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Sports world reacts to Derrick Rose announcing retirement

Posted on October 2, 2024 - 2:44 am by

Derrick Rose announced his retirement from the NBA on Thursday, ending a 16-year career that included three All-Star appearances, a Rookie of the Year and MVP award.

The Chicago Bulls drafted Rose as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA draft. At 22 years old, he averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game, becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history.

Injuries became a common theme of Rose’s career after his MVP season. Most notably, he tore his ACL in the first round of the 2012 playoffs and missed the ensuing regular season. He found his footing in the mid-2010s, however, averaging 18 points per game with the New York Knicks during the 2016-17 season, his highest point total in five years.

Rose received praise after he announced his intention to retire, led by his former college coach for the Memphis Tigers, John Calipari.



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Top questions and predictions ahead of the 2024-25 NBA preseason

It’s the start of October and NBA training camps are in full swing with the start of the 2024-25 season three weeks away.

Both conferences had a busy offseason with a few superstar shuffles and head-coaching changes that will shake up the landscape of the league.

Friday saw another blockbuster move that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. We’re itching to see how other newcomers, including Klay Thompson and Paul George, will fit alongside their superstar teammates and if first-time head coach JJ Redick can take on one of the most difficult jobs in the NBA.



Our NBA insiders answer some of the biggest preseason questions and give their predictions on who will have the toughest path to the conference finals, which superstar has the most to prove and more.

Which newcomer has the biggest adjustment ahead and who is the best fit?

Ohm Youngmisuk: Thompson’s skillset is exactly what Dallas needs — a lethal outside shooter to complement Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. But Thompson is coming from a system that was predicated on constant and precise movement. Now the shooter will often be watching Doncic and Irving dominate the ball. In time, Thompson could be the ideal fit for Jason Kidd’s offense. Mikal Bridges, though, should be a perfect fit for the Knicks. His two-way game slides in nicely with the Knicks’ loaded lineup and the Villanova chemistry is already there.



Chris Herring: I’m extremely curious to see how Randle will gel with the Timberwolves. He deserves a ton of credit for becoming the player he did during his time with the Knicks, and making two All-NBA teams in New York. But playing alongside up-and-coming superstar Anthony Edwards in a new offense — and in a potential contract year — could be challenging; particularly from a spacing standpoint, although DiVincenzo will help when he’s on the floor. In terms of a fantastic, automatic fit, I really think Chris Paul will do damage alongside Victor Wembanyama if he’s able to stay healthy. The future Hall of Fame floor general always has, and that’s without ever having a center with anywhere near the talent this 20-year-old possesses.

Tim MacMahon: Thompson has the biggest adjustment to make with the Mavericks after spending the first 13 years of his future Hall of Fame career with the Golden State Warriors — going from one end of the ball- and player-movement spectrums to the other. Doncic will create plenty of open looks for Thompson, but the Mavs will need to make sure their summer addition feels like he’s in rhythm instead of simply being a weak-side, spot-up shooter. But the cleanest fit among big names who changed teams is Paul, even if he isn’t on a contending team. He’ll run the offense in San Antonio while imparting his wisdom upon the Spurs’ young players, including a certain 7-foot-5 prodigy.



Kevin Pelton: DeMar DeRozan is going to have to make the biggest adjustment spending more time off the ball. Based on Second Spectrum tracking data, DeRozan had the ball in his hands 27% of the time on offense last season with the Chicago Bulls. Now with the Sacramento Kings, DeRozan replaces Harrison Barnes, who had the ball in his hands 8% of the time. No Kings starter besides De’Aaron Fox had greater than 21% possession. Conversely, George’s versatile game should help him easily adjust to more spot-up opportunities playing with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia.

Dave McMenamin: It figures that Thompson is the guy with a major adjustment coming his way. He is going from a partnership with an all-time type of player in Stephen Curry and winning four championships, to joining a team that is relying on him to be the missing piece after losing in the 2024 Finals. Meanwhile, the combination of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein should assimilate swimmingly on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their tenacity and passion should make for a perfect fit with that up-and-coming group.



Which star has the most to prove this season?

