ESPN

Charles Barkley said Tuesday he likes the confidence Derrick Rose showed when the Chicago Bulls star recently said he considers himself the best player in the NBA.

"I've got no problem with that," Barkley said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "First of all, if you don't think you're the best player you shouldn't be playing. I'll be honest with you, when I was playing in the NBA I thought I was better than Michael Jordan, and I think Karl Malone thought he was better than Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing thought he was better than Michael Jordan. ... We think he just got more help than I got, he ain't no damn better player than me.

"... You give me (Kevin) McHale and (Robert) Parish I'm going to win championships too. Same thing with Magic Johnson. You give me Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) and Michael Cooper and James Worthy, as an individual player I'm better than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson."

When asked by CNN last week who is the best player in the NBA, Rose, who missed all of last season recovering from knee surgery, answered "Derrick Rose."

You expected something different?

You expected a humbler, less Jay Z (“My presence is charity”) response when asked who he, Derrick Rose, feels is the best player in the game. You expected a little more humility mixed with reality mixed with a little less gall. You expected him to remember he hasn’t really played ball at the “global icon” level for almost two years.

You hoped that he would remember what he just went through. You hope his comments do not come back and slap him in his face once he officially returns.

But what else would you want him to say? What would you really want to come out of Rose’s mouth and heart other than the mentioning of his own name?

When asked by CNN’s Pedro Pinto who he felt was the best player in the NBA, Rose said "Derrick Rose." It was -- contrary to seemingly popular response -- the one answer unexpected coming from him. Or anyone for that matter.

How could he? Is he stuck in his own Pooh reality? Was growing delusional part of his rehab? Did he even watch the NBA Finals six weeks ago?

According to the immediate (albeit quiet) street-level, non-Twitter/Facebook reaction, the only person who could have been excused or had the right to answer that question that way was Brenda, Derrick’s mother.

Two reactions come to mind in the immediate aftermath of this new Rose newsfeed: 1) Knowing him, was there a chance for there being any other answer? And 2) For Bulls or D.Rose fans, what other answer would you want to hear?

Those who know him know that if he had been asked that question when he was being wheeled into surgery after he tore his ACL/MCL that he would have answered it the same. This is why a huge part of his rehab was overlooked by so many. No one took into full consideration how much Rose’s supreme belief in what he can do plays a supreme role in what he actually can do.

Partial D.Rose is selfishly good for us only in theory. Never for him.

In order for Rose to be who he is, whom we have grown accustom to him being, whom we know he can become, he has to feel and believe at all times that he is without question in his mind the supreme player on the court every time he steps on it. That is the way he functions. That is the way he always functioned. That is what he knows to be true when it comes to the game we call basketball, but one he looks at as his canvas.

And he has to be able to say it aloud.

The only time -- again, if you look back and revisit his entire career -- where he may have felt differently was during the 2011 playoff series against the Miami Heat. And even then, Rose may have internalized that 4-1 series outcome as LeBron James & Co. having more help, not that James was actually better than he was.

Understand that in Rose’s mind he is still the reigning MVP. The only thing that has stopped him from repeating or reducing LeBron’s MVP total from four to two is injuries. Whenever Rose hears or sees his name as the “interruption” of LeBron having five straight MVP awards, he doesn’t hear or see what we do.

To him, LeBron interrupted his flow. In Rose’s basketball mind, like most of ours, LeBron may be the sun, and in that the world and all other planets (players) revolve around all things LeBron, but to Derrick, Derrick is the universe. Greater than.

That line of thought is what you want from a franchise player, the player you are banking on (literally) to get your team past the sun. Even if it’s a lie.

Which leads us to the second universal question: What other answer would we want to hear from him?

Look, there’s a fine line between arrogance, confidence and what someone needs to achieve greatness. Sometimes that line is blurred: Robin Thicke. Sometimes that line is crossed: Yeezus. But in the case of Derrick Rose, if he did not publicly state that he felt that he is still the best at playing this game at its highest level, why would a lesser or different answer be accepted?

At the beginning of the 2010-11 season, a journalist asked Rose about the expectation he set for himself entering his third season, and he said, "It's high. The way I look at it is why not, why can't I be the MVP of the league?" He feeds off media questions asked by those who don’t really know him, who don’t know what he’s capable of, and waits (and baits) for that one question to be asked so he can put the pressure on himself to make himself out to be a prophet.

With that mentality going into what could be the Bulls' final season before this current project/team is disbanded or destroyed, what other words out of Rose would any of us have liked to have heard?

