The NBA rumors flare up with a surprising suggestion to assign former NBA Most Valuable Player to the Developmental League (or D League).
At first glance, it seems like an insult, but ESPN Insider David Thorpe explained in length the rationale behind this in an ESPN video.
Thorpe asserts that in baseball, players recovering from injury can spend time in the minor leagues before they actually return to the majors so there should be no reason why the same principle could not be applied to basketball.
The ESPN analyst who is also a coach reiterated that he is not insulting Rose and he is rooting for his recovery, but this is a step that he should take to give him a better feel of the game. Recently, Brandon Jennings played one game in the D-League after coming off an injury. He has now been recalled to the active roster.
In a Hoops Hype article by David Nurse, Rose's game was scrutinized with heavy analytics. They compare Rose's 2015-16 season with his MVP season way back in 2010- 2011. They conclude that Rose is no longer the same player, but it does not mean that should not be considered a useful one.
Rose no longer has the explosiveness that made him a nightly entry in Sports Center highlights but he takes what the defense gives him. He is also deferring to his teammates Jimmy Butler, Nicola Mirotic and Pau Gasol.
One other aspect of his game that helps the Bulls is defense. "Defensively, Rose is also beginning to take more leadership," Nurse wrote. "Ironically, in the first season without defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, Rose's defensive rating is at 103, the best it's been in five years and basically the same level it was during his MVP season."
In conclusion, they point that Rose will no longer reach his full MVP level-maybe not even All-Star level. But he is not, by any means just a D-League player.