Derrick Rose: What His Return Means To Bulls
The Chicago Bulls had won just one playoff series in the post-Jordan era following the 2007-08 season and it appeared that Bulls fans did not have much to be excited about. That is, until the team selected Derrick Rose as their top pick in the 2008 draft.
For the first time in 10 years, the Bulls had a superstar in the making. And if you thought that Rose would not live up to expectations, you would be mistaken. In fact, Rose won the Rookie of the Year award with averages of 16.8 points, 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per outing while shooting a respectable 47.5 percent from the field.
| Season | Age | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | 20 | CHI | 81 | 80 | 37.0 | .475 | .222 | .491 | .788 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 16.8 |
| 2009-10 ★ | 21 | CHI | 78 | 78 | 36.8 | .489 | .267 | .500 | .766 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 20.8 |
| 2010-11 ★ | 22 | CHI | 81 | 81 | 37.4 | .445 | .332 | .481 | .858 | 4.1 | 7.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 25.0 |
| 2011-12 ★ | 23 | CHI | 39 | 39 | 35.3 | .435 | .312 | .475 | .812 | 3.4 | 7.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 21.8 |
| 2013-14 | 25 | CHI | 10 | 10 | 31.1 | .354 | .340 | .359 | .844 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 15.9 |
| Career | 289 | 288 | 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 10/28/2014.
In addition to that, Rose proved that he was capable of playing on the game’s biggest stage—the playoffs. And in his first postseason game against the defending champion Boston Celtics, Rose poured in 36 points, handed out 11 assists and grabbed four rebounds, as the Bulls surprised everyone with a 105-103 victory in the series opener. Although the Bulls eventually lost the series in seven games, the front office knew they had a player who they could build a team around.
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In the 2009-10 season, the Bulls advanced to the playoffs, but were once again eliminated in the first round, this time, by
LeBron Jamesand the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the next season, the culture of the team would be forever changed.
Tom Thibodeau, who was the defensive mastermind behind the Celtics’ title run in 2008, signed with the Bulls. And during Thibodeau’s first season in the Windy City, Rose had the best season of his career so far with averages that included 25.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds. And while many debated whether or not he should have won the MVP over James, there was no denying that Chicago’s success had a lot do with the play the of team’s point guard.
The Bulls finished with the best record that season, advancing to the conference finals for the first time in 13 years. While they fell to the Miami Heat in five games, the feeling around the city was that the Bulls were just a piece or two away from being title contenders on a yearly basis.
Unfortunately, for the Bulls and their fan base, that would not be the case.
In the 2011-12 season, the Bulls finished with the best record again despite the fact that Rose missed 27 of the 66 games that were played during the lockout-shortened campaign. Although Rose had battled an assortment of injuries through a good part of the season, he appeared to be returning form as the postseason began.
In Game 1 of the 2012 playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers, Rose scored 23 points to go along with nine assists and nine rebounds. But with a little over a minute left to play, his season, along with the Bulls’ title hopes, came to a screeching halt, as Rose tore the ACL in his right knee.
Not only did the Bulls lose the series in six games, they would also have to adjust to life without Rose for the entire next season.
The Bulls fared well during the 2012-13 campaign, winning 45 games and capturing the fifth best record in the conference. But the playoffs were a different story. Although the Bulls managed to squeak by the Brooklyn Nets in seven games after squandering a two-game lead in the series, they were quickly dismissed by the Heat in five games in the conference semifinals.
Prior to the start of the 2013-14 season, the expectations began to increase as Bulls fans waited for Rose to return to the court. And that excitement increased following Rose’s preseason performance. In six games, he averaged 19.8 points, 4.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds while converting 49 percent of his shot attempts.
However, Rose’s success did not carry over into the regular season. And while he did have some memorable moments like hitting the game-winning shot in a victory over the New York Knicks, it was obvious that Rose wasn’t quite the same player that fans had remembered prior to the first knee injury.
And if that were the only bad news the front office would have to suffer through, it would have been a positive. But once again, title aspirations were pushed aside after Rose sustained yet another season-ending knee injury against the Portland Trail Blazers.
As they had done the year before, the Bulls continued to march on with out their star player. And just like in 2012-13, they exceeded expectations, winning 48 games while securing home-court advantage through the first round of the playoffs.
This was quite an accomplishment for a Bulls team that was forced to play without their two best players in Rose and Luol Deng. But the success they had during the regular season did not carry over into the playoffs.
And while the Bulls fought as hard as they could, without an elite scorer like Rose on the court, they were no match for their younger counterparts—the Washington Wizards, who won the series in five games. This marked the second time in three seasons that the Bulls were eliminated in the first round of the postseason.
Fast forward to present day, all eyes are once again on Derrick Rose. In fact, Bulls fans were divided when Rose opted to participate in the FIBA World Cup tournament.
Some felt that she should save himself for the regular season while others thought it was a good platform for Rose to use as a means of preparing for the 2014-15 season. And while Rose didn’t have a huge impact on Team USA winning the tournament, the fact that he was able to play nine games in 16 days was evidence that he was starting to get his body into game shape.
In the recent set of preseason games, Rose scored 16.5 points per contest while connecting on 43 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Those are pretty respectable numbers for a guy who has missed nearly two seasons of basketball.
And in the last two games against the Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rose had his best outings, scoring 30 and 27 points respectively and he shot 24-for-41 from the field.
With Rose seemingly playing his best basketball with the regular season set to begin Wednesday night against the Knicks, once again, Bulls fans have visions of a championship dancing in their heads.
Of course, there are have been some roster changes since the last time Rose played a full season. And the additions of Pau Gasol, Doug McDermott and Aaron Brooks provides the Bulls with the most depth we’ve seen over the past four seasons.
While these players certainly give the Bulls an improved look over the team that was eliminated from the playoffs last May, a healthy Rose is still the key that will ultimately determine if this team is good or great.
And while the team has performed well the past two seasons, it is the return of Rose why fans throughout the city are filled with hopes of the Bulls making a serious run at the title for the first time in four years.