Derrick Rose: Aiming to be back with a vengeance next season – NBA Special Report
Derrick Rose was simply amazing for the Chicago Bulls last season.
The player, who had asked, why he couldn’t be the MVP at the start of the season, turned in a splendid year to justify his inner belief and earned the regular season MVP Trophy.
Along the way, Rose marshalled the Chicago Bulls to the best record in the league, 1st seed in the top heavy Eastern Conference and a home court advantage throughout the playoffs. He did all that without much offensive
support from his teammates as well as many niggling injury concerns.
The playoffs seemed to follow the same script, at least in the first two rounds when Rose was dominant and the principle reason for his side’s progress to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, his body started to give up on him
and when he came face to face with LeBron James and the Miami Heat, it all fell apart.
The Chicago Bulls title challenge faded in the face of a Heat side that regularly employed LeBron to guard the much smaller Rose. Derrick wilted under the pressure late in games and the Bulls didn’t find anybody else to be an offensive
outlet.
The dejection and pain on the face of Rose, when he was leaving for the locker room after game-5, still lurks in the mind of every Bulls faithful. Afterwards, Rose went into a mini exile, confining himself to his home. He described
the period in a recent interview after conducting his first practice session since the playoffs,
“I just stayed inside the whole time. I didn’t go anywhere else. I wore pajamas, watched a lot of movies, drank Powerade and got delivery food. My body was just sore and wore out. Mentally, too.”
He also admitted that, “Being that close [to the NBA Finals], and not getting it, hurt,”
However, if anyone knows Derrick Rose, they know that he is not one to back down and not one to pass on the blame. Despite the obvious fact that Derrick simply did not have many teammates who could help him out offensively, Rose
refused to buy it.
“People will say, ‘He didn’t get that much help,’ ” Rose said. “It’s always just been me. I put a lot of pressure [on myself]. What would have happened if I was in better condition? How would I have played? You never know how it
would have worked itself out.”
“I’m hard on myself, very hard on myself. I think that’s why I play the way I play because I hate making mistakes.”
The fact of the matter is Rose has a point. The player did carry the Bulls on his shoulders throughout the season and against many strong teams and tough defences. There is no doubt that Chicago lack the punch in attack and there
is also no going away from the fact that LeBron James played some exceptional defence against the premiere point guard in the league.
However, another fact remains that Rose’s body, by his own admission and certainly through what everyone saw on TV, with the player receiving treatment before, during and after the games, was just not up to the wear and tear of
a deep post season.
Derrick knows this and he has already set plans in motion to counter it. This was his first trip past the initial playoffs round and the youngest MVP in history is adamant he learned a lesson. That would be to keep his body ready
for the post season.
What this could mean for the Bulls is that Rose would play much lesser minutes in the regular season next year, which in turn could result in a slightly lower seed. However, a fit and firing Derrick Rose could be the difference
between a close loss and a narrow win.
Derrick Rose will be back with a vengeance next season. That much is for sure.
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