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New-Look Bulls' Hopes Still Rest on the Knees of Derrick Rose

Sean Highkin@highkinX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistSeptember 30, 2014

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CHICAGO — Derrick Rose is only three years removed from his 2011 MVP campaign, but it feels like a lifetime—to fans and to the Chicago Bulls’ superstar point guard.

“It seems so far away,” Rose said Monday at Bulls media day, kicking off what he hopes will finally be the year he reclaims some of that glory. His first comeback attempt, following a torn left ACL that sidelined him for the entire 2012-13 season, lasted 10 games. Even that feels like ancient history now.

Indeed, a lot has changed for the Bulls since this time last year, when Rose sat at the podium on media day and answered question after question about his knees, his health and his mindset.

There are some high-profile new names on the roster, both veterans (Pau Gasol) and rookies (Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic). There’s a new balance of power in the Eastern Conference, with LeBron James and Kevin Love joining forces in Cleveland. Even the building in which he answered these questions is new, a state-of-the-art practice facility across the street from the United Center.

But after all this change, the central questions remain the same as they were a year ago: How healthy is Rose, and how far can he take the Bulls?

Sep 29, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose during media day at the Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
USA TODAY Sports

Rose is as tired as everyone else is of his knees being the story around his team. He’d rather focus on the lessons he’s learned in two years of rehab and on the depth and potential of the reloaded roster the Bulls front office has armed him with for his latest comeback attempt. But he knows as well as anyone the questions aren’t going away anytime soon.

“I know that it’s always going to be there,” Rose said. “I know I’m going to have to answer this question for the rest of my career. For the Bulls fans, I can sit here and say it a million times, but the only way to answer all the critics and everyone asking about me is to be on the court and to actually play.”

When Rose does return to the court with the Bulls, returning to form is going to be a process. Anyone who watched him last month during Team USA’s championship run in the FIBA World Cup tournament knows that his jump shot has a ways to go.

He shot an abysmal 25.4 percent from the field in the tournament, averaging just 4.8 points per game. He’s got a handful of preseason games over the next month before the games start to count, but as confident as he is in his own body and abilities, Rose knows that might not be enough time to make up for two years of injuries.

“I’m not going to sit here and just say that my shot is going to be fixed when the season starts,” he said. “I’m still going to shoot the shots that I normally shoot. If you leave me open, and the game is telling me I should shoot, I’m going to shoot.”

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

That’s all mental stuff. The good news this time is he has no hesitation with the physical part of his recovery. For as poorly as he played in Spain, he still played in every game without any setbacks, and everyone in the organization views the tournament as a resounding success.

“First of all, in that setting, he’s not taking a lot of shots,” said Bulls general manager Gar Forman. “You could see the reactivity, the explosiveness, I like to call it some of the old Derrick Rose moves. The way he would get into the lane, get to the basket. I know some people were concerned that he didn’t shoot a high percentage. That’s not a huge concern for us.”

“He hasn’t played for a long time,” added head coach Tom Thibodeau, who served as an assistant for Team USA during the World Cup. “Basically, when you’re off for two-and-a-half years, there’s going to be rust. But the good thing is, he got through the practices, he played five games in six days. He handled the physical part well. The shooting’s still not there. He’s done a lot of shooting, but it’s different when it’s body-on-body. He’s got to get used to that again, but it’s timing. That will come.”

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

What will also come for Rose is the adjustment to playing with new teammates in a different offense, which includes some badly needed outside shooting. 

The addition of Gasol in particular gives the Bulls a versatile offensive weapon to pair with Joakim Noah in the frontcourt. Gasol and Noah are both gifted passers who can score around the basket, which could lead to more open looks and less playmaking responsibility for Rose. He’s already begun visualizing his role in a more diversified offense.

“I automatically go to the fourth quarter,” Rose said. “I’m out on the perimeter, and I’m just waiting to get a set shot, but you’ve got Pau and Joakim on the other side cleaning everything up. I just see him in the post, I’m waiting for a jump shot and you pick your poison.”

All of that sounds great on paper, and if things go as planned, the Bulls will be competing with the retooled Cleveland Cavaliers in June for a shot at the NBA Finals. They’ve got the talent, the depth and the coach to compete with anyone in the league—if Rose can stay healthy.

Lately, that’s been a big “if.” It’s Rose’s job this season to turn that “if” into a “when.”