The return of Derrick Rose

Chicago Bulls point-guard Derrick Rose.

October 29th, 2013. Mark your calendars people. It’s finally happening. Derrick Rose is returning to the fray. The 2010-11 MVP will be back in action this year after a long break due to injury and I cannot be more excited.

Although he was cleared to play last season, Rose opted to sit out the rest of the season to recover. More from the psychological damage than the physiological damage. I could not believe it when people actually compared Rose to Ricky Rubio just because Rubio returned to the court in eight months. An injury to the ACL to a player who relies on his speed and sudden changes in direction as much as Rose would probably have been jarring to the senses. Yes, the doctors cleared him, but it’s his wish, as a player, to decide when he wants to get back on the court. And he has finally decided to do so.

The Bulls, without Rose, were primarily a defensive team. They were the second worst offensive team last season, but the 3rd best defensive team. His return will help them bolster their offence and add more depth to their defence. This season, the addition of Rose will do wonders to their performance.

Here are a few reasons why:

Rose has accumulated excellent stats over his 5 year career at the NBA, averaging 21.1 PPG and 6.8 APG. These stats however do no justice to his skill. This guy is just a dynamite scorer. Rose is the best offensive point-guard in the game today, at full fitness. He can do anything and everything. He can shoot, dribble past any given opponent, assist, dunk, layup, everything. Name it, and he can do it. Rose is the youngest player ever to win the MVP award (at age 22). Rose was also the Rookie player of the year and he has played thrice in the All-Star Games.

Check out Rose’s incredible abilities right here:

Rose’s offensive capabilities were sorely missed last season. His speed, agility, hustle, driving and dribbling abilities are quite possibly his strongest assets, in addition to his excellent scoring and passing. His energy on the court is unparalleled. I mean, come on, does the guy ever stop running? He batters the defence, rams into the paint, does everything he can imagine to wear the opponents down, to tear down their defence and to get the ball into the basket. Nobody could replace this in the Bulls’ squad when Rose was on the bench recovering from injury. He’s also a true floor general who can facilitate others to score as well as score himself. His return will particularly help Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer as they both depend on someone else to set up their shots. They’re also underrated as passers and can move the ball extremely well and accurately for such large men. Also, don’t forget Luol Deng. He’s a capable 3-point shooter, and contributes to both offence and defence equally.

Although there are way more experienced players on the team, there’s something about Rose which makes him seem older and more capable. It’s more of a feel, a presence and not anything solely related to numbers. Maybe that’s what leadership is all about. He is selfless, relentless in his attack of the rim, and can lead the offence himself. His leadership played a huge factor in the Bulls’ recent past performances.  Rose led the Bulls to the playoffs every season he played in. He’s quiet, not very expressive on the court, even less so off the court. He lets his game do the talking.

The Bulls, with a fully fit side, project a team that on paper is quite possibly the strongest and certainly the most versatile. They have players with excellent offensive capabilities in Rose, Kirk Hinrich and the newly signed Mike Dunleavy. Hinrich can more than ably support Rose offensively. They also have depth in their squad with Luol Deng, Jimmy Butler, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and rookie shooting guard Tony Snell.

One key aspect the Bulls missed last season was team chemistry. The Bulls have an unbeatable, and at times, ridiculous team chemistry. Last season, with Rose sitting out the entire season and Deng injured for a while, they had to fill in with non-core team members and this definitely decreased their coordination and chemistry. The fact that despite all this they were ranked No. 5 in the Eastern Conference says something about the team’s strength. Rose’s return and the new additions of Dunleavy and Snell can only improve their performance.

Rose has been working out the entire off-season to feel more comfortable about his knee. He has improved his jump shot and he has also been working more on his ball-handling skills. However, all things said, Rose has not played a competitive game of basketball for a long, long time. Their first game is after all against the defending champions, Miami Heat. It’s really unfair of us to expect him to enter the court, blitz up and down and rack up 25 PPG and 8 APG right from his first game against the likes of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. He will take some time to return to his MVP level of play. That being said, Rose’s mere presence will be enough to instill some heart into the Bulls’ team and their fans. Personally, I believe over the course of the season, the Bulls will be strong title contenders this year.