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Carter- Williams off on a better foot after dropping Rose’s digit
It’s not yet known what Michael Carter- Williams will be on the court for the Bulls this season. Off the court, it’s not even a question.
After the Bulls acquired the 2014 NBA rookie of the year Saturday in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks for Tony Snell, Carter- Williams made news Monday when he initially chose No. 1 for his jersey. It was his college number, as well as the number he wore in Philadelphia his rookie year with the 76ers.
It just so happened to be the number Derrick Rose wore for seven years before being traded to the New York Knicks, and in a city filled with Rose apologists, it was blasphemy.
The social media attacks came quickly — jersey- number shaming at its best.
“I wasn’t personally looking at it,” Carter- Williams said of the outcry. “My family and my brothers and sisters were like, ‘ Man, everyone’s going crazy on Twitter.’ I was like, ‘ Ah, man, that’s not how I want to start.’ It was nothing personal. To me, it’s not even a big deal.”
So by late Monday night, Carter- Williams had decided to switch to No. 7. Welcome to Chicago. “Honestly, I chose ‘ 1’ because I wore it in college and my rookie year,’’ Cart- er- Williams said Wednesday. “My mind wasn’t even thinking about D- Rose and everything like that. I just want the city and the team and the organization all to be focused on one thing. I think the fans are a big part of this organization, and I didn’t want to have any distraction. I want everything to be positive. . . . If I play well or we play well or we play bad, I want them to support us instead of focusing on why is Michael wearing No. 1? I don’t mind wearing another number and everyone being on the same page.
“People are entitled to their own opinions. D- Rose did a lot for this city. He was born here. He was the youngest MVP ever. He really did a lot of great things for Chicago, especially when they had some tough years. People love him. I respect it.”
Carter- Williams said that while he discussed the number controversy with others in the organization, he ultimately made the final call.
“That’s what I wanted to do,” he said.
Now coach Fred Hoiberg wants Carter- Williams to get acclimated to the Bulls’ system as quickly as possible. There was some extra work for the newest member of the backcourt Wednesday, and the plan was to give Carter-Williams some minutes in the final preseason game Thursday night so he can work with the second unit and run some basic sets.
“He’s got great vision,” Hoiberg said. “Obviously he’s got very good positional size. He’s a guy that can get into the paint and make plays. He’s going to pick up full court. He’s a very willing defender in picking up 94 feet.
“The good thing is it’s very early in our season, and we’ll be able to get him some practices. Obviously, it’s going to take time to get him to know the system and what we’re trying to do. He seems to be a guy that can pick things up very quickly. In talking to people that know him, [ we’ve found] he’s a worker and a smart kid, a high- IQ player.’’
His smarts were on display already in making sure “Number- gate” never got out of hand.
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“A number, to me, is not that important. If I play well or we play well or we play bad, I want [ fans] to support us instead of focusing on, ‘ Why is Michael wearing No. 1?’” Michael Carter- Williams, on switching to No. 7