Jan 3, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) warms up prior to a game against the Boston Celtics at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Derrick is currently laboring through one of the toughest shooting spells of his entire career. In the last four contest in which he has participated, he has shot a miserable 19/78(24%) from the field. Couple this with his season long slump in his three point shooting (26%) and it is clear to see that Rose has labored through some of these games this season.
During the worse of these stretches, the light at the end of the tunnel dims down even lower. The days where Derrick Rose could do whatever he wanted on the court seem far gone.
Perhaps I am overreacting. Rose’s issue this season hasn’t been rediscovering how to dominate an NBA-level game. Rather, Derrick Rose has lacked consistency. There has been a lot of media publicity regarding his current 4 game shooting slump. Many of the journalists reporting on this story fail to mention in their articles that Derrick Rose had stretches where he looked like the best player in the entire league this season.
The major difference between pre and post injury Rose is the issue of consistency. In 2010-2012 Rose dominated virtually every game. This season it has been largely hit or miss; with Rose shining in one game then looking like a D-league back-up in the next contest.
Fans aren’t used to this inconsistency and this uncertainty naturally breeds concern and criticism. We have to remember that Rose, before this season, hadn’t played in a real game of NBA basketball for two seasons. The re-acclimation process is still working itself out and obviously the inconsistency is a natural byproduct of a player that is working hard to rediscover his former self.
The 4 game stretch of miserable shooting performances pale in comparison to circumstances that Derrick Rose has already overcome in his life. Escaping the clutches of poverty and the lure of the street life to become a multi-million dollar NBA athlete and loving father to his two year old son Derrick Rose Jr. far transcends figuring out a jump shot in terms of difficulty.
Rose will use the blueprint that he has used all of his life to right the current shooting woes. There is too much pride, work ethic, talent and heart for Rose to continue to struggle at the game that he pours his whole heart into every single night.
King James Gospel
Like many things in life, coming back from two major injuries equates more to running a marathon race than a 100 meter sprint. It has been two months, and fans and media alike continue to worry that they haven’t seen the flashy results that they expected from Derrick.
Rose’s contract runs until 2017; there is time for him to get back to that previous level. In all honesty, the Bulls are winning games without Rose being at 100% in a lot of cases. Ultimately, achieving team victories, as opposed to personal victories, is the ultimate goal.
With the otherworldly improvement of Butler, the additions of Gasol, Mirotic and Brooks and the reliable presence of guys like Noah and Gibson, the Bulls can still win games and compete for a championship without Rose putting up 30+ points per game and taking all the shots.
Rose has been dealt the best deck possible in terms of having an ideal situation to try to come back from his two major knee injuries. The presence of a slew of highly capable teammates affords him the opportunity to re-acclimate gradually. The burden of lifting the team to victory no longer rests squarely on his shoulders which eases the mental hurdle of coming back and immediately performing at a high level.
As Rose shoots more jumpers, he eventually is going to find his touch. The ball will start spinning into the basket instead of out during his lay-up attempts. Once he starts making shots his confidence will soar to an even higher level. He will be more inclined to attack the basket consistently and will have the ability to knock down shots when defenders lag off of him creating a scary offensive combination. When this happens, and it will, look out NBA because the Bulls (and Derrick Rose ) will be an NBA juggernaut.