Derrick Rose Invited to NBA Skills Challenge

January 23rd, 2009 by Andrew Wamboldt

According to the Daily Herald, Derrick Rose has been invited to participate in the skills challenge.

Bulls guard Derrick Rose confirmed that he’s been invited to participate in the NBA skills challenge during all-star weekend, but he hasn’t decided if he’ll participate.

This contest generally features guards running through an obstacle course of sorts that includes passing accuracy and dribbling speed.

Utah’s Deron Williams won the event last year, beating out New Orleans’ Chris Paul, Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Dallas’ Jason Kidd, who played for New Jersey at the time.

“I’d like to play in it, but I don’t know yet,” Rose said Thursday. “(It depends on) how busy I am and just the way I feel.”

It would be a real shame if Rose backed out of the contest. If Rose decides to skip the contest, that can only be interpreted as a move of cowardice. I don’t like this one bit, if you are invited, you go. He will already be there for the rookie vs. sophomore game, so saying you might be too busy or not feel like it is a valid excuse.

Derrick better man up, enter the competition, and compete hard. He has the skills and quickness to get through the competition faster than any of the other guards, but winning the competition would hinge on him making his jumpshots. Recently Rose has had difficulty hitting the jumpshot, so this may be the reason why he seems a bit scared to enter the contest.

There are no valid excuses for Rose to back out of this, as it is a non-intensive event. At the very least, Rose can go and collect his free money.