Philadelphia 76ers Fans Ask: How Much Longer?
By Bret Stuter
Rose Garden
Guard Derrick Rose joined a Chicago Bulls team that ended the 2007-2008 season with 33 wins and had just a 1.7 percent chance of obtaining the top pick.
With Rose, the Bulls improved to 41 wins and 41 losses, just good enough to land in the playoffs. The following season, Rose led the Bulls to the best record in the NBA with 62 wins and just 20 losses.
Rose would continue to lead the Bulls, even while his own body began to suffer from the constant wear and tear of the young man playing a full season as well as post season basketball. He played just 39 games in the 2011-2012 season, followed by just a ten game season in 2012-2013.
While the Bulls have continued to play above .500, the team has been on edge with the continuous questions of “will Rose be healthy enough to play this year?” plaguing them. Finally, in the 2016 off-season, the Chicago Bulls traded point guard Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks for Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant. In the package, the Knicks acquired Rose, Justin Holiday, and a 2017 second round pick.
The Chicago Bulls converted Rose into an immediate appearance in the playoffs, and they were a pretty good team prior to Rose’s appearance. Rose was a huge impact player in the NBA, but his window was short.
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