The Spanish news outlet Marca is reporting, and the website Sheridan Hoops is confirming, that Derrick Rose has told the Chicago Bulls' front office that he'd be pretty happy if they could swing a trade that would bring them L.A. Laker Pau Gasol in exchange for Carlos Boozer and some pieces-parts lying around in the basement of the United Center.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about this very trend, calling it (i.e.- stealing someone else's term for it) "the rise of the player/general manager." Looks like Rose is the newest man to seek that title. At this point, it's pretty much the mark of true superstardom- does your team listen to your roster demands? Great, see you at the ASG.
God, that previous post is horribly convoluted. Here's the cliff notes of my thoughts on the matter: GMs almost certainly know more about roster construction, and should have the final say. But you can't argue with players wanting more ownership of their destinies. Wholesale roster construction like the odious MV3 in Miami is obnoxious, but mere requests should be welcomed.
I wonder how these things go? How did Rose "let (this) be known) to Bulls' management? Was there a meeting? Did Rose start a letter writing campaign? Or is it much less formal? Did he just text Gar Foreman while out on the town? Is this maybe one big game of telephone and everyone's got it wrong, Rose just wants some Kung Pao Chicken? I don't get it...
Another thing to be said in favor of leaving things to the GM is the law of unintended consequences vis a vis player chemistry.
ReplyDeleteI support players having more control of their destinies generally. AND if I were a GM, I'd like to know if a player had no plans to re-sign ahead of their becoming an unrestricted free agent (UFA). As I mentioned in earlier posts on this blog, if Orlando doesn't trade Dwight Howard by this summer, they are going to lose him. They would be smart to get SOME value for him before he just walks.
BUT, that being said, Dwight has pushed for it in a very public way, rolling out his list of "acceptable" trade teams. Not only is he telling his team he wants to leave, but he wants to dictate where he gets traded as well. The unintended consequence though is that he has lost the trust and favor of his teammates, and the Orlando Magic has fallen apart this year as a result. Dwight will just point to the Magic's woes this year as reason he should leave, without ever taking responsibility for his role in distracting the team and destroying its chemistry.
Now look at this example with Rose, Boozer, and Pau. If Rose actually said this, how does this affect Boozer? How does this affect the chemistry of a team that very much relies on teamwork in creating one of the best defenses in the league. Boozer has been maligned by fans as not consistent on the offensive end, but he has posted good games this year. It's almost a situation where all anyone can think of is his lackluster performance in the playoffs, and this season if he has a bad game and the Bulls lose, it reinforces that opinion, but when he scores 20 points and gets 10 rebounds and the Bulls win, no one gives him credit.
Now, I'm not Boozer's biggest fan, and I won't cry if we trade him, but after a report like this, if we don't, does it hurt the team? If this report had solely consisted of reports about the front office shopping Boozer, he can be pissed at management, but everyone in the locker room can say they have his back.
Now, I can even see some benefit from the office asking Rose his opinion. He's their franchise, and they just invested a ton of money in him for the future. It makes sense to get his opinion on roster changes because he is the floor general. But if you do you gotta keep that shit under wraps. Two words: Plausible Deniability.