“Knowing Derrick as I do makes this trade a hard one. Everyone knows him as the local kid who became MVP for his hometown team, but not everyone got to know him like I did. While he is a terrific basketball player, he is an even better person with a tremendous heart. I wish him the best of health for the remainder of his career, and I want to personally thank him for everything that he did on the court and in the community during his time with the Chicago Bulls.”
Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman:
“We will always be grateful to Derrick. He was a great teammate who put winning first, and nobody fought harder through injuries and disappointment. He wowed us all when he was on the floor and at his best. His MVP season was one for the ages. We wish Derrick nothing but the best moving forward”
Some Derrick Rose statistics via the press release:
Rose averaged 19.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 6.2 apg in 35.0 mpg during his 406 total regular season games in a Bulls uniform (405 starts). He participated in five postseasons and posted 23.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 7.1 apg and 40.6 mpg through 41 playoff games (41 starts).
Derrick Rose finished his career in Chicago ranked 10th on the Bulls’ all-time career leaders list for points (8,001), seventh in scoring average (19.7), ninth in 3-point field goals made (350), fifth in assists (2,516) and third in assists per game (6.2).
Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman on Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant, Jose Calderon:
“As we said at the end of last season, we are committed to exploring every option to improve this team,”“This trade is a significant step in that process. Our goal is to get younger and more athletic, and this trade moves us in that direction and allows us to start changing the structure of our team.
“In Robin Lopez, we are acquiring a starting center who is a good defender, good rebounder, and brings a toughness to our team. Jose Calderon is a proven veteran who can run an offense and knock down threes. Jerian Grant was high on our draft board last year as someone with a great skill set and positional size. All three players are great teammates and have tremendous work ethic, and we are excited to welcome them to the Chicago Bulls organization.”
Lopez (7-0, 255) is an eight-year veteran of the NBA who has played for Phoenix (2008-12), New Orleans (2012-13), Portland (2013-15) and the Knicks (2015-16). Last season with New York, he started all 82 games and posted 10.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.57 bpg and 1.4 apg in 27.1 mpg. He shot .539 from the field (ninth in the NBA) and .795 from the line. He also ranked second in the league in offensive rebounds (268) and ninth in blocks (129). Lopez owns career averages of 8.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 1.2 bpg.
Calderon (6-3, 200) has played in the NBA for 11 years with stops at Toronto (2005-part of 2013), Detroit (part of 2012-13), Dallas (2013-14) and New York (2014-16). Through 72 games last season (72 starts), he posted 7.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 4.2 apg in 28.1 mpg. The native Spaniard shot .459 from the field and .414 from beyond the arc (tied for ninth in the league). Over his career, Calderon has averaged 9.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 6.5 apg. He has made appearances in 18 postseason games (8 starts) with Toronto (2007, 2008) and Dallas (2014), and posted 11.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 5.4 apg in 25.4 mpg through those contests.
Grant (6-4, 198) was selected 19th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, with the pick originally owned by the Washington Wizards and subsequently traded to New York via Atlanta. In his rookie year, Grant played in 76 games (6 starts) and posted 5.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg and 2.3 apg (eighth among rookies) in 16.6 mpg. His .780 field goal percentage ranked sixth among rookies.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
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