According to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com, Derrick Rose entered the USA Men's National Basketball Team training camp to prove all the doubters wrong. Many are questioning whether he could get back to his elite form in 2010 when he led the Chicago Bulls to a season best record and became the youngest MVP in NBA history at the age of 22.
But after hearing reports every day that Rose's week with Team USA was a success - with coaches and players alike expressing how impressed they were with his performance - its obvious that Derrick Rose has already made the important step forward in becoming an elite NBA player once again.
"He looks great," Wizards guard John Wall said. "He looks like his old self. He'll probably be more aggressive and all that when he gets into the competition rounds but right now I think he's proven he's going to be his [old] self again. And I think that's really what everybody's worried about, would he still have his explosion and all that. I know the city of Chicago is excited and I know how hard he worked and how hard he's going to keep working to keep himself going."
Rose also thinks that he is back - after an injury that sidelined him for almost the entire season last year - saying that he is no longer worried with his knee and was very confident about his game: "I think that I'm back, man" per ESPNChicago.com.
But no matter how Rose feel's that he is back and no matter how many coaches and teammates from Team USA's training will keep telling the world that Rose is getting back into his great self, the Media will never be silenced and will continue to doubt Rose's ability to every become the top point guard that he was 3 years ago.
Even the reigning NBA season MVP Kevin Durant is getting pretty annoyed on how the media keeps asking him the same question everyday about Derrick Rose game and performance in the training camp in another report by Nick Friedel of ESPNChicago.com.
"I don't know how much more I can answer that one," Durant said. "How different I can answer, he looks great. I'm excited I get a chance to play with him on his first time back after last year."
But in the end, the only way for Derrick Rose to stop people from doubting him and silence his critics is if he continues to perform on the floor, play at a high level in the coming season, and just be healthy.
Join the Conversation