Cowley's story reported there has been tension between the Bulls and Rose's camp. Rose acknowledged this as fact, but said he was looking at a new beginning in the relationship. However, it's hard to forget any of this happened. Rose's brother Reggie bashed the franchise in 2013 for not constructing a better roster around the former MVP and agent B.J. Armstrong, still upset over how his relationship with the Bulls ended over a decade ago, only fanned the flames that formed around his client. The breaking point came when Rose was not very active in the team's pursuit of Carmelo Anthony last month. He pursued Pau Gasol more aggressively, but it didn't forgive the difference between a superstar wing player and an aging low-post man who can no longer be the alpha scorer on any team.
Jerry Reinsdorf took note of this story and was not pleased. He went so far as to release a statement and deny any existing tension between the sides. Upon glancing at it, one can see he was upset at both Cowley and several sources who spoke with him:
"I am confounded by the irresponsible report in the Chicago Sun-Times suggesting there is anything approaching discord or confusion between the Bulls executive office, coaching staff, and Derrick Rose or any other Bulls player. To the contrary, I can remember no time when the organization has been any more focused, optimistic, and cohesive. I've got to assume suggestions otherwise are intended to undermine the goals and objectives, spirit, and reputation of the Chicago Bulls. I am deeply disappointed that unnamed sources and totally inaccurate statements and assumptions can be used to foment nonexistent friction. The report is totally without basis or fact. It is pure malicious fiction."
I was at the Tribune Tower last night and got a good inside education on what happens when a rival newspaper breaks an exclusive that's big enough for the whole city to be talking about. I won't leak exactly what went down in that newsroom because I don't want to know how much trouble I would get in if I did. However, I will say that everyone slowly began to realize they couldn't just ignore this story, especially after Reinsdorf really wanted to make his feelings known to media outlets that aren't the Sun-Times. Plus, it would look like the Tribune is more focused on its redesigned website, which just launched late last night.
I don't think I've talked much about it here, but my view on Cowley is not a very positive one and not because he works at the other paper in town. He stirred the pot quite a bit when he was a columnist, seemingly filling the sensational tabloid journalist void left by Jay Mariotti. It got to a point during the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals when I had to stop following him because he acted like he was a genius for picking the Heat in that series, continually using the #Heatles hashtag. He even responded to one of my tweets in this manner, which only fueled the decision I eventually made.
These "exclusives" from Cowley were published frequently near the end of Ozzie Guillen's tenure as manager of the White Sox. They were constantly filled with Guillen running his mouth and indications of an increasingly sour relationship between Guillen and then-general manager Kenny Williams, the duo who won the 2005 World Series. They seemed to serve Cowley's own purpose as much as a reporting purpose.
He lost his column and deleted his Twitter account after tweeting out sexist comments about female airline workers. The Sun-Times put him on final notice and tried to prevent him from doing further damage by reassigning him to their Bulls beat. So when you consider the source of this story, you have to admit some truth to it, but also realize who exactly has revealed all this. That the Bulls and White Sox chairman worked so hard to refute it speaks volumes.
As for Rose himself, this story opens further discussion on who he is and what he should be doing. I texted my friend Nick Shepkowski of 670 The Score shortly after this story broke and he fairly questioned why Rose was more interested in bringing Gasol to Chicago than Anthony. The latter would be a far greater threat to Rose's position as the top scorer on the team with the most opportunities. Perhaps that was a risk he wasn't willing to take, which makes us wonder how much his desire to win is.
The other thing Shep mentioned was that Rose, who will be 26 in October, is no longer a kid and needs to start thinking for himself. For too long, folks like Armstrong and his brother have done the talking for him and unfortunately, that has been key in the lack of communication that has existed between his camp and his team since he tore his ACL to begin the 2012 playoffs. It is this very thing that has contributed to the lowered public opinion of Rose, who has done very little to dispel that. He's been sheltered his whole life, but that's no excuse for allowing this whole thing to spiral the way it has. Although it's fine to let your game speak, you need to speak the old-fashioned way if you can't play. We've seen more of that than we would have liked in the last two years.
If Rose is ever going to repair his image, it has to start by telling everyone involved that enough's enough. Everything from here on out needs to be focused less on drama and personal agendas and more on winning basketball games. We'll save all the talk on whether his decision to not recruit Anthony so hard will hurt the Bulls on the court for another day.
For now, it's time to focus on the task at hand, which is playing well for Team USA. It won't really count until the NBA season begins, but at the very least, he should give us something to look forward to. When the team comes to the United Center later this month, Rose will hopefully put on a show for the hometown fans. They want to leave the building afterward having felt like they've just brushed their teeth, not eaten mud.
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