Derrick Rose steps away from the NBA, LeBron James & Dwayne Wade respond

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LeBron James says that if Derrick Rose of the Cleveland Cavaliers retires from the team, he simply hopes Rose finds peace with the choice.

“We want, whatever he decides to do, we want the best for him,” James said after the Cavs’ won 100-99 over the Charlotte Hornets last Friday.

“At the end of the day, you can’t substitute nothing for happiness. And obviously, we know the injuries that he’s been going through his whole career. We hope this ain’t the end, but if it is, I was happy I got an opportunity to spend a couple months with him and watch him be the great point guard that he once was.

“But at the end of the day, a clearer head, there’s no substitute for that. We want the best for Derrick. … No matter if he comes back, no matter if he doesn’t, we want him as an individual, as a man, as a father to be just happy with whatever decision he makes.”

According to league sources, Rose left the team and is reconsidering his role in the game. Rose missed 11 out of 18 games this season which included the last seven due to a sprained ankle.

One source told ESPN, “He’s tired of being hurt, and it’s taking a toll on him mentally.”

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue “expects” Rose to come back to the team but had no timeframe to share.

In 2014 Rose spoke of his many injuries and shared that he thinks deeply about the implications of what his body has been put through in his years of playing basketball.

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“I know a lot of people get mad when they see me sit out,” Rose said then. “But I think a lot of people don’t understand that when I sit out, it’s not because of this year. I’m thinking about long-term. I’m thinking about after I’m done with basketball, having graduations to go to, having meetings to go to.

“I don’t want to be in my meetings all sore or be at my son’s graduation all sore just because of something I did in the past. Just learning and being smart.”

Dwayne Wade said he remembers when Rose made those comments and how much “flak” he got for them. He went on to say that he can empathize with Rose.

“I’ve always understood it,” Wade said prior to the Hornets game. “Unfortunately, I’ve had to deal with a lot of injuries so I’ve always understood what he meant by it, what he was saying. At the end of the day, this game is a small portion of your life. Hopefully, this is not going to define you. It’s something that you love to do, but if you can’t do it the way that you want to do it, then you need to think about not doing it. And whatever decision he decides to make, it’s going to be the best decision for D-Rose, and at the end of the day, that’s all the matters.”

As far as he is concerned, James said that only Rose can know what Rose is going through.

“I don’t get it. How can I get it? None of us can get what he’s going through,” James stated. “It’s impossible. He’s his own man. I cannot get what he’s going through.”

“Anybody can sit on the outside of the arena and criticize the man in the arena that’s given his blood, sweat and tears,” James said. “But until you walk in the face of the line of battle, or adversity or whatever the case may be, you don’t understand.

“So, I understand as a professional athlete, but I don’t understand, I can never understand what he’s going through because I’ve, it’s his life, I’ve been with him two months and I can never understand that, but what I do understand is I want him to be happy. Like I said, there’s no substitution for that, but the man in the arena. For everybody who always think they got the answer to every damn thing.”