Rose: 'I Had to be Selfish'

The drama surrounding Derrick Rose and the “will-he-or-won’t-he” surrounding his return from ACL injury was one of the biggest storylines of the NBA season and caused the accomplished guard to receive plenty of animosity from fans and talking heads that believed he should have played.

Despite the flak, Rose remains adamant that his course of action (or inaction) was the right one.

“I’m not a selfish guy at all,” Rose said in a web video on Chicago’s team website. “But having this injury and knowing what I hadto go through and being smart, this is something I had to be selfishwith. I couldn’t worry about anyone else but myself and my health.”

Throughout the season, Rose was non-committal on whether he would return. Speculation raged on even as his Bulls were locked in a tight series with the eventual champion Miami Heat. Yet Rose never budged.

All eyes will be on the elite guard this offseason to see how he prepares to lead a team that made much with little last season and whether or not, once the star has returned, the team can prove to be among the league’s elite. The Bulls’ roster was bolstered this week with the commitment of Mike Dunleavy Jr. to sign as a free agent, but it is unlikely that Chicago will be able to add any more ‘star power’ to their team before next season.