We have that and more in Monday’s NBA newsletter.

Derrick Rose has left the Cavaliers for personal reasons.

He had been an awful fit as a starting point guard with Cleveland due to his inability to shoot and a lack of opportunities with the ball as a LeBron James sidekick. He never really fit the scheme Cleveland runs; he just happened to be a point guard with a pulse who might have had something left. Whatever he does have left wasn’t helping the Cavaliers. He’d been battling yet another injury, this one to his ankle. He hasn’t played in 20 days now.

Those around the Cavaliers appear at least somewhat concerned about Rose’s state of mind. Ty Lue is declaring that he expects Rose back at some point, even if he’s not going to play. LeBron is talking about how the team needs Rose, even if he’s not playing. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Nick DePaula reports that if he retired, Rose would be leaving some $80 million in Adidas endorsement money on the table. That seems like an unreasonable thing to do.

Whatever the case, Rose appears just about done as an NBA player. Other players have come back from catastrophic and persistent injury to find success late in their careers. Rose does not seem to be on that path. He appears destined to become the first NBA MVP to fail to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Let’s hope for the sake of his children he can keep his off-court life together.

 

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