Derrick Rose Knew Cavaliers Would Trade Him At 2018 Deadline After Scoring 14 Points In 15 Minutes In 1 Game: ‘Didn’t Want Me To Play Good So It Wouldn’t Look Bad When They Got Rid Of Me’

Derrick Rose played 16 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2017-18 NBA season. He was taken out of the air by Milwaukee Bucks big man Greg Monroe in the second game of the season and suffered a serious left ankle injury. 

Rose missed four games before returning to the lineup, but he was still in a lot of pain. 

In November 2017, Rose took a leave of absence from the Cavaliers to evaluate his NBA future. He considered retiring but wound up returning to Cleveland in December. 

Rose played in nine more games with the Cavaliers before getting traded to the Utah Jazz at the 2018 trade deadline. The Jazz waived Rose, who signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in March 2018. 

In his book, “I’ll Show You,” Rose talked about his experience with the Cavaliers. Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history, knew Cleveland didn’t want him anymore after he scored 14 points in 15 minutes against the Indiana Pacers on January 26, 2018. 

“So, I saw their therapist, but I could tell the Cavs didn’t really want me back,” Rose wrote. “You could see that. Didn’t want me to play good so it wouldn’t look bad when they got rid of me.

“I had a good game when we beat Indiana, with like 14 points in 15 minutes. Next game, they play me eight minutes. Then a DNP and then five minutes.

“I didn’t know what was going on in Cleveland, but you could see. They knew they were gonna get rid of me. When I had the quick 14 against Indiana I could tell they didn’t want that to happen. So they sat me on the bench the last couple of games after that and then I was traded.”

Dwyane Wade said Rose was the best player in Cavaliers training camp since LeBron James was nursing an ankle injury. Who knows what could have happened if Monroe hadn’t taken Rose out of the air in Game 2 and the Cavaliers kept Rose.

Rose rejuvenated his NBA career with the Timberwolves, averaging 14.2 points and 2.6 assists in the 2018 playoffs and 18.0 points and 4.3 assists during the 2018-19 season.

On Halloween in 2018, Rose scored a career-high 50 points against the Jazz and cried during his postgame interview since he had been through a lot injuries-wise since winning the MVP Award in 2011 with his hometown Chicago Bulls. 

LeBron, who was in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018-19, called Rose a “superhero” following Rose’s 50-point game.

“I think every kid that — you don’t have to play sports — any kid that’s going through anything in life about adversity and triumph and trying to just get over the hump, you can look at that performance by Derrick Rose tonight,” LeBron said. “And that’s why our game is so unbelievable because even when a superhero is knocked down, he’s still a superhero at the end of the day and Derrick Rose showed why he’s still a superhero.”

Rose has undergone eight surgeries on his body. He’s played for the Bulls, New York Knicks (twice), Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies. 

Rose has career averages of 17.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He has made three All-Star teams and one All-NBA team.

Rose also won the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year Award.