Derrick Rose has been the topic of conversation for the past couple days after he pulled a disappearing act on the Knicks Monday and returned Tuesday. Despite going AWOL and raising concerns about his mental state, Rose is seeking a max contract when he becomes a free agent this summer.
Rose left the Knicks Monday, deciding not to show up for their game against the New Orleans Pelicans. After a couple hours of utter confusion, Rose contacted team officials letting them know he returned to Chicago to deal with a “family issue.” Rose reappeared at Knicks practice on Tuesday. During his presser, Rose hinted at his emotional state by saying “I didn’t want to take any calls at the time. I needed that space to myself and I needed to be around my mom.”
According to two independent sources who spoke to the Daily News on the condition of anonymity, Rose was an emotional wreck and for a brief time, he talked about walking away from basketball for an extended period of time to clear his mind.
Today, Rose spoke with the press and said he’s doing much better and wants to just be with his teammates and get back on the court. Despite the minor mental breakdown, Rose is very much confident in his abilities, so much so, he’s seeking a max contract when he becomes a free agent at the end of this season.
via ESPN’s Ian Begley:
Some close to Rose have told friends he will seek a max contract this summer. For Rose, that pact would be for five years and nearly $150 million.
The Knicks would need to use nearly all of their cap space to ink Rose to a max contract.
Rose previously said he would welcome a long-term contract with the Knicks and they were keeping an open mind, but this incident has certainly added another factor into that decision. The Knicks have been known to make terrible deals, offering big contracts to washed up players and trading away young promising ones, but one would hope that maybe one day they’ll learn from their mistakes.
