LeBron James: Former No. 1 picks who were his teammates in his career
By Ronald Agers
On paper, Derrick Rose was supposed to join an All-Star laden team on paper. It didn’t turn out that way.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 Draft and 2011 NBA MVP would team up with LeBron James while battling back from a series of knee injuries during his stay in Chicago. After being traded to the New York Knicks, he was not re-signed and hooked up with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the veteran’s minimum.
In theory, the Cavaliers had to be considered a shoo-in for the NBA Finals when Dwyane Wade was bought out of his Bulls contract and joined the team in the offseason. Kyrie Irving had been traded that summer for Isaiah Thomas, who was still dealing with hip injuries.
Rose was supposed to hold down the fort while Thomas was recovering. By this time, teams and fans alike was holding out for the good old days.
The Cleveland Cavaliers did not get that production. From neither Rose or Wade. Locker room squabbles and finger-pointing ravaged the Cavaliers locker room for the first half of the season.
Derrick Rose got injured early that season and soon after left the team for weeks. It was reported that he considered walking away from the NBA altogether before he came back. When he did, he was traded to the Utah Jazz as the Cavs blew up the roster. The Jazz waived him immediately.
In all, Rose played in only 16 games as LeBron’s teammate in Cleveland, averaging 9.8 points per contest. The next year, Derrick Rose was reunited with Tom Thibodeau and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rose would eventually have a comeback year in Minnesota during the 2018-19 campaign where he averaged 18 points and 4.3 assists. His 50 point game was one of the stories of the year.
He recently signed a contract to play with the Detroit Pistons next season. Derrick Rose didn’t last long in Cleveland, but he lasted longer than the next player on this list.