2014 NBA Top 20: #6 Derrick Rose – the much-awaited return
Derrick Rose before the pre-season game Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards at Arena HSBC on October 12, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Getty Images)
There is a meme that is doing the rounds around the dark corners of the interwebz that states that the last time Derrick Rose played an NBA game, Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki was the reigning MVP, LeBron James hadn’t won a ring and the Nets were still in New Jersey.
That’s how long it has been.
But it is finally time to put trolls like that – and the one about how the likes of Russell Westbrook and Kobe Bryant will return from their injuries sooner than the 2011 MVP – to bed.
For at long last, D-Rose is back.
The point guard made his long-awaited return in the Chicago Bulls pre-season opener after missing the past 17 months while recovering from knee surgery, scoring 13 points in 21 minutes in an 82-76 victory against the Indiana Pacers on 5th October.
Rose even featured in the Bulls’ second game (scoring another 13 in 20 minutes) as they thumped the Memphis Grizzlies 106-87 on 7th October. But the 25-year-old, who felt soreness in his surgically repaired left knee, sat out of their third pre-season game; a close-fought 83-81 victory over the Washington Wizards on 12th October.
The Bulls’ decision to bench Rose, who missed all of last season after tearing his ACL during the playoffs in April 2012, was precautionary and it remains to be seen if he will take to the court against the Detroit Pistons on 16th October.
But if everything goes according to plan, then come 29th October, the Bulls will start the new season as not only stronger outfits but healthier ones. And no one will be happier than head coach Tom Thibodeau.
While Rose was rusty in his first pre-season game – his carelessness with the ball led to four turnovers – he will bring a completely new dimension to the Bulls’ offensive play (in time) this upcoming season.
That dimension will be more exciting, fast-paced attacks to the rim as well as added contributions (in terms of dimes) to his teammates. The fact that Rose will be running the floor should galvanise the Bulls roster.
The Bulls lost last year’s playoffs hero Nate Robinson – who scored 34 points in Game 4 of a first round series against the Brooklyn Nets – in the off-season to the Denver Nuggets, but have an able replacement in Jimmy Butler to ignite the spark they need when required.
Butler finished last season as one of the most-improved players in the league and is an all-action guard. The 24-year-old will be joined in the starting five by veteran forward Carlos Boozer, All-Stars Joakim Noah and Luol Deng and of course, Rose himself, who will be setting-up the plays.
In the likes of Mike Dunleavy, Taj Gibson and Kirk Hinrich, they have able support off the bench. The squad may look threadbare and injury-prone but if they can become a cohesive unit under Thibodeau’s guidance, the Bulls could be a team that packs a scary punch; a haymaker if you will.