If you’re drafted number 1 in the 2008 draft, win Rookie of the Year in 2009, and MVP in 2011 you’re going to be under a serious microscope. Fans, coaches, front office, and teammates want results. Injuries or no injuries they want results. You could have had both legs ripped off by space aliens and the question is going to be, “okay, so will he be back in time for the playoffs”? This is the case for Derrick Rose who has played 10 games in the last two seasons. Luckily for Rose and for Chicago Bulls fans it looks like Rose might be getting back to his glory days as he is at the training camp for Team USA who are getting ready for the World Cup of Basketball which takes place in late August in Spain. When Rose was asked how close he was to MVP form he told ESPNChicago.com, “I’m there, man. I’m not worried about that. My confidence is very high, and that’s the only thing you might see this year, that my confidence level is through the roof.” Rose hasn’t stepped foot on an NBA court in months but claims he’s feeling no pain or discomfort and seems to be going full steam at Team USA practices. Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski has high hopes for Rose and made some pretty bold statements to ESPN when he said, “I was ecstatic about watching him today. He’s better than four years ago. Four years ago, he was 21, and he was just on the verge of becoming who he was going to be. But he had a great practice today. You don’t practice like this every day. He hasn’t been in practices like this. Now we’ll watch what he does for the next few days.” Those are bold statements seeing that this was the first practice but given Rose’s abilities the fact that he’s back to his is old self isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Rose has put in some serious work this summer in terms of getting back into shape and is looking forward to silencing the naysayers who believed he might be finished. He looks to be in great shape and says that all he needs to do is get his wind back and stay on the court to wear off any remaining rust. Like I sad earlier, Rose has a lot to prove and has the weight of the world on his shoulders, though the tens of millions of dollars he’s earned likely lighten the load. While it seems he’s been around forever due to his accomplishments, he’s still a young buck so he does have that working for him. My main concern is the once explosive speed that Rose once possessed as it’s one of the hardest attributes to get back. As of now, however, things are looking up for Rose and Bulls fans should be cautiously optimistic that the man who led them to a 62-20 season is back.
Article By: Jon DaBove
