The last time Derrick Rose was in full health, blasting opponents with his extraordinary speed and explosiveness, Dwight Howard was still with the Orlando Magic and LeBron James still didn't have an NBA Championship in his belt - now he has two. Indeed, it has been quite a while now since Rose has showcased his exceptional talent.
But Rose is now making a strong come back after another crushing injury - torn meniscus - that sidelined him for the remainder of the season last year and all signs are pointing that he is coming into full shape as the Chicago Bulls All-Star point guard continued to impress everyone in Day 2 of Team USA's training camp.
"That's my biggest surprise coming in here," Syracuse coach and Team USA assistant Jim Boeheim told ESPNChicago.com, in reference to Rose's performance. "The one thing I was worried about is whether he would be able to step in after so much time (off). He looks, to me, as good as when we had him in the World Championship in '10, when he was at full strength coming (into) an MVP year. He looks very, very good. Obviously, [when] he gets in some games it will be a little different, but it's not like he hasn't had success in games. He had a lot of success. He's been the most impressive guy here."
In just a couple of days, Rose has sent a clear message to the entire basketball world: if he is healthy he is almost impossible to stop. But that's a big "IF", as in the past three years Rose has been plagued by a myriad of injuries, putting the Bulls championship hopes into a frustrating halt.
So what gives the Bulls organization and Derrick Rose fans all over the world a guarantee that the 25 year old point guard will remain healthy much less come back to his old dominant form in the coming season? The answer lies in a "smarter" and much more patient Rose. When asked what's the biggest difference between the current Derick Rose and the one from a few years ago, per Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com, Rose responded:
Body control... I'm able to control my body a little bit more, using my speed. Being smart with my speed, instead of just running wild out there. Just being smart. I'm a smarter player, but I'm mad it took me seven years to learn that.
Rose is still confident that he can be the best player on the court. He was indeed the best three seasons ago in the 2010-11 Season when he became the youngest MVP in NBA history after averaging 25 points and 7.7 assists, a leader in the Bulls team that had the best record in the league. And he is still showing that he is capable of replicating such an elite level of performance when he received nothing but praise from everyone, from coaches to players in the US training camp.
Derrick Rose is now evolving and see how he will utilize a lot of floaters and pull-up jumpers in his game next season. This will keep other players off his body to help avoid another catastrophic injury. If such will be the case, then we will surely be seeing a possibly healthy Derrick Rose in the entire 2014-2015 Season though a bit less explosive but smarter and more patient.
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