Derrick Rose’s future on-court prospects are as sketchy as his off-court happenings these days.
Less than 48 hours after Rose disappeared on the Knicks, ESPN’s Ian Begley reported that Rose will be seeking a max contract (five years, $150 million) this coming summer. No doubt, the Knicks or any other NBA team will be hesitant to pay him that kind of money given that he left the team on Monday without explanation. It left the organization shaken. “I never experienced that,” Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony said about Rose going AWOL to the NY Post. “It was a scary situation to be in. I don’t even like thinking about that coming into a game, not knowing where somebody’s at, their whereabouts, if they’re OK. That’s the first thing that comes to mind … I just wanted to make sure he’s OK.” Rose said that he “didn’t want to take any calls” and that he needed “space” because of a situation involving his mother. The details remain private, but speculation is running wild.
Rose’s Knicks career got off to a rocky start because of off-court issues. He spent a good chunk of time in Los Angeles during training camp due to a civil rape trial – one in which he was found not liable. The woman who lost the civil lawsuit filed an appeal this past November. The trial itself was bizarre, as there were long discussions regarding consent to group sex, sex toys and the pseudonym of the accuser. In addition, a lead detective on the LAPD investigation into sexual assault allegations against Rose died one week prior to a judge ruling that Rose was not liable. The detective, Nadine Hernandez, is said to have shot herself in the chest and the incident was ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
Why did Derrick Rose leave the Knicks, go AWOL?
