Three Questions About the Derrick RoseTom Thibodeau Reunion in Minnesota

Two weeks after Derrick Rose was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Utah Jazz (and promptly waived thereafter) at the February deadline, the 2011 NBA MVP was spotted in an empty gym at Cleveland State University, lofting soft, one-legged floaters around the rim at what looked like 10 percent effort.

My sister found @drose at Cleveland State. pic.twitter.com/0pYQoS8RK0

— Joseph James (@KingJique) February 22, 2018

He looked like a child trying to emulate Rose's patented jump-stop floater that, at full speed in his prime, was like watching a SpaceX booster landing squarely on its launch pad. Except it was the real Rose, seemingly worlds away from another shot at making an NBA roster.

Two weeks later he's returned to the only coach in the league who would have him. On Thursday morning, Rose reunited with Tom Thibodeau, signing a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the remainder of the season.

We have some questions.

This is a rhetorical question, although it probably shouldn't be. We are now six seasons removed from Rose's last All-Star season, and so much has changed about the player we once anointed as the next great point guard. In the years since, he's dealt with a litany of injuries all over his body, chipping away at his explosiveness; in 2016, he faced a civil trial for sexual battery, among other charges, for an alleged incident in 2013 (Rose was found not liable for the offenses). The player who was dismissed from his hometown team has since donned Knicks orange-and-blue and Cavs wine-and-gold; that version of Rose is a high-usage nonshooter who can't space the floor, can't be relied upon to play defense, and can't contribute in any positive manner without the ball in his hands.

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