milky_way
12-20-2002, 09:06 PM
Ex-Pacer back for 1st game since trade, lacks permanent home
By Mark Montieth
mark.montieth@indystar.com
December 20, 2002
CHICAGO -- Jalen Rose comes home tonight.
Well, not really. But at least he gets to visit his house.
Rose still owns the 14,000-square-foot Geist residence he bought a couple of years ago, when he assumed he would finish his NBA career with the Indiana Pacers. It's still sitting there, "like a museum," virtually unchanged from Feb. 19 when he was traded to Chicago in a seven-player swap that shook up the rosters of both teams -- and Rose's psyche.
"I get a chance to sleep in my bed, walk around, knock some spider webs off the wall, and do some house stuff," Rose said this week, looking forward to the trip for tonight's game at Conseco Fieldhouse. It's the first meeting between the teams since the deal.
Rose wistfully refers to the dwelling as his "dream house," but he knows what can happen to dreams of stability in the NBA. The trade that also sent Travis Best, Norm Richardson and a second-round draft pick to the Bulls for Ron Artest, Ron Mercer, Brad Miller and Kevin Ollie rudely reminded him how quickly homes can become empty structures.
Rose is generally happy in Chicago, where he's providing the scoring punch (22.6 points) and go-to guy the team wanted. He's a star attraction in a major market, though he's not among the Eastern Conference All-Star leaders in balloting. He had a cameo role in a movie being filmed in Chicago, "Barbershop," immediately after the trade. Rappers wear his Bulls jersey No. 5 on national television shows. He even has his own shoe model, made by Reebok.
But he's not ready to plant roots. He rents two furnished apartments, staying downtown the night before games to be close to the United Center and in the northern suburbs the night before practices to be close to the team's facility.
Flexibility and mobility seem to be his best strategies. He was the subject of trade rumors before the season, although general manager Jerry Krause vigorously denied them.
Regardless, he realizes his contract, which pays more than $12 million this season and will peak at more than $16 million in 2006-07, makes him expendable the minute the Bulls decide to alter their course.
"When you're young and brash, you tell yourself, 'I'm going to be here forever,' " said Rose, 29, who began his career in Denver. "After you get traded a couple of times you say, 'You know what, this might not be your home.' I would love for it to be. I don't necessarily want to play for another team. The reality of it is that a lot of moves are made for money."
Playing for his mentor
He appeared to have a home for the rest of his NBA career when he signed a seven-year, $93 million deal after leading the Pacers in scoring in the 2000 NBA Finals.
That summer his boyhood idol, Isiah Thomas, was hired as coach. Rose had endorsed Thomas in conversations with team president Donnie Walsh and looked forward to playing for someone he considered a friend and mentor.
Rose had his best season in Thomas' first as coach, averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Last season, however, with Jermaine O'Neal becoming the emphasis of the offense and Thomas seeking more rebounding and defense, Rose became expendable. He sat Rose out of the fourth quarter of five games, and the Pacers won all but one.
It also had become painfully obvious the Pacers needed a center so that the 6-11, 240-pound O'Neal wouldn't have to battle bigger players nightly. To get a quality one, the Pacers knew they would have to give up something of value. They also needed to clear room from their future payroll to re-sign upcoming free agents.
Given all those factors. Rose was the obvious choice -- probably the only choice -- to be moved, although he led the team in minutes played, field-goal attempts and scoring.
Rose says he's not bitter about the trade and continues to pull for the Pacers. He's just disappointed that his longtime relationship with Thomas ultimately meant nothing to his career. He hasn't spoken with Thomas since the trade and doesn't know how he'll react to seeing him tonight.
"I guess that's a bridge I'll have to worry about when I cross it," he said.
Rose also hasn't spoken with his former teammates. He talked with Walsh in July when he obtained tickets to the middleweight championship fight at the fieldhouse but says he has no animosity toward the man who ultimately made the decision to trade him.
Different path taken
For tonight, the focus will be on Rose and Thomas. Thomas has continually declared his respect for Rose, saying the trade was simply a means of making his team better, and nothing personal. Rose accepts that notion but acknowledges added motivation to win tonight and the rematch Saturday in Chicago.
"He didn't owe me anything," Rose said of Thomas. "Relationships don't always end the way they start. I'm mature enough to handle it the way it happened."
Both teams believe the deal helped both sides, and their improved records from this time a year ago support the argument. The Pacers' quick start (18-7) has convinced some people around the NBA the deal was a steal. But the Bulls' 9-16 record also is a significant improvement over last season, and they've been able to get more playing time for Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, their young big men who were playing behind Miller.
Bulls coach Bill Cartwright offered thinly veiled criticism of Rose's leadership after an early season loss, and third-year point guard Jamal Crawford did the same after another game. But the Bulls insist they're pleased with the 6-8 forward/guard.
"I think we got an outstanding player, and we're very, very comfortable with how he's playing," Krause said. "One of the things I looked at was we hadn't had a player we can go to in the fourth quarter and know we're going to get points consistently, and one who was going to make his teammates better, and Jalen does that."
Rose, however, can't help but wonder if the scenario that played out with the Pacers will repeat itself. As the Bulls' young players -- Chandler, Curry and this year's first-round draft pick, Jay Williams, foremost among them -- improve, will they want to trade him to be able to re-sign their young players, as the Pacers did?
He can only wait and see. And rent.
"Hopefully when our young guys mature I'll still be able to reap the benefits," Rose said. "They're going to have a learning curve. I just hope that learning curve comes while I'm still here."
