Rose believes McGrady could help Bulls

Derrick Rose made it clear Friday he hopes that player is Tracy McGrady.
Derrick Rose (right) thinks two-time scoring champion Tracy McGrady, who averaged 9.4 points with the Knicks last season, could help out the Bulls.

''I think that if he comes along he can help our team,'' Rose said after the Team USA workout at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. ''A player like him, with his experience and how he plays, I think he'll help us.''

That depends on the health of McGrady, who has had multiple surgeries on his left knee, including microfracture surgery about a year and a half ago.

McGrady, 31, is a seven-time NBA All-Star and two-time scoring champion, but he wasn't the same explosive player when he returned to the court last season. After being dealt to the New York Knicks before the trade deadline in February, he averaged 9.4 points in 26 minutes.

Recovery from microfracture surgery often takes longer, and McGrady vowed to do the necessary rehabilitation this summer to regain his explosiveness. The Bulls will find out just how much progress he has made on Monday, when he's scheduled to work out for the team.

Rose, though, believes the Bulls should snap up McGrady if he shows anything.

''If he just gives us half of what he's got, we'll be all right,'' Rose said. ''He'll definitely help us if he gets on the team.

''He was good, and he was my favorite player when I was in sixth or seventh grade and he came into the league. Then in high school, that's when LeBron [James] came, and he was my favorite player then. Now, I'm my own favorite player.''