Michael Carter-Williams officially joined the Chicago Bulls on Monday, and when asked to pick a jersey number, he chose No. 1, which belonged to Derrick Rose from 2008 until this past June. Carter-Williams, who wore the number at Syracuse and as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, said that he wasn't thinking about Rose when he made that call, via CSN Chicago's Vincent Goodwill, adding that he was "not trying to step on anybody's toes or boundaries."
Just as soon as these quotes were transcribed, there was a backlash. Some Bulls fans don't want anybody wearing that number again, especially so soon after Rose's exit. As a result, Carter-Williams changed his mind on Monday night, telling Comcast SportsNet Chicago's Chuck Garfien that he'll wear No. 7:
Just spoke with Michael Carter-Williams. He didn't want to cause a Derrick Rose controversy with #1 jersey. So he'll wear #7 instead.
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) October 18, 2016
Looking at the Bulls' lack of spacing, Carter-Williams is going to have enough trouble fitting in without having to worry about what fans think about his jersey number. This seems like the right call, at least for the sake of his Twitter mentions.
