Overpaid would be the wrong way to characterize Derrick Rose, who agreed to a five-year, $94.8 million maximum contract extension with the Chicago Bulls. It may be huge, but it’s exactly what he deserved. It’s just not what everybody deserves. Chicago took advantage of the so-called “Derrick Rose Rule” that was instituted in the new collective bargaining agreement. It allows teams to reward players who significantly outperform the scaled rookie contract they receive after being selected in the NBA Draft. Rose will earn 30 percent of the Bulls’ salary cap.
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Is that too much for someone who was the No. 1 overall pick just three years ago? It might be. But it’s not too much when that player also already was a rookie of the year, named to the All-Star team twice and earned league MVP honors last season.
Here’s the catch: Rose should be the standard to which the rest of players seeking maximum contracts must be held.
There are more than a few of them who likely believe they’re worth as much as Rose, and when another free agency bonanza starts next summer, they will ask for it. Only one summer ago, Atlanta re-signed Joe Johnson — with one third-team All-NBA selection to his name — for a maximum six years and $119 million. Orlando is paying Gilbert Arenas (one All-NBA second team, two third teams) $62 million not to play at all.
Unless it’s a player of Rose’s stature, teams ought to reject those kinds of deals outright. Hopefully they do.
– Craig Stouffer
