The Return of Rose

Keith Allison/flickr

With fireworks going off and lights flashing rather rapidly this past Monday, Chicago Bulls public address announcer Tommy Edwards uttered the two words that make children smile and grown men scream at the top of their lungs, “From Chicago!” Derrick Rose missed five games with lower back spasms and was listed a day-to-day since his last action on the hardwood in New Orleans on Feb. 8.

In his first game back, Rose posted 23 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in a 90-79 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Coach Tom Thibodeau played Rose for 35 minutes and relied on the NBA’s reigning MVP down the stretch when Atlanta cut the Bulls lead to 6 points with a Tracy McGrady’s 3 pointer during the 4^th quarter. Rose’s speed and elusive drives eventually propelled the Bulls to their 26th victory of the season and proved that when the All-Star Point Guard is playing, this team is tough to beat.

Rose almost immediately went back to his aggressive ways, driving hard to the rim and taking contact earning himself nine free throw shots, making five of them. One particular drive in the second half had 20,000 plus in attendance at the United Center collectively holding their breaths as Rose took a hard tumble to the floor. At everyone’s relief, Rose bounced right back up and took his foul shots.

At the end of the game, Rose vowed to stay aggressive and not change the way he plays. Some want to see Derrick play limited minutes if he is not completely healthy, others would have liked to see him sit out the All-Star game this weekend and return once league play resumes. Both of those arguments are viable in a regular 82 game season with plenty of time for teams to practice and have regular days off.

This condensed season has put several teams and players at a disadvantage already and we are just coming into the All-Star break. So, let Rose get his minutes in, let him work on his game and most importantly let him win games for the Chicago Bulls.