The Time Is Now - Derrick Rose

The home crowd of Chicago is waiting to feel the goosebumps when they hear the announcement during the team entry “And now from the home town of Chicago…”

Rose has been off the court since the first game of the round 1 of playoffs last season with a torn ACL. Since the diagnosis of his injury, Rose has undergone a rehab process and is most likely to return after the All-Star break which is about two weeks from now. The Bulls’ management have not yet set any timetable for the return of their MVP star point guard and neither have they confirmed any fixed date for his return.

The Bulls’ management has been very concerned and extremely cautious with the rehab and healing process of Derrick Rose and do not want to take any step that may lead to a set back for their point guard. Rose, reportedly, has shown positive results during practice and is now taking on full contact during practice sessions with the team. With both fans and team mates eager for the return of their star, the coach said:

“You have to understand that in practice you’re striving to get as close to a game-like intensity as you can, but you also have to understand that you’re not going to be able to get there, so that will be a whole different level. And we have to make sure that he’s ready to handle that intensity.”

The specialists and other injury consultants though predict that after the rehab process, Rose may come back stronger than ever and might be more power packed with greater shooting skills from both inside and outside the arc.

With Rose on the floor, the Bulls scored 8.2 points more than last year and almost 11 points more per 48 minutes than the previous year. This year though, the Bulls have proven themselves to be a powercenter without Rose. They are currently at 4th spot in the Eastern Conference, battling with the Indiana Pacers for holding on the third spot which they lost in the last game. Even in their Division, the Bulls have shifted to 2nd place from the first.

The players of the likes of Noah, Boozer and Deng have shown the power of the Bull inside them with a tremendous showdown on the offense and defense with career high numbers this season after playing 35+ minutes each almost every night. The bench has also provided more then what was expected. This Bulls side, considered an underdog team without their superstar Rose, has shocked the NBA. And if Bulls can play at this level then imagine the disaster that would be created if Rose returns fully healthy. The combined force of Rose, Deng, Boozer and Noah will overpower any greats this season. And then they have the bench of the likes of Robinson, Gibson, Buttler and Bellinelli.

But everything is just speculation until we see Rose back on the court and whether or not he can play at the level of the MVP he once was. And the best time for his return is now. Why, you ask? Well here is the reason.

The injury problems are not sparing the Bulls, even after taking away their super star. Boozer and Deng are both recovering from their hamstring woes and now even the power house Noah is down. We are halfway through the season and Bulls have made a statement, but if they lose their key elements now at halfway, it will become very difficult for them.

It is the key point of time for Rose to come back and start sharing on-court time with his team mates in a real NBA match so that he can have the on-court bonding with the new and improved Bulls, so that by the time of post season they get ready to become the masters of destruction.

It will also help in allocation of proper rotation time to every player so that the starters will not have to play for 35 or more minutes every game, back to back; thus preventing any further injury probabilities. And it will further boost the morale and confidence of the players on the roster.

It is assumed that Rose will not be the offensive force that he was before the injury, right after he returns. In the meantime, he will learn to trust his team mates more than before and it will help him improve his assist numbers on the score sheet and get a better taste of team bonding.

Maybe Rose will be forced to start off the bench after his return and his playing time will be kept limited in the beginning and as time progresses, he may return back to his starting role. He has been through the torture of seeing his team going through tough losses helplessly. He must have wanted to jump in between the game and taken the team on his shoulder and drive them to victory.

With the return of Rose, the Bulls may not only become  title contenders but might also become the fan favourite in the list of contenders. With Noah out for some time with his injury, Bulls need their superstar back. Though the management and the coaches do not want to rush Rose back, they are also considering the need and the call of the moment.

Every fan is hoping to see Rose back on the court after the All Star break. But the team VP, Paxson, gave the following statement:

“We can’t sit here today and say he’s going to be back in three weeks or after the All-Star break. Those things are a hope, but his body is going to tell us and then when we get to that point, that’s when we’re going to have to sit down and determine, after we talk to our doctors and everything, then determine our game plan of minutes and how best to bring him back. We don’t want to bring him back and then have a setback because he wasn’t totally ready. We want this to be a progression where he comes back, he starts to play and every week he gets better and feels better.”

We have all seen his journey towards the return through Youtube via ADIDAS. We all want to see him in action. And hopefully we all will very soon witness his power on the court.

The home crowd of CHICAGO is waiting to feel the goosebumps when they hear the announcement during the team entry, “And now from the home town of Chicago…”. And what a feeling it will be for the fans in the stadium and world wide.