Derrick Rose returns in a matter of hours, and with his play and his demeanor he can go back to being the beloved Pre February to June Derrick Rose, who was loathed, and deservedly so. Now he can late 2013-14 and beyond Derrick Rose who would likely be beloved again.
If he comes out tonight and looks like he always does, or looks as great as he has in the preseason, all those negative feelings in Chicago will be erased or do you think it’s going to take some time to kind of heal that situation from last year?
ESPN Analyst George Karl answered my question on media conference call today:
I think it’s time to forgive and forget what happened last year, because the kid is ?? I’ve watched him play 20 minutes in a game against Milwaukee. I was looking for a guy that was kind of feeling his way back.
What I saw was a guy that was trying to be one of the best players in the game already in exhibition season. His speed, his form on his shooting, everything that he could improve through his rehab, his body, his speed, his jumping, his shooting, he’s improved it.
Obviously, winning heals all and with Derrick Rose in the mix, they should be winners. As long as you’re a Bull and you “Do. Your. Job.” As Coach Tom Thibodeau would say.
There’s a legitimate rift between the Chicago Bulls coaching staff, and the Chicago Bulls front office. Those who follow the team know there’s a disconnect, but how deep it truly is goes largely unreported. The front office doesn’t like the way Coach Thibs overextends his players during the regular season and gives them too many minutes. That’s why the Bulls keep winning regular seasons, but losing in the postseason. The team is just too gassed.
VP John Paxson said today that there will be no limitations on minutes for Derrick Rose.
Maybe the return of Derrick Rose can heal it? It certainly took a very long time for us to get a true straight answer regarding why he didn’t return once medically cleared to do so.
“They had a very good year last year without him,” Karl said.
“That team fought hard, came together, won close games. They beat New Jersey in the first round of the playoffs. They had a great year. Now they get Derrick Rose back with Gibson playing better.”
“Watching them play you know who is the boss, you know who is the leader of the team. You know who is the guy that’s going to carry this team. And he wants that responsibility. So let’s forget about what happened last year and watch this young kid come back and play great basketball,” Karl said.
Just don’t read too much into the performance of Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls tonight. NBA ring nights don’t mean all that much, as the returning champions often don’t actually try in those games. It happened two years ago, when the Derrick Rose and the Bulls beat the Heat by 42 points on ring night.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a regular analyst on news talk radio stations across the world; with weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS