Caleb Wilson has barely settled in with the Chicago Bulls, and he’s already earned a strong endorsement from one of the most important voices in franchise history.
Derrick Rose was out in the city this weekend celebrating a pair of milestones. He was recently announced as a cover athlete for 2K27, and with WNBA All-Star Weekend taking place in his hometown, he marked both occasions with a community event at Navy Pier. Rose’s Flower Shop set up the 2K Flower Mart, handing out bouquets for the All-Stars and giving free roses to people who wrote notes to their favorite WNBA players.
That appearance also brought Rose into the conversation about the Bulls’ newest rookie. Wilson is expected to be a major draw at the United Center, and Rose was asked by Fox 32 Chicago for his first reaction to the young forward. His answer was blunt, and it sounded like praise.
“You have to be delusional in a way, and I feel like he’s delusional, where he believes he’s the No. 1 player" Rose told Devan Kaney. "And I can respect that. I mean, not to go deep into it, but I feel like we relate a lot.”
In sports, that kind of “delusional” confidence is often exactly what separates the special players from everyone else. Rose clearly saw that edge in Wilson right away.
The two had already crossed paths earlier in July at the Advocate Center, when the Bulls posted clips of Wilson meeting Rose. An All-Access segment from Bulls TV also showed Rose offering the rookie some advice, and he expanded on that exchange during the Fox 32 Chicago interview.
“I didn’t talk to him that much, but I was just telling him about making a gambit move," the Chess-loving Rose said. "That gambit move is a sacrifice.
You got to keep making a sacrifice no matter what level you on because it’s going to make sure you're disciplined and make sure you’re focused. I feel like he’s that.
He’s that focused young guy.”
Wilson seemed to take that connection seriously. On draft night, he wore a silver rose pin and said afterward that he chose it as a tribute to Rose, hoping it would help bring him to Chicago.
Now Wilson gets the challenge of turning that belief into production for a Bulls team trying to climb back to the level it reached when Rose wore the jersey. Plenty already seem convinced he can handle it, including the early Rookie of the Year odds.
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Philadelphias latest roster swing only sharpens the contrast. The 76ers have shown a willingness to keep reshaping the roster around championship upside, moving on from one major piece to chase another and staying aggressive in free agency rather than settling into the middle. For the Bulls, the lesson is familiar and uncomfortable: if they want to climb back into real contention, they may need to stop acting like a team content with being respectable. [Read more 🡒]