Two days ago, one of the most explosive and entertaining point guards in Chicago Bulls history announced his retirement via an Instagram video. He was the league’s youngest player to ever receive the Most Valuable Player honor, alongside three All-Star appearances in Chicago and a Rookie of the Year award under his belt. Seven of his fifteen seasons in the NBA were spent with the team that drafted him first overall in 2008 out of Memphis, with the final eight being spent with six different franchises. Rose will undoubtedly be remembered as a Chicago Bull, but he will not officially retire one. Why is Chicago not doing right by their most recent legend in franchise history, and will this leave Rose with sour feelings toward the Bulls?
No Roster Spots, Even For A Day
According to K.C. Johnson, now representing The Chicago Sports Network, the Bulls cannot help Rose retire a Bull because they’ve already fulfilled their 21 offseason contract limit. With the recent additions of Kenneth Lofton Jr., Talen Horton-Tucker, and E.J. Liddell, Chicago is primed for training camp and preseason tryouts. Johnson did leave the door open for a potential retirement contract in the future, intentionally using the wording “for now” when speaking about how Rose will not be able to retire a Bull.
Joakim Noah Treatment Planned
A similarly iconic Chicago Bull and long-time teammate of Rose, Joakim Noah’s retirement announcement in 2021 was met with a one-day contract to retire a Bull, was named a team ambassador, and a celebration via the organization. It’s expected that Rose will receive similar treatment, as that duo was potentially the most memorable since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Upon hearing the news, Noah had plenty of praise and admiration for his former teammate.
It’s assumed that Rose will have a retirement ceremony in the United Center at some point during the 2024-25 campaign, likely planned strategically when his former head coach Tom Thibodeau is in town with the New York Knicks on January 4th, 2025. By that time, Chicago’s roster might present the opportunity for Rose to retire a Bull and potentially see his number in the rafters. The next several months of debate will center around whether Derrick Rose is a Hall of Famer and if he deserves to have his jersey retired by the Bulls organization. Most expert opinions and metrics using his career accolades would lean toward narrowly missing the Hall of Fame nod, but the jersey retirement is much more likely.
Will Rose seek out a one-day contract with the Bulls or have his jersey retired, or is he content with his career and not require further recognition? The immediate fan reaction heavily favors that Chicago needs to do right by Rose by retiring his jersey and signing him to a one-day contract.