In other words: If he doesn’t believe he’s that dude, why should we?

The problem seems to be that he said it. In his out-loud voice. When the microphone was hot. And in a city that just watched the Blackhawks have one of the greatest seasons ever and crown themselves champs for the second time with no player -- not Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane, who are close to being Rose’s equal in hockey (think about it) -- saying anything close to what Rose said. It comes off as extreme arrogance as opposed to necessary confidence.

But I ask again: What else would you want him to say?

If we are honest, that answer stays unanswered. Nothing. Nothing different.

We should want, need and appreciate Rose for finding a way through all the rehab, pressure and bad press to keep James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Carmelo Anthony behind him in the “best basketball player alive” race.

This game, at the level Rose competes, battles and wants to prove himself, chews up and spits out players who think any less of themselves. It makes becoming the leader of championship squads impossible. Greatness never embraces weakness.

Especially in those who don’t have the courage to openly speak truth to their personal power. Agree or disagree with the introspective assessment Rose made, for what this city is expecting out of him, any other answer would have opened a possible dose of realism we are unprepared to confront. Because if Rose is to return to who and what he once was, he had no other answer to give. There is no alternative realistic answer living inside of him. The best basketball player alive to him has to be him. Nothing else works. Not for what he feels he has to face, not for what he has yet to prove.

Not for what we have been conditioned to expect from him, even when his self-honesty is put into question.

If anyone reading this has a problem with that or expected a different response from Rose after getting his confidence back to where it naturally is supposed to be, then you had no idea who Derrick Rose really was to begin with.

CHICAGO -- Out of all the quotes and soundbites Bulls fans have had to endure over the past year and a half while waiting for Derrick Rose to recover from a torn ACL, his most recent public ones during an interview with CNN should make fans the happiest. When asked who the best player in the NBA was right now, Rose didn't hesitate.

"Derrick Rose," he said confidently.

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- The mention of Ron Adams' name has become an uncomfortable topic for Tom Thibodeau and Gar Forman.

As much as both men want to move on from the messy departure of the popular assistant coach, the future of the organization could be shaped, in part, by the decision not to bring Adams back. When asked Wednesday about the notion that Forman and Thibodeau have the worst coach/GM relationship in the league, the coach didn't exactly quash that line of thinking.

"People are going to read into things the way they want to," Thibodeau said on ESPN Chicago 1000's "Waddle and Silvy Show." "We’re fine. We’re both thinking about next season and all we can do to win."

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- It has taken Derrick Rose more than a year to recover from the physical effects of a torn ACL in his knee, but his mentality appears to be in midseason form.

Read entire story.

• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra met with Greg Oden and watched him work out Tuesday in Indianapolis, as Miami continued to explore signing the seven-foot center whose career has been sidetracked by knee injuries. Chet Kammerer, the Heat’s vice president/player personnel, joined Spoelstra at the workout, which was also attended by officials from the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. Bill Duffy, one of Oden’s agents, said Oden likely will pick a team next week and that every team that has shown interest “remains under strong consideration.” Besides the Heat, Kings and Pelicans, that list also includes the Mavericks and Spurs — who met with Oden previously — and the Atlanta Hawks, who will watch him work out Thursday. … Meanwhile, free agent center Marcus Camby has interest in the Heat, Bulls and Rockets. The Heat has inquired but is not believed to have made a formal offer as of Monday.
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: Malcolm Thomas is out, Marcus Camby is in? Not yet. A source said Tuesday that waiving Thomas doesn’t make the Camby move imminent. But it gives the Bulls some roster flexibility as they try to round out the bench by adding another low-post presence. The Bulls, who’ve offered Camby a minimum contract, are vying with several other teams, and the Rockets are the likely front-runners. Camby, along with Nazr Mohammed, would give the Bulls more protection at the rim and a rebounding presence behind Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.
• Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News: Josh Harris, the team owner and billionaire hedge funder, is accustomed to the pain and the risk of liquidation and reorganization. Sports fans are not. To use Harris-speak, the team's most valuable tangible assets now are: a forward who might not play until the autumn of 2014; a guard who might take three seasons to develop; and a pick that will not be in the top five. Then again, neither of their two picks last month was top five, either. Not among their assets: a coach. That last part matters the least. The team will be abysmal in the near future. Despite Hinkie's contention that his new coach will be long-term protected, whoever the Sixers hire is not likely to survive a couple of lottery-pick campaigns. Rest assured, it will be at least three seasons before the Sixers sniff the playoffs. Rest assured, it will even be longer before they contend. Yes, Hinkie could have chosen to keep Holiday, with a freshly extended contract and a fondness for Philadelphia. Hinkie could have chosen to add Carter-Williams and make Holiday a shooting guard. That would have meant no Noel, no extra first-rounder next year, and, very likely, still no playoffs. "I'm trying to . . . build something that is lasting," Hinkie repeated yesterday. "Special. With a capital 'S.' "
• Staff of The Dallas Morning News: On how much Dirk Nowitzki has left in the tank: Mark Cuban said, “If there is one missing piece between what everybody is saying and what we’re doing, everybody I think has dismissed Dirk like Dirk is done, and he’s on the downslide and he can’t play anymore and he’s not really the type of contributor that he was. Look, if you look at they type of mess we had in terms of our guard play and basketball I.Q., when Dirk got back and got into gear, we beat a lot of good teams and we were at a 48-50 game clip. You put a much better set of players around him and Dirk in a situation where he doesn’t have to rush back where he’s had all summer to prepare his body and get ready, knock on wood, but if we stay healthy, I think people are just dismissing Dirk in ways they shouldn’t. Like I’ve been telling people, Karl Malone won an MVP at 35, and there is no reason he can’t be considered in the MVP conversation at 35. I can also tell you that the way people are randomly dismissing him as basically being done has been incredible motivation for him.”
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: Some of the first lessons Jason Maxiell learned as a Detroit Pistons rookie came from veteran teammates Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. When Wallace thought Maxiell was pressing a bit on the court, Wallace advised Maxiell to slow down and play more patiently. McDyess noticed that the bulk of Maxiell’s offense came from dunks. McDyess told the rookie that athleticism eventually fades away. McDyess recommended that Maxiell should start doing more work to hone his jump shot. Now, eight years later, Maxiell finds himself in a different role. The Orlando Magic recently signed him to a free-agent deal to provide frontcourt depth and to serve as a mentor and example to young players. “I’m not a very verbal guy, but sometimes you have to be,” Maxiell said in a phone interview. “I will guide them along the way. I’m going to show them the first time and help them out the second time. And, by the third time, they should have it down pat, and then they’ll be on their own.”
• Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: Jrue Holiday is getting a jumpstart on Pelicans training camp, in a sense, taking advantage of the opportunity to create some synergy with power forwards Davis and Anderson, who are both here this week, along with Williams, an assistant on Team USA working toward preparations for next year's World Cup championships. And, as Williams points out, this week's camp featuring such a New Orleans presence would seem to indicate a reversal of team fortune. "We feel like we've kind of turned the corner," Williams said "People said we couldn't do a lot of stuff in New Orleans with all the stuff from our past. I don't think anybody saw this happening." And though Williams hopes his players this week focus on the present, Holiday is using the work to enhance his relationship with guys he'll be playing with over the 82-game regular season.
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: It's not as if new Cavaliers guard Jarrett Jack needs a job reference, but if he did, Golden State coach Mark Jackson is willing to provide one. Asked his reaction to losing Jack to free agency, Jackson said, "It was torture because he's an incredible, incredible…forget about basketball. He's a great leader, loves the game, no nonsense. He had a great year for us. For me, he was a joy to coach, an absolute joy to coach, and I'll have a relationship with him for the rest of our lives.'' … The Cavs signed Jack to a four-year deal that could be worth $25.2 million, $19.4 million guaranteed. He is expected to split time with Irving and Dion Waiters in the backcourt, including playing the point and allowing Irving to slide over to the two-guard. … Jackson didn't really say how much he lobbied to keep Jack, but it was clear how much he will miss him. "It worked out extremely well for Jack…another win for the good guys,'' Jackson said.
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: With last week’s signings of draft picks Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell, Pistons fans are wondering about point guard Peyton Siva, a second-round pick. Siva has more name recognition than your average 56th pick because he is coming off a senior season in which he led Louisville to the NCAA title. But he could be a victim of the numbers game. The NBA allows only 15 players on the active roster and, with the signings of Caldwell-Pope and Mitchell, the Pistons have reached their allotment. There remains the possibility of a trade creating a roster spot, but president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said he is comfortable if this is the roster he will take into the regular season, although he remains open to dealing. He doesn’t feel compelled to deal just to create a roster spot. Dumars said he would like to keep Siva’s rights — which could mean an overseas stint. To keep his rights, the Pistons are required to tender an offer to Siva by Sept. 6. But he doesn’t have to sign until Oct. 15. So Siva could decide to go to the Development League and if he doesn’t sign the tender, the Pistons would retain his rights.
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: Jonas Valanciunas had moments of domination against inferior competition en route to being named the league’s Most Valuable Player, Terrence Ross remains enigmatic with more potential than polish and Quincy Acy remains a delightfully hard-working tweener who may or may not have an NBA position. It’s pretty much what the team’s brass and coaching staff expected when the Las Vegas vacation began two weeks ago. Valanciunas was unquestionably the most pleasant surprise, he arrived bigger and stronger, more capable of adapting to the intricacies of NBA defence and more able to handle the speed of the game. He was the best big man in the 22-team event — even if he was playing against marginal NBA talent — but remains a work in progress. But there was no regression, he was better than he had been at the end of last season. “We’re still working on the fouls, obviously, and moving his feet but that’s all progress in the summer,” said the general manager. “We’re going to touch (base) with him a few more times this summer, even when he’s with his (Lithuanian) national team.”
• Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com: On Tuesday the media was allowed access to watch about 85 percent of Team USA's mini camp session, which was Day 2. In that time, it was pretty clear who were the two best point guards of the day – Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard. Irving is simply on another planet right now and that isn't anything new to report. His ability to turn it on and off was a pleasure to watch. Lillard is doing an excellent job of making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Yes, he was consistently knocking down the outside shot and coming off the pick-and-rolls only to let it fly and watch it go through the net. We knew he could do those things, but his defense is what stood out. For the second consecutive day, Lillard was featured as his team's off-guard, meaning he had to guard players two to three inches taller than him. He did more than held his own today.
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: Don’t count Derrick Favors among the people fretting about who, what, when, where, why and how the Jazz are going to put points on their fancy new scoreboard with their revamped new team in 2013-14. The recently turned 22-year-old flashed a grin when asked about how the Jazz offense will cope in the Post Big Al/Not-So-Big Paul Era. “It’s time,” Favors said, “for two other people to be the new leading scorers.” The two candidates best positioned to take over an offensive responsibility that’s been shouldered by Jefferson and Millsap are participating together this week at Team USA’s minicamp. Who knows if Favors and Gordon Hayward will be able to match the 7,600 points Jefferson and Millsap combined to score over the past three seasons? One thing is certain. The soon-to-be fourth-year veterans can’t wait to have increased offensive opportunities — and the accompanying responsibilities.
• Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune: Karl Malone is still a workaholic when it comes to hitting the weights or taking grueling bike rides near the family’s home in Ruston, La. Three days before his 50th birthday, in fact, Malone asked a reporter to call him back "in three hours," when he’d be finished working out. "To be honest with you, it helps make me a better person," he said. "It takes the edge off. When I sweat, it gets me going." There’s another reason Malone still weighs 256 pounds — his playing weight. One of his new projects is mentoring the Jazz’s young players — specifically power forward Derrick Favors and center Enes Kanter. "I always had a suspicion, at some point, I’d be back involved with some organization," Malone said. "When I stepped back on the floor, I wanted to look like a coach. I wanted to look like I belonged. I thought it might help the young guys listen to me." Yes, Malone is the same guy who has always used the fear of failure as a motivational tool. "I don’t want to disappoint my family, my real fans or myself," he said. "… I’ve always wanted to prove something to Karl Malone and I still do."

