Even though the exciting Derrick Rose hasn’t played a game yet this season (ACL injury), the Chicago Bulls have still come up with a ton of “can’t-miss” highlights thus far.
Chicago’s roster consists of several players who possess the ability to bring the United Center to their feet.
Whether it’s a tip-in dunk, an alley-oop or a skillful post move, the Bulls know how to get it done.
Here are the team’s top 10 highlights of the young 2012-13 campaign.
Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Adidas Basketball have formed a powerful partnership. Born from their partnership were the #TheReturn Videos. Adidas has created a series of mini-documentaries that has detailed Rose’s rehab from a torn ACL injury.
Adidas offered exclusive access to Rose’s workouts. If you were wondering what type of workout is required to repair ligament damage, Rose shows us. From the weights that he has to lift to the running and planting, it is all rigorous. We can see the pain on his face. His road back has been a difficult one.
Fans were not only able to view highlights of his rehab, but each video introduced the intimate side of Rose.
Rose rarely speaks. When he does speak, his words are sincere and carefully chosen. Hearing Rose speak during #TheReturn, you get a sense of his vulnerability and his determination to get better.
After viewing the #TheReturn compilation several times, the videos became better. They are great videos, but I saw something new each time I watched them.
Ranking each video was tough but I will start here…
Each video was taken from the AdidasBasketball page on YouTube.com
You can see this grain of salt from miles away. From wherever you pick up the Damen bus, number 50, in order to shuffle your way to the United Center. Some lone “NBA source” — a single person — is speculating that some members of the Chicago Bulls think star guard Derrick Rose “could” be a few weeks away from practicing. Which would then push Rose’s return to live action closer to late-December, ticking closer to the “eight” in the “eight to 12 months” diagnosis he was given after tearing his left ACL in a playoff game on A
Someone’s playing doctor, and the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley is reporting it . And because we’ve just as much insight as we guess from afar — like the source, like Cowley, like the players who might be watching Derrick cut and spin in individual drills every day but have no idea as to Rose’s eventual return — we’re going to play doctor as well.
And point out that the sooner the Chicago Bulls push Derrick Rose into the lineup, the more worried you should be. Because the team doesn’t have the greatest history of acting like the grown-ups in this situation.
First, Cowley’s report , which starts with the discussion that Derrick “could be just weeks away from practicing” with the team:
”That’s the belief that a couple of [the Bulls'] players are under,” the source said.
Rose has been expected to be able to play in games by February, but that has been inferred more than actually stated. Even if the Bulls receive the ultimate Christmas present of getting him back on the practice court just before Dec. 25, it doesn’t mean he’s necessarily ahead of that February schedule — or behind it.
The Chicago Bulls were dealt another injury blow after they learned that Rip Hamilton would be out indefinitely after tearing his plantar fascia in his left foot against the Philadelphia 76ers, but Jimmy Butler now gets a chance to show his true worth to the Bulls with this huge chance.
Chicago loses their second-leading scorer and the veteran leadership from a 13-year NBA veteran in Hamilton.
Although his skills have diminished greatly since he left Detroit, it’s still not good for the Bulls to have another shakeup in their lineup after losing Derrick Rose to a torn ACL last season.
What’s interesting, however, is that a guy they have as a possible replacement replacement at the shooting guard spot has been playing incredibly well over the course of the first month of the season.
Jimmy Butler, in limited time, has averaged 5.4 points per game to go along with 2.5 rebounds and a few assists and steals here and there.
It’s not a lot on the surface, but when you compare it all to what he did a season ago and look at his stats on a greater scale, it seems like the Bulls aren’t in such a rough place after all.
Butler, the 30th overall pick out of Marquette in 2011 averaged just 2.6 points per game over the course of 42 games while shooting just over 42 percent. He wasn’t terrible, but he was nowhere near good enough to get extensive playing time.
In a bit more playing time this season he’s improved his scoring while shooting at an incredible rate for a shooting guard at 52.9 percent.
We can go on and on about small sample sizes, playing in garbage time and going up against second units, but the fact that he’s been able to get quality shots at the rim go a long way in any lineup.
Looking at his shot chart we can see that he’s focused on attacking the rim, making 17 of his 26 shots at the rim. Everywhere else he’s been hit-or-miss, but he’s done his best to attack his hot zones on the right side of the floor and stay away from the three-point line, from where he’s never been a good shooter.
Butler will be battling for playing time with Marco Belinelli, but Belinelli has proven to be nothing but a three-point shooter for the Bulls this season, everything else has been an unmitigated disaster.
Initially it seems as if Belinelli will be the one starting in place of Hamilton as he played as a starter for the past two seasons with the New Orleans Hornets, but if he continues to struggle, Butler could see a lot more playing time.
For the time being, however, it seems as if Butler is perfectly content with coming off the bench, and he’s got the perfect role model to play alongside in increased minutes:
I was talking to (assistant coach Adrian Griffin) about it. I like being that spark off the bench with Taj. I feel like that gives me a lot more energy and just running out there with Taj, seeing the energy he gives off, the big plays that he makes, hustle plays. I kind of want to be like that coming off the bench.
For the first few games while Belinelli starts he’s going to have to get acclimated to increased playing time, but if he’s able to prove that he’s going to continue to be able to attack the rim and score in the paint then the Bulls will end up inserting him into the starting lineup.
He’s not the guy with the crazy hops or the incredibly speed, but he’s a very smart with and without the ball, he’s a good passer and he can get to the rim off the dribble by breaking down his opponent, rather than just blowing by him.
Butler is an all-out effort player who scraps for everything the other team will give him, and what it has led to over the course of his career is just winning basketball.
He fits in with Tom Thibodeau’s system, playing smart ball on offense and giving it his all on defense. It’s a wonder he hasn’t got more playing time over the course of this season as it is.
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The Chicago Bulls had planned on being without Derrick Rose (torn ACL) for a big part of the 2012-’13 NBA regular season.
What they didn’t account for, though, was Rose taking the Bulls’ offense with him.
A year after tying the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in (50-16), Chicago has