Aaron Brooks (PG, CHI) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add for a Short Term Boost at PG

OWNED: 4% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues

It's never good news when you hear the words "Derrick Rose" and "left knee" in the same sentence. The oft-injured former MVP left Tuesday night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks, saying something "just didn't feel right."  The current diagnosis is left patellar tendinitis and neither Rose nor the Bulls seemed overly concerned (they didn't even schedule an MRI). However, as part of playing it smart with Rose's knee, it seems likely he'll sit a game or two until things feel right.

For however long he sits, Aaron Brooks, who stepped in for Rose in the 4th quarter of the Bucks game, looks likely to take over. For an idea of what he can produce in a starting role, we can take a look at his per 36 numbers on the season -- .431 FG%, .839 FT%, 19.1 PTs, 2.8 3PM, 4.5 REB, 5.1 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.4 BLK, and 2.3 TO. That's some very nice all-around production.

What this will actually translate to in a full-time role will depend on whether the Bulls choose to stagger the minutes that Jimmy Butler and Aaron Brooks play alongside each other, in order to maximize the minutes that they have a legitimate distributor on the floor, or if they will mostly stick together in the lineup. You can expect Brooks to be more efficient in the minutes he plays with Butler, since Butler will be doing much of the ball-handling and drawing the lion's share of attention on defense. But Brooks get more shot attempts and more assists in the minutes he plays without Butler, since Brooks would then become the primary ball-handler, getting a chance to quarterback the Bulls offense like he did for the Saints in the early-2000s (same Aaron Brooks, right? I'm pretty sure I remember winning the Super Bowl with Brooks and Deuce McAllister in Madden).

Bottom Line: While Derrick Rose does not seem worried about his knee at this point, he has stated his intention to play it smart. Reading the tea leaves strongly implies a missed game or two -- especially with an extremely miss-able game against the Philadelphia 76ers coming tomorrow on the front end of a road/home back-to-back. Active fantasy owners with an open roster spot can seize on this opportunity to get a game or two of excellent value in assists, threes, and out-of-position rebounding from Aaron Brooks.