CHICAGO -- Malcolm Thomas has been waived by the Bulls, but he could eventually be brought back to fill out the roster. The Bulls are waiting to see how the rest of the free agency market shakes out before making a decision.

Yahoo! Sports reported last week that the Bulls have interest in veteran center Marcus Camby. When asked recently during the Las Vegas Summer League whether Camby may be brought in to play behind Joakim Noah and Nazr Mohammed, Bulls GM Gar Forman had this to say:

"I wouldn't want to get into specific players' (situations)," Forman said. "But we do still have a roster spot to fill and we'll continue to look at the market and if we think there's somebody that makes us better we'll try to add, but at this point we're happy with the team that we have. We think Mike (Dunleavy's) going to be a real nice addition to the team and we're looking forward to getting going."

Thomas played in just 12 games last season after being signed late in the year.

Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler tweeted an apology on Tuesday for a photo on the Internet of him wearing a t-shirt with a vulgar phrase from a song by rapper Lil' Wayne.

"In regards to the picture that is circulating... It was early last year and the shirt simply matched my shoes," Butler tweeted. "In no way do I support the message written on the shirt. I sincerely apologize to any of my fans who may have been offended. Much love, JB."

Butler, a first-round draft pick in 2011, emerged as a key player for Chicago in his second season and will be the starting shooting guard going into next season, according to coach Tom Thibodeau.