If not for Tom Thibodeau, Derrick Rose might be out of the NBA.
Rose stunk with the Cavaliers last season, and he wasn’t doing much for the Knicks and Bulls before that. He went AWOL from New York, left Cleveland for a couple weeks and just couldn’t stay healthy. It seemed he was deteriorating mentally and physically.
But as Timberwolves president-coach, Thibodeau signed Rose last season and re-signed him last summer. Now, Rose is having a resurgent season.
Yet, Minnesota just fired Thibodeau. Where does that leave Rose?
Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Here's Rose, on how he goes forward w/out Thibs: "I have a lot of confidence in myself. Thibs was just the coach that believed in me. He jump-started my career again and for that I'll always be thankful, but for everybody that think that it's going to stop, kill yourself."
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) January 7, 2019
Later in the session, Rose also used that phrasing again: "Like I said, for everybody that think I'm not going to play the same way, kill yourself, because I believe in myself."
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) January 7, 2019
My friends and I have used that phrase while joking with each other. Not often, but occasionally. We also all know each other well and understand it’s not meant seriously and that nobody in our group will take offense.
But context cannot apply to an interview for mass consumption. In that setting, it’s jarring and insensitive.
There’s probably something to be said about the cutthroat way in which Rose views basketball. He might not have reached these heights as a player without an attitude where that type of language seems fitting.
But it’d probably be better if he avoided it while speaking to a mass audience.
