Derrick Rose’s Comments About Money Hard To Hear

Sep 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) speaks during media day at The Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) speaks during media day at The Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /
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During the Chicago Bulls media day Monday, one particular quote from Derrick Rose generated a lot of buzz:

His words sparked a number of headlines in the general variety of “Derrick Rose Preparing for 2017 Free Agency.”  But as Ashish Mathur of DaWindyCity.com pointed out, that line can be taken out of context.  Rose wasn’t implying he’s already thinking about the next team he might play for–he said his future is in Chicago.  Here’s the full quote via ESPN.com’s  Nick Friedell:

"This whole summer I had tunnel vision. My mindset was just making sure that I was working out every day and spending as much time as possible with my son and focusing on them two things.Making sure that my family is financially stable — as far as, you see all the money that they’re passing out in this league, [I’m] just telling the truth, just knowing that my day will be coming up soon. It’s not for me, it’s for [son] P.J. and his future, so that’s what I’m thinking about right now. …It’s here [Rose’s future]. But when you talk about that much money, the only thing you can do is prepare for it, trying to prepare not only myself but my family. I’m doing all of this for my son. I’m thinking about his future even though we’re all right, we’re comfortable. When you talk about that ‘X’ amount of dollars, I think it raises everyone’s eyebrows. It’s nothing wrong with being over-prepared."

Regardless of whether or not he was talking about leaving the Bulls, Rose clearly stated that he is concerned with how much he’ll get paid in 2017.  And for the common-man NBA fan, that is extremely difficult to listen to.

It’d be one thing if Rose simply stated he wants more money, or thinks he deserves it because that’s what his fair market value will be.  But that’s not the case–Rose basically said he needs more to provide for his family.

Rose is currently entering the fourth season of a five-year, $94 million contract.  Hearing him say “we’re all, right, we’re comfortable” and talk about his next deal as a means to ensure “financial stability” is insulting to the rest of us.

To make matters worse, Rose has only suited up for 61 out of a possible 246 regular season games (less than 25 percent) during the span of his existing contract.  Maybe he should focus on trying to earn the money he’s already getting paid?

Next: Is Derrick Rose the Bulls' 4th-Best Player?

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