By Mark Montieth
mark.montieth@indystar.com
December 20, 2002
CHICAGO -- Jalen Rose comes home tonight.
Well, not really. But at least he gets to visit his house.
Rose still owns the 14,000-square-foot Geist residence he bought a couple of years ago, when he assumed he would finish his NBA career with the Indiana Pacers. It's still sitting there, "like a museum," virtually unchanged from Feb. 19 when he was traded to Chicago in a seven-player swap that shook up the rosters of both teams -- and Rose's psyche.
"I get a chance to sleep in my bed, walk around, knock some spider webs off the wall, and do some house stuff," Rose said this week, looking forward to the trip for tonight's game at Conseco Fieldhouse. It's the first meeting between the teams since the deal.
Rose wistfully refers to the dwelling as his "dream house," but he knows what can happen to dreams of stability in the NBA. The trade that also sent Travis Best, Norm Richardson and a second-round draft pick to the Bulls for Ron Artest, Ron Mercer, Brad Miller and Kevin Ollie rudely reminded him how quickly homes can become empty structures.
Rose is generally happy in Chicago, where he's providing the scoring punch (22.6 points) and go-to guy the team wanted. He's a star attraction in a major market, though he's not among the Eastern Conference All-Star leaders in balloting. He had a cameo role in a movie being filmed in Chicago, "Barbershop," immediately after the trade. Rappers wear his Bulls jersey No. 5 on national television shows. He even has his own shoe model, made by Reebok.
But he's not ready to plant roots. He rents two furnished apartments, staying downtown the night before games to be close to the United Center and in the northern suburbs the night before practices to be close to the team's facility.
Flexibility and mobility seem to be his best strategies. He was the subject of trade rumors before the season, although general manager Jerry Krause vigorously denied them.
Regardless, he realizes his contract, which pays more than $12 million this season and will peak at more than $16 million in 2006-07, makes him expendable the minute the Bulls decide to alter their course.
"When you're young and brash, you tell yourself, 'I'm going to be here forever,' " said Rose, 29, who began his career in Denver. "After you get traded a couple of times you say, 'You know what, this might not be your home.' I would love for it to be. I don't necessarily want to play for another team. The reality of it is that a lot of moves are made for money."
Playing for his mentor
He appeared to have a home for the rest of his NBA career when he signed a seven-year, $93 million deal after leading the Pacers in scoring in the 2000 NBA Finals.
That summer his boyhood idol, Isiah Thomas, was hired as coach. Rose had endorsed Thomas in conversations with team president Donnie Walsh and looked forward to playing for someone he considered a friend and mentor.
Rose had his best season in Thomas' first as coach, averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Last season, however, with Jermaine O'Neal becoming the emphasis of the offense and Thomas seeking more rebounding and defense, Rose became expendable. He sat Rose out of the fourth quarter of five games, and the Pacers won all but one.
It also had become painfully obvious the Pacers needed a center so that the 6-11, 240-pound O'Neal wouldn't have to battle bigger players nightly. To get a quality one, the Pacers knew they would have to give up something of value. They also needed to clear room from their future payroll to re-sign upcoming free agents.
Given all those factors. Rose was the obvious choice -- probably the only choice -- to be moved, although he led the team in minutes played, field-goal attempts and scoring.
Rose says he's not bitter about the trade and continues to pull for the Pacers. He's just disappointed that his longtime relationship with Thomas ultimately meant nothing to his career. He hasn't spoken with Thomas since the trade and doesn't know how he'll react to seeing him tonight.
"I guess that's a bridge I'll have to worry about when I cross it," he said.
Rose also hasn't spoken with his former teammates. He talked with Walsh in July when he obtained tickets to the middleweight championship fight at the fieldhouse but says he has no animosity toward the man who ultimately made the decision to trade him.
Different path taken
For tonight, the focus will be on Rose and Thomas. Thomas has continually declared his respect for Rose, saying the trade was simply a means of making his team better, and nothing personal. Rose accepts that notion but acknowledges added motivation to win tonight and the rematch Saturday in Chicago.
"He didn't owe me anything," Rose said of Thomas. "Relationships don't always end the way they start. I'm mature enough to handle it the way it happened."
Both teams believe the deal helped both sides, and their improved records from this time a year ago support the argument. The Pacers' quick start (18-7) has convinced some people around the NBA the deal was a steal. But the Bulls' 9-16 record also is a significant improvement over last season, and they've been able to get more playing time for Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, their young big men who were playing behind Miller.
Bulls coach Bill Cartwright offered thinly veiled criticism of Rose's leadership after an early season loss, and third-year point guard Jamal Crawford did the same after another game. But the Bulls insist they're pleased with the 6-8 forward/guard.
"I think we got an outstanding player, and we're very, very comfortable with how he's playing," Krause said. "One of the things I looked at was we hadn't had a player we can go to in the fourth quarter and know we're going to get points consistently, and one who was going to make his teammates better, and Jalen does that."
Rose, however, can't help but wonder if the scenario that played out with the Pacers will repeat itself. As the Bulls' young players -- Chandler, Curry and this year's first-round draft pick, Jay Williams, foremost among them -- improve, will they want to trade him to be able to re-sign their young players, as the Pacers did?
He can only wait and see. And rent.
"Hopefully when our young guys mature I'll still be able to reap the benefits," Rose said. "They're going to have a learning curve. I just hope that learning curve comes while I'm still here."