NBA Rumors: Derrick Rose Reveals His Reaction On Timberwolves’ Decision To Fire Coach Tom Thibodeau

Before the 2018-19 NBA season, no one ever thought that Derrick Rose could still play at an elite level. Some people even criticized the Minnesota Timberwolves for signing him in the 2018 NBA free agency, believing that Rose was just a huge waste of their roster spot.

When the season officially started, the former MVP proved his doubters wrong, thanks to the trust given to him by Coach Tom Thibodeau. Derrick Rose didn’t only succeed to regain his All-Star form, but he managed to turn himself into one of the best three-point shooters in the league. In 32 games he played, the 30-year-old point guard is averaging 18.9 points and 4.8 assists on 48.6 percent shooting from the field and 46.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

However, the Timberwolves’ recent actions could have a huge effect on Derrick Rose’s resurgence. After failing to make the Timberwolves a legitimate threat in the deep Western Conference, team owner Glen Taylor decided to fire Tom Thibodeau as head coach and president of basketball operations. With Thibodeau no longer in Minnesota, some people questioned how Rose will be able to move forward.

In a recent interview with reporters, Derrick Rose gave his reaction to the recent firing of Tom Thibodeau. Rose expressed strong confidence that he could play at a high level with or without Thibodeau on their team. The veteran point guard went as far as telling his critics to kill themselves.

“I have a lot of confidence in myself,” Rose said, via ESPN.

“Thibs was just the coach that believed in me. I mean, he jump-started my career again and for that, I’ll always be thankful. But everybody that thinks that it’s gonna stop, kill yourself. It’s just not.”

Derrick Rose had a slip of the tongue when addressing his critics. https://t.co/CaVF2Wy3fB

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) January 7, 2019

Derrick Rose’s recent remarks didn’t sit well with some people who think that the former MVP was insensitive. On Twitter, Rose decided to apologize and said that the words he used were just a “slang term” and not to order people to harm themselves.

“I messed up by using the slang term ‘kill yourself’ today in response to a question about whether I can continue to perform without coach Thibs. I did not mean it literally and regret using it so I apologize.”

Coach Tom Thibodeau has undeniably played a major role in the resurrection of Derrick Rose’s career. With his current performance, Rose is still expected to receive a significant playing time whoever the Timberwolves plan to hire as their new head coach. However, whether Rose could remain productive on the offensive end depends on the approach of their new mentor.