“The Return” was a much hyped publicity campaign started by Adidas in October 2012, hyping Derrick Rose’s comeback to the NBA after a season-ending ACL injury in the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
Unfortunately for Adidas (and Bulls fans), the controversy surrounding Rose’s return was so big that they quietly scrapped their marketing campaign when things started to turn ugly.
Rose continued to lead the Bulls, their fans and the entire NBA community on during the 2013 NBA playoffs by never specifying a return date from his injury, resulting in a lot of frustration and discussion.
I have no problem with Rose sitting out the entire season, but if that was his intention then let everyone know early so it isn’t an issue.
I suspect that several issues that will never be made public knowledge contributed to his decision not to return, but he had to realise the interest his possible return would generate – for good or bad.
An NBA summer later and we arrive at Rose’s much anticipated return to an NBA court. During the pre-season he looked like vintage Derrick Rose, flying through the air like a madman and finishing off jaw-dropping layups.
He finished the pre-season averaging 20.7ppg, 5.0apg and shooting 44.44 percent from deep. Everyone was rejoicing and predicting that Rose would simply slot back into the line-up and produce MVP numbers from day one.
Unfortunately when regular season NBA action returned last week, he faced the Miami Heat and reality. He only managed 12 points on 4-15 FG with four assists, and also racked up five turnovers.
Given he had been out of the game for 18 months and was facing the defensive greatness of LeBron James and his Miami Heat, this was not surprising.
In the next two games against the Knicks and 76ers he posted similar numbers (18pts, three assists versus NYK, and 13pts, six assists versus PHI) while shooting below 31 percent in both games.
Add to that a combined 12 turnovers in the two games and Bulls fans have started to reach for the panic button.
So what is going on with Derrick Rose?
Some of it can be attributed to being out of the game for so long as he feels his way around a basketball court full of opposition defenders, but there are some worrying signs.
His jump shot – which has never been one of his strongest weapons – isn’t falling, and he keeps forcing the three point shot (26.7 3 percent on five attempts per game).
To combat the broken jump shot he has tried getting to the rim, but this method of attack isn’t proving as successful as it was during his MVP season.
This can be split between finding out what he can and cannot do after the knee injury and his outside shot not falling, but you have to wonder how long he will last with all the crazy acrobatics he performs.
Free real estate on an NBA court is very limited and the paint is where it disappears the quickest.
If Rose keeps flying in against multiple defenders then it’s only a matter of time before either an ankle injury or an aggravation of the knee injury occurs.
Priority number one for Rose should be making outside shots, as teams are only defending the drive when he has the ball. Floor spacing is critical for creating driving lanes and freeing up your big men for easy cuts to the basket.
Right now the Bulls spacing is a mess and won’t improve until Rose commands defensive pressure on the perimeter.
If that means doing more work without the ball then so be it, but the Bulls shouldn’t be relying on Rose for so much of their offence given his historically unreliable jump shot.
By no means am I writing off Derrick Rose, and I fully expect him to bounce back to post good numbers again.
But will he become an MVP quality player again? The jury is still out and he has plenty of work to put in before proving people wrong.
Let’s hope for the sake of basketball that he finds his mojo soon.
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
Unfortunate for Rose that he injures the other knee. Hopefully the scans come back with better news than initially reported.
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
Better shooting game vs Indy but still only 2 assists and 25% from deep. Still a work in progress
mushi
Guest
Just read an article Hickory high that had Rose as the least deserving MVP (statistically) in a decade. Makes it more of a sham given he was a defensive seive
mushi
Guest
It doesn't need to be advanced stats voters looked at absolutely nothing related to basketball in determining that Derrick Rose as a player had the most valuable contribution that year. I don't think there is anything too subjective about Rose being a bad defender that year. Did his offensive prowess offset it - sure but not to the extent that his 3000 minutes were more valuable than a host of other players.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
And don't get me started on that muppet that voted for Melo last year.
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
I guess it's all subjective. I wonder if all the voters look at the advanced stats or just go on feel?
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
Thanks Tristan, I appreciate the feedback.
mushi
Guest
With his defensive (in)ability that year offensive stats should have been the only way he could get there.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
Yep, Dwight was second to LeBron in PER with 26.1 (LeBron's was 27.3) Rose was NINTH! I know stats aren't everything, but still . . .
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
Agreed, I didn't see his Philly game but he certanly wasn't too cautious with his movements against Miami or New York. Once the outside shot starts to fall I'm sure he will find the paint a lot more open. Just wish he had a change of pace so it isn't so obvious what his intentions are.
mushi
Guest
I think Howard had a monster year that year also.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
I've only watched 1.5 Bulls games this year, so it's bit dangerous for me to comment too much on Rose, but from what I've seen, I'm not worried about him at all. I think once he gets his match-conditioining back, he'll be absolutely fine. Certainly physically he looks good, and he doesn't seem to be playing cautiously or be nervous about his knee. I think his shot will start falling a bit more eventually, and if he can keep positive about it, and not let it eat at him mentally, he'll return to the high-level player he was.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
That MVP trophy belonged to LeBron, but voters didn't give it to him out of spite for the whole 'The Decision' fiasco. Rose, on the other hand, was a good news story. He's humble, loves his mum, and he helped make the Bulls relevant again. Nice little angles, but not why the MVP should be handed out to you.
Brent Ford
Roar Guru
I like when he takes outside shots, another thing I noticed is he continually has taken bad shots which is reflective in his shooting %'s so far.
mushi
Guest
It will take a little while for him to find his feet again, his game is reliant on being able to drive and finish whilst creating contact in the lane, that is a really hard thing to practice in an empty gym or against preseason defences. He only needs his jumper to get back to respectable and he’ll be fine. Missing a year of development at the defensive end is more of a concern, he was just getting to a level where the bulls didn’t need to deliberately cover for him and I imagine it will take some time to get back there. But my biggest worry is the burden of expectation as their bench isn’t what it was and, lets be frank, that bench won him the MVP. He wasn’t even the best point guard in the league offensively that year and wouldn’t have made the 15th all defence team but he was the best story and the face of an overachieving franchise. But bulls fans think he’s a legitimate peer to guys like Durant, Lebron and Paul but he just isn’t. He could play significantly better than his MVP year for the rest of his career and still never win another MVP.
Tristan Rayner
Editor
Some nice points raised in this piece. Rose will get better, but it won't be consistent for some time yet. Enjoyed the read, thanks!
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
You're right, defenders are easily defending his drives and passing isn't an easy option when you fly into three defenders at a weird angle. I really hope his game is not as one dimensional as he has shown in the first three games as that jumper of his won't save him. Watch him get a triple double tomorrow to prove me wrong haha.
Brent Ford
Roar Guru
Nice article. a lot of coaches continually point out the difference between pre-season and the regular season, there are big differences in both the way the game is played and the players each team uses. This is why he was able to average those points as you said above as he wasn't playing against anyone special. I agree he has to stop driving as everyone is predicting it, but he also has to learn to pass the ball! his shooting percentages have been horrible. As for question marks over his MVP status? He won't get back there in a hurry, it takes a lot of time to come back properly from a knee injury particularly in a sport like basketball. The early stats also show the MVP race will be a battle between Paul, Love and Lebron if he can get going.