Report: Rose not with Cavs, evaluating basketball future

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose has been away from the team since Monday, and is evaluating his future as a pro basketball player, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The former superstar, league MVP, and athletic marvel has seen his star dim considerably in recent years, as recurring injuries - specifically to his knees - have sapped him of the explosiveness that once made him great.

It's those injuries that have Rose pondering his future. The 29-year-old is "tired of being hurt" and it's "taking a toll on him mentally," a Cavaliers source told Wojnarowski.

Unlike his mysterious absence from the New York Knicks last season, Rose's leave from the Cavs is excused, a team spokesman told Wojnarowski.

Rose signed a veteran's minimum deal with the Cavs this past summer, and this season seemed like a golden opportunity for him to contend for a championship while resting his body in a reduced role. But, ankle injuries have limited him to just seven games, and when he's suited up, the results have been disastrous.

Rose has been eviscerated at the defensive end, unable to keep opposing guards in front of him or make any kind of impact when forced to switch in the pick-and-roll. Offensively, he's scored at a decent rate, but that's about it. He's shot 23.1 percent from 3-point range and averaged more turnovers (2.7) than assists (1.7). All told, the Cavs have performed 16.8 points per 100 possessions better without him on the floor.