The March 15 NBA trade deadline can’t come soon enough. Once it passes, we will be able to stop speculating about Dwight Howard — at least until the offseason. Until then, we will continue to hear rumors about Howard being traded to the Lakers, Bulls, Nets, and others. One player who will be happy when the dust settles is Derrick Rose, who openly admitted on Thursday that he’s sick hearing all the rumors and speculation.
“It’s definitely getting old,” Rose said according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “We’re sick and tired of hearing it. Like I said, the city speaks for itself. Chicago, marketing wise, is a great city. If someone chose to come here, they would definitely fit. I’m cool with the teammates I have.
“I don’t pay attention to it unless someone comes to me — like you all and tell me something. I don’t know what’s going on or who’s talking to who. You all know more than I do.”
Who can blame him? One minute Howard and Kobe Bryant might be interested in playing together and the next the Nets are putting on a full-court press to convince Dwight to go to Brooklyn. More recently, there has been speculation that the Magic have interest in acquiring some pieces that could convince Superman to stay put.
For someone like Rose, the speculation must be particularly obnoxious. He’s the leader of a Bulls team that has a legitimate chance to contend for a title — with or without Howard. Uncertainty can derail a team and break concentration, and that is something Chicago doesn’t need with the season more than half over.
