NBA Rumors: Derrick Rose Would Be Wise to Coax Dwight Howard to Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose's reluctance to recruit fellow NBA superstars to the Chicago Bulls is strangely refreshing, but it's foolish nonetheless.

More specifically, if the ring really is the thing for Rose, he'll cross the hallway at the Amway Center either before or after Friday's game between the Bulls and the Orlando Magic to make a championship pitch to Dwight Howard.

Adidas marching orders be damned.

Rose has made it clear in the past that he's not the type to reach out to his peers in an effort to form a superteam, telling ESPNChicago.com last month:

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"That's just not me. My whole life, I've never been the type of player where I've recruited people like that.

"I've never been a coach, I don't know how the conversation would go, actually, if I called him. 'What's up?' or whatever? I don't know how to even approach someone about coming here. It would be super hard."

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Even more difficult, since D-Rose says he hasn't spoken to DH12 since the summer, well before the trade demands (or non-demands, depending on the day) first began. 

Rose confirmed he still feels the same way on Friday, according to the same ESPN Chicago report. If Rose is smart, he'll re-open that line of communication between himself and Dwight as soon as possible—if not to coax Howard to the Windy City, then to at least get him to consider a move to the House That Michael Jordan Built.

Simply put, Rose could use a sidekick, someone to open up the floor for him and on whom he can depend for consistent production night in and night out. The Bulls struggled to find such a compatriot for their MVP point guard last season, and as solid a player as Rip Hamilton is, he's still a far cry from the player he once was and is nowhere near the sort of elite scorer that can help Rose lift Chicago to the next level.

Of course, Howard is hardly an offensive force himself, though he's still far more capable of filling it up down low than anyone on the Bulls' roster, and that includes Carlos Boozer, a two-time All-Star at power forward.

That's not to say that Rose should drop everything and devote himself to bringing Howard to Chicago at any cost. For one, the Magic are unlikely to part with Superman until the March trade deadline draws nearer, at least until they get a better look at New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez once he returns from his foot injury.

And it's not as though the Bulls aren't capable of winning basketball games as currently constituted. Chicago won the most regular season games in the league last season before bowing out to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls stand tied atop the East at 6-1 right now, looking to extend their current winning streak to six against the Magic on Friday.

But, when push comes to shove, when the Bulls find themselves up against the Heat and Rose is forced to make plays and win games all by his lonesome, it will be absolutely clear that Dwight Howard should be wearing a bright red jersey, helping Chicago bust right through that glass ceiling that separates the team from the very top tier of title contenders.

Howard's jersey of choice may not change colors next week or even next month, but it certainly never will unless Derrick Rose gets on the phone and gets the ball rolling.

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