DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP)—Derrick Rose(notes) is aiming for the ultimate trophy. The NBA MVP is eyeing a championship after the Chicago Bulls fell a bit short last season.
“This year, our goal is nothing else but a championship,” Rose said Thursday. “I’m not thinking about anything else. I’m going to stand on my teammates. I know they’re going to do the same thing. We’re just trying to hold each other accountable while we’re on the court and off the court.”
Rose wondered before last season why he couldn’t be the league MVP and became the youngest player to win the award. Now, his sights are on the biggest prize.
The Bulls came close last season, winning a league-leading 62 games and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. Now, they’re looking for more.
With a new Collective Bargaining Agreement tentatively in place, teams opened their doors to players on Thursday in anticipation of practices starting Dec. 9. Games are expected to begin Dec. 25, and Rose thought “for a minute, toward the end” the season might get wiped out.
They won’t have much time to get ready for the opener, but the Bulls are in a better spot than most teams.
They boast the MVP along with the Coach of the Year in Tom Thibodeau, not to mention a core returning intact.
They could use an upgrade on the wing, and a person familiar with the situation confirmed a Chicago Tribune report that they’re considering Caron Butler(notes), saying there’s “very serious, genuine, mutual interest.” The person spoke, who on the condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the discussions, said 11 teams have expressed interest.
Butler has been working out in Chicago and is recovered from a ruptured a tendon in his right knee that limited him to 29 games with Dallas last season. He averaged 15.0 points and was the team’s second-leading scorer when he was hurt on New Year’s Day.
The Mavericks went on to win the championship without him, beating Miami in six games. But with Tyson Chandler(notes) and J.J. Barea(notes) on the market, they might not be able to keep Butler.
Rose said if management decides to add another scorer, then that’s “up to them,” but he isn’t sure that’s necessary. He made it clear he’d like the Bulls to bring back Keith Bogans(notes), with the team holding a $1.73 million option, and that he believes there’s no shortage of talent in place.
He also blamed himself for the loss to Miami in the conference finals.
“We’re fine,” said Rose, who’s in line for a five-year maximum contract extension worth about $100 million. “With my teammates that we have right now, we made it that far. It wasn’t my teammates’ fault that we lost last year. It was me—me not making the plays and me not playing smart enough throughout the whole game. I think that last year is going to help me grow this year as a player more mentally, where in certain situations I know what to do. Hopefully, by me looking at film and really studying everything, when I get in those situations again, it’ll be different.”
One teammate who took his share of the heat last season was Carlos Boozer(notes).
Signed to a five-year, $75 million deal, he averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds. He missed the first month with a broken right hand and was limited down the stretch by an ankle injury. A turf toe problem in the playoffs didn’t help, and he averaged just 12.6 points in the postseason.
“I felt a big part of that criticism was unjust,” Thibodeau said. “He didn’t have a great year but when you look at what he did, he had a very good year and I expect him to be better this year because hopefully he’ll be healthy. But if you look at Carlos’ career, you’re talking about a guy who has performed at a high level and his team has won at a high level, so I’m expecting great things from him this year.”
Rose, meanwhile, is expecting more of himself. He said he’s worked on his low-post game, another wrinkle as he tries to continue his rapid and steady progression.
He went from Rookie of the Year to All-Star to MVP in his first three seasons. He’d like to become a champion in his fourth year.