organization like the Bulls to swallow, but it's one that may be necessary. More from Reggie Rose:
"Everyone is expecting Derrick to come back," Reggie Rose said. "If Derrick comes back, they're going to sell more tickets. Is the reason for Derrick to come back to win a championship or make money? Right now, I don't believe a championship. Everything in the NBA is financial."
Here he is raising the question that all NBA teams must answer: Is the goal to win a championship or turn a profit? The implication is that the Bulls are currently more concerned with the latter, a tactic that the Rose camp wants them to know could eventually cost them their star player.