Youngmisuk: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The East is pulling away with the Boston Celtics defending a title, the Knicks loading up and adding Towns and the Sixers muscling up with George. Antetokounmpo, when healthy, is a top-three player. Now that they will have a full camp with Doc Rivers, Antetokounmpo and Lillard have to become the pair they envisioned they would be together. The window for this Milwaukee core could be rapidly closing.

Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo will have their first full preseason together after Lillard was traded from Portland late into last offseason. Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Herring: Embiid. The Sixers have had some solid secondary stars throughout his time in Philly: Jimmy Butler, James Harden and, before injuries derailed things, Ben Simmons. Speedster Maxey, whom the Sixers extended on a max deal in July after he made his first All-Star team, could turn out to be Embiid’s best running mate. But George — the best perimeter shooter of that group and a still elite defender — ups the ante even more for Embiid and Philly. They finally have a good enough combination of top-end talent and depth to reach the conference finals. Embiid simply has to make it through the season healthy to give his team that chance.



MacMahon: Harden is still considered a star, right? He needs to prove that he should be, and the LA Clippers certainly need him to perform at that level with George in Philadelphia and Kawhi Leonard in perpetual medical limbo. If “The System” can’t revert to something resembling his Rockets-era scoring levels, the Clippers might be sending another lottery pick to Oklahoma City in the next draft.

Pelton: Embiid. This is mostly a matter of better luck, but him making it to the playoffs healthy and performing at the same MVP level we’ve seen during the regular season will become more important with a pair of All-Stars in Maxey and George around him. Despite their consistent success with Embiid, the Sixers still haven’t reached the Eastern Conference finals since 2001.

McMenamin: Doncic. After finishing third in MVP voting and coming up short in the NBA Finals, there is very little left for Doncic to clear before he could claim control of the league. His first six seasons have already been dominant by individual standards (his 28.7 points per game is the third highest scoring average ever behind only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain while his 8.3 assists average ranks 12th during that span). He has the type of potential of breaking through and then ruling the roost for a decade plus. The question is, will he have the urgency to start that push now, fueled by that Celtics defeat (when he had a combined 15 turnovers in losses in Games 2 and 5), or will the 25-year-old need more time to reach that point?



Which new coach needs to make the best first impression on their team?

Youngmisuk: It’s already tough enough to make the leap to coaching from the TV booth. But Redick has to do that while being under the red-hot glare that comes with being the Los Angeles Lakers’ and LeBron James’ coach. Redick clearly has the acumen. But the Lakers and James don’t have the luxury of patience. Redick will have to go through growing pains while expected to get James as deep into the playoffs as possible. A quick start would certainly help.

Herring: Doc Rivers, who joined the Bucks in the middle of last season, still has a lot to prove. Time is limited in Milwaukee. Khris Middleton is 33. Lillard is 34. Brook Lopez is 36. And even though Antetokounmpo is in his prime, turning 30 in December, he plays a highly physical brand of basketball and has missed the majority of the past two postseasons with injuries. Will Rivers help the Bucks get back to defensive dominance? If so, this team is a real contender when healthy. If not? It’s always easier to move on from a coach — even after making a midseason change last year — than it is to shake up a roster with a superstar in his prime.



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MacMahon: Redick knew what he signed up for when he left his comfortable seats in the broadcast booth and podcast studios for the most pressure-packed job in the NBA. The priority on player development is nice and all, but time is of the essence for a Lakers team that is built around soon-to-be 40-year-old legend James.

Pelton: The clock is ticking on the Phoenix Suns’ core. Kevin Durant celebrated his 37th birthday over the weekend, meaning coach Mike Budenholzer needs to deliver the same kind of immediate impact he made with the Bucks — who jumped from 44 wins to 60 after his arrival and the addition of Brook Lopez — to help the Suns contend before it’s too late.

McMenamin: Similarly to Doc and Bud, Kenny Atkinson is taking over a Cleveland Cavaliers team with major expectations. However, he doesn’t have a championship-stamped résumé he can point to when getting buy-in from his new squad. JB Bickerstaff led the Cavs to a .581 winning percentage over the past three seasons, but had just one playoff series win to show for it. Atkinson — who led the Nets to a 42-40 record in his most successful season in Brooklyn — will be tasked with improving upon what’s already been established in Cleveland.