CLEVELAND _ LeBron James can empathize, but he can't understand the decision Derrick Rose is contemplating.
James hasn't seen his otherworldly skills diminish to the point that his status in the league is threatened. James also doesn't believe in putting himself in another man's shoes.
But with 2011 NBA MVP Rose _ beaten down by a rash of injuries since he tore his left ACL in 2012 _ taking a leave of absence from the Cavaliers to ponder his basketball future, Dwyane Wade has been in a similar place.
Wade, like Rose, has experienced knee issues for years, although it is a left ankle sprain that has limited Rose to seven of the Cavs' 19 games.
Now 35, Wade said his crossroads came in the summer of 2014 after he and James made their fourth consecutive appearance in the Finals and lost to the San Antonio Spurs. James had announced he was returning to Cleveland. Wade was hurting physically.
"Obviously I can't say I understand what he's going through, but I understand what he's going through," Wade said Friday night after the Cavs' 100-99 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. "I definitely had a moment in my career where I was thinking about retiring. It's hard when you're dealing with injuries after injuries after injuries _ it takes a toll on you mentally.
"This game brings so much joy to guys and it brings the opposite as well. It will take you to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. If you're not mentally where you need to be, it affects you with your family, it affects you in your day to day. You're just hurting. When you're hurting, you're frustrated and sometimes you think about walking away from the game. I was hurting every time I made a move. No one wants to live like that."
Wade said he decided to change his diet and training regimen and "give it one more go." He's grateful he found a way to enjoy the game again.
Rose had made some of those same changes. He lost weight to take pressure off his bones and joints. He talked in training camp about learning from James' regimen, which includes cryotherapy and yoga, to take care of his body.
A three-time All-Star for the Chicago Bulls before the injuries began, Rose has also suffered through two tears of his right meniscus (2013, 2015) and a torn left meniscus (2017), the latter costing him the final two weeks of last season with the New York Knicks.
Seeking a place in the spotlight again, Rose signed a one-year, veterans minimum contract with the Cavs on July 25. In Game 2 at Milwaukee, Rose hurt his ankle in a fall after a flagrant foul by the Bucks' Greg Monroe and hasn't been the same since.
"He has been through injury after injury for the last few years," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said Friday. "When you've played at an MVP level like he has, I'm sure that's hard to take. He's still playing at high level ... was playing well when he got hurt this month. They always say the toughest thing for the great ones is when you lose a step."
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue played point guard for 10 NBA seasons, but said his situation was different when his career ended in 2008-09.
"My case and his case are very different because he's so explosive and athletic and the things he did were unbelievable," Lue said. "For me, once I got old and couldn't do all those things, I was out of the league."
Adding to Rose's dilemma is his sneaker contract with adidas for seven years and $80 million, according to ESPN's Nick DePaula, that is not fully guaranteed if Rose retires.
Lue told Rose to take all the time he needs, but said he expects Rose back this season. Cavs players aren't so sure whether he will return.
"We just want Derrick to be happy, we want him to feel confident in whatever decision he decides to make," Wade said.
Channing Frye, 34, sympathized with what Rose is facing.
"At some point, I think each person in their lives has to make a decision about what makes him happy and what they want to do," Frye told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "He doesn't owe us anything. That man has sacrificed his life for this game. I just wish him some happiness and wish him some clarity about whatever he needs to do."
James, who turns 33 next month, echoed that the Cavs want the best for Rose.
"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," James said. "But at the end of the day, a clearer head, there's no substitute for that. 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 happy with whatever decision he makes."
