“Reggie Rose, brother of Derrick Rose, criticized the Chicago Bulls for being unable to put enough quality players around him to compete for a title.
Reggie Rose, who stated he was speaking for himself, said it could be a “big factor” in whether his brother returns from his ACL injury this season.
“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 said. “What pieces have you put together for the physical playoffs?”
With this quote, Reggie Rose manages to tick off…..
The Bulls Front Office: Objective Bulls fans know they aren’t rooting for a true contender in the East this year. The last thing Bulls Management needs is someone shining a light on their flawed roster and their inaction at the trade deadline.
Bulls Players: I’m sure they enjoy hearing they aren’t ‘good enough’ to get the job done. Reggie Rose broke an unwritten rule in sports: family members of players don’t publicly criticize other players on the team. Note that Carlos Boozer’s name was conspicuously absent from Reggie Rose’s comments, despite being one of the highest paid players on the team.
Bulls Fans: Now, fans might question if Rose is being “selfish” by not returning to action before the end of the season. Nothing rankles players more than having the media/teammates/fans insinuate that they aren’t giving their all in rehab. Billy and Joey Superfan don’t need any more reminders that someone is earning $20 million sitting on a bench while they do drywall from dusk ’til dawn.
Derrick Rose; According to ESPN and other fawning media outlets, Derrick has cultivated an image of “hard-working, honest, humble kid from Chicago” (that SAT thing notwithstanding). The last thing a player needs is even a whisper that he’s delaying a return to the court, especially with Adrian Peterson’s supernatural return from knee injury still fresh on everyone’s mind. It doesn’t take much to go from universally-loved to despised by fans—just ask Lebron and Dwight Howard.
This could also hurt Derrick Rose at his next contract negotiation…. “Your brother alluded to the fact that you weren’t giving full effort the last time you had a serious injury—why should we give you max money, again?”
Reggie Rose makes himself look bad in the process, too. We can safely stick him in the “People Who Confuse Their Proximity to a Star With Actual Skill and Cunning” pile. Ironic, because he probably never considered that he could look foolish and damage his brother’s standing in the sport by trying to pump up his brother’s value in the media.
Entourage members would do better to just stay silent, or at least avoid the press. I’m sure Derrick is floating his brother enough money to stay out of the limelight.
