Derrick Rose is already turning heads once again with dominating performances in the Chicago Bulls first two preseason games
You could literally hear a pin drop on April 28, 2012 in all of Chicago! Derrick Rose was in the process of making a play when he fell and landed awkwardly, causing him to tear his ACL in his left knee in the first game of the 2012 NBA Playoffs. Time as we know it, froze(at least in all of Chicago) as Bulls fans were realizing the very worse was happening. Despite winning the game, Chicago would go on to be eliminated in six games in their first round match up with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Rose would undergo surgery and miss the entire 2012-13 season. Without question, the severity of the injury was very serious. Some critics(including myself, as you can see in this serious yet humorous video to the right ) were skeptic of Rose continuing to sit out even after he had been medically cleared by doctors at the end of January to resume playing once again. Rose cited that he was not coming back until he felt "110%" (1.) Chicago would finished the 2012-13 season with a 45-37 record and defeated the Brooklyn Nets in the first round in seven games before ultimately being eliminated by eventual champions Miami Heat in five games the following round.
Due to Rose being medically cleared, but refusing to return to the court despite the fact, his leaderships skills were also questioned and led some to believe he let his team down then they needed him most. Already without Rose, Chicago's lineup was banged up with Kirk Hinrich missing time with a nagging knee injury and Luol Deng dealt with a potentially life threatening illness with Spinal Tap complications.
Despite the criticism, Rose may have wanted to come back when the team could start on a fresh slate. Perhaps also Rose saw this as an opportunity to fine tune his game as he has claimed he worked on improving his jump shot(2.) and reportedly increased his vertical jump by five inches since injuring his ACL.(3.) Already into a young preseason, Rose has perhaps showcased why he wanted to make sure he is 110% by displaying awesome performances in the Bulls first two preseason games.
With a healthy Rose, the Bulls will again be frontrunners to contend for an NBA title. Rose is already back to his MVP form, perhaps even sooner than most would have thought. If Rose can continue to improve upon his performance and game play, others around him will as well! As long as he can do this, do not be surprised to see the Chicago Bulls raising trophies over their heads when all is said and done by the end of the 2013-14 season!
sources:
(1.) http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/bulls/2013/02/12/derrick-rose-knee-injury-return-chicago-bulls/1912521/
(2.) http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1794024-derrick-rose-describes-where-hes-improved-his-game-since-his-injury
(3.) http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1801159-derrick-rose-says-vertical-leap-increased-by-five-inches-to-42-since-acl-injury
Image sources: http://www.nanaimodailynews.com/sports/hockey/derrick-rose-returns-in-exhibition-opener-scores-13-points-to-help-bulls-beat-pacers-1.650271
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