Initially reported as a rumor yesterday, the Detroit Pistons have officially pulled the trigger on bringing Derrick Rose to the Motor City.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1145452316579061761
Teams had to wait until 6pm this evening to officially begin discussing contracts with free agents, but Detroit wasted very little time after the clock struck 6pm.
This move all but slams the door on the idea of seeing the team bring back fellow point guard Ish Smith.
This is the team’s second big move since the off-season began, as they also traded Jon Leuer to the Milwaukee Bucks for Tony Snell and the 30th pick in this year’s draft, and then traded the pick for future second round picks.
Though he has never really been the same player since coming back from a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2012-13 season, Rose did enjoy a resurgence last season while playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves. While playing in 51 games with Minnesota, Rose averaged 18 points and 4.3 assists per game, mostly in a bench role. He also shot 37% from three point range in those 51 games with Minnesota last season.
Before suffering the ACL injury, Rose averaged more than 20 points per game in three consecutive seasons. Since the injury, he hasn’t averaged more than 18 points per game over the course of season, plus has not played in more than 66 games in an entire season. In fact, he played in 51 games last season and only 50 games in the season before.
While it’s unlikely that the Pistons will expect Rose to come in an command a starting role right from the get go, it does create a bit of depth that the team can use to help compliment current starting point guard Reggie Jackson.
For a team that may have surprised some by sneaking into the playoffs last season, this could very well be a tremendous depth move for a team that is improving in multiple areas.
