Derrick Rose Proving Bulls Fans Shouldn’t Worry
By Evan Massey
The Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers faced off in preseason action last night, and Cleveland was able to pull off the 107-98 victory. Despite the loss, Derrick Rose had a huge game and proved that the Bulls and their fans shouldn’t be worried about his health anymore. He scored 30 points on 12-18 shooting, including 4-5 from behind the three-point line to go along with five rebounds and three assists.
Rose is coming off of back-to-back injuries that ended his season, and both had to do with his knees. While there will always be nerves whenever Rose steps on the court for Bulls fans, he is extremely confident in his body and is getting back to the aggressive and reckless game that made him so good before all of the injuries.
Each and every season of his career, Rose has been a special player and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down as you can see from the table below.
| Season | Tm | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | CHI | 81 | 37.0 | .475 | .222 | .491 | .788 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 16.8 |
| 2009-10 ★ | CHI | 78 | 36.8 | .489 | .267 | .500 | .766 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 20.8 |
| 2010-11 ★ | CHI | 81 | 37.4 | .445 | .332 | .481 | .858 | 4.1 | 7.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 25.0 |
| 2011-12 ★ | CHI | 39 | 35.3 | .435 | .312 | .475 | .812 | 3.4 | 7.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 21.8 |
| 2013-14 | CHI | 10 | 31.1 | .354 | .340 | .359 | .844 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 15.9 |
| Career | 289 | 36.6 | .460 | .312 | .485 | .815 | 3.8 | 6.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 20.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/21/2014.
Perhaps all of these injuries will actually make him a better player, as he has already learned how to shoot better. He is also making better decisions on when to drive to the rim hard, and has improved his shot selection in a major way. It’s tough to see any athlete go through the type of bad luck that Rose had had injury-wise, but he has learned from them and it has made him a better player.
Chicago is going to need Rose to step up and come through in a big way this season if they are going to knock off the Cavaliers in the regular season. LeBron James returning to the Central Division alongside of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving isn’t going to be easy for the Bulls to match. Rose, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson, and Jimmy Butler have to step up and play their best games if they want to knock off Cleveland in a seven-game series.
One thing that the Bulls do have going for them is head coach Tom Thibodeau, who preaches hard-nosed defense and tough play. James isn’t usually able to be stopped, but by bumping around with him and not backing down defenses can at least force him to work for all of his points. Love is another player that doesn’t like being bumped around, and Irving isn’t consistent as far as leading his team to wins in big games.
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It isn’t likely that the Bulls will find a way to shut down the Cavaliers’ offense, but perhaps their strong defense can allow Rose and company to outscore them with a strong offense of their own.
All of that being said, it’s good to see Rose back out on the court and playing at such a high level. There are still ways for him to improve as far as learning the speed and toughness of the game again, but he is very close to being 100 percent back. Chicago has quite a few reasons to be excited about the upcoming season and their teams chances.