Recruiting has always been a way of life in college sports, but free agents on the professional level have historically made decisions based more on money, location, and chances of winning (usually in that order) over everything else.
But the league has shifted in recent years. There was a time when superstars relished the opportunity to compete against one another in order to win a championship; now, it seems as though many would like to try to land on teams that are as stacked with talent as possible.
The best players want to be wanted when it’s their turn to choose where to play in free agency, and recruiting has definitely become a thing now in the NBA. As recently as this summer, we saw Dwight Howard embark on a multi-team tour to receive pitches by the resident star players already in place in those cities.
Chicago has one of the game’s brightest stars and a former MVP in Derrick Rose, and seems to have all the pieces in place to attract high profile free agents. But don’t expect Rose to engage in the type of recruiting that Chandler Parsons did in bringing Howard to Houston -- that’s just not his style.
From Rappler.com (via ESPN Chicago):
“I don’t recruit. If anyone wants to play with me, I don’t mind playing with ... it could be anyone in the NBA, but as far as recruiting, I never did and never will,” Rose said.
It is worth noting, however, that Rose has recruited in the past -- he helped bring Kirk Hinrich to Chicago, and admitted as much last year.
This comes down to personality, though, and Rose has always been more of a hard worker who keeps to himself than he has been a gregarious team ambassador.
Even so, don’t believe for a second that Rose wouldn’t have a conversation with someone like Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James if in fact either of them showed an interest in playing for the Bulls. Those talks would take place -- just don’t expect Rose to be the one initiating them.
