NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Derrick Rose, Kawhi Leonard's Slow Injury Recovery
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose is on a self-imposed hiatus from the team while evaluating his future as a basketball player in the NBA.
Rose, who has been sidelined since Nov. 7 with a sprained left ankle, is deciding whether he wants to put in the rehab to return from his most recent injury to rejoin the team this season or if he even wants to continue his career at all, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Although a source told Wojnarowski that Rose is "tired of being hurt" and all of the injuries are "taking a toll on him mentally," the 29-year old former MVP has been in communication with the Cavs front office.
Last year was a different story. Rose went missing from the New York Knicks for a day without permission. He was fined and later apologized to his teammates.
This instance is also different because Rose is inactive because of his injury, so he hasn't been with the team for the last eight games.
The Cleveland front office hasn't offered any comment, but head coach Tyronn Lue encouraged Rose to take his time weighing his options.
"We wish him well and we want him back," Lue said, per the NBA website and Tom Withers of the Associated Press.
Over the course of nine years, Rose helped the Chicago Bulls make seven straight playoff appearances (including two Central Division titles and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals), earned three All-Star Game selections, an All-NBA First Team nod, Rookie of the Year and an NBA MVP award.
During that same span, Rose has undergone four major knee surgeries, which has made fighting through the nagging ailments that much more difficult.
Excited about a new start, Rose signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Cavs this past summer. Things haven't quite worked out the way Rose planned, though, because he has only appeared in seven games, averaging 14.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per outing.
What's taking Kawhi Leonard so long to return?
As San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker gets sets to return to action Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks, many in the Spurs organization are wondering about Kawhi Leonard.
The two-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year hasn't played a game this season because of right quadriceps tendinopathy.
"They are perplexed by how long it's taken him to get better," a source told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
Leonard's injury dates back to last season, resulting in what head coach Gregg Popovich calls a "difficult" rehabilitation for the 26-year old forward.
"What's really strange is that Tony [Parker] has the same injury, but even worse," Popovich told ESPN's Michael C. Wright. "They had to go operate on his quad tendon and put it back together or whatever they did to it. So to have two guys, that's pretty incredible. I had never seen it before those guys."
Although the Spurs have no timetable for Leonard's return, Popovich said that it will be "sooner rather than later," per Wright.
"I keep saying sooner rather than later," Popovich joked. "It's kind of like being a politician. It's all baloney, doesn't mean anything."
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