Derrick Rose apologizes to teammates for time away from Cavaliers

Derrick Rose has apologized to his teammates for the time he took away from the Cavaliers to mull over his future in the NBA.

Late last month, Rose felt the need to evaluate his NBA future and did so away from the Cavaliers. It was reported Rose had grown frustrated with being hurt and that was taking a toll on him mentally.

Earlier this week, Rose met with members of the Cavaliers about returning to the team. While it is not yet clear when Rose will be back on the court, he did meet with his teammates prior to their game against the Kings to apologize for his absence.

“He didn’t have to, but he did,” head coach Tyronn Lue said, according to ESPN. “He asked me could he talk to the team before we started shootaround and addressed the team. Everyone welcomed him back and is happy he is here, and that’s it.”

Rose last appeared in a game on November 7 and is currently rehabbing an ankle sprain suffered in late October. Rose has missed 13 consecutive games, 11 of which the Cavaliers have won. Even though the team has been on a serious roll of late, a healthy Rose will be a welcomed addition when he is able to return and will add to the team’s backcourt depth.

In seven games this season, Rose is averaging 14.3 points, on 47 percent shooting, to go along with 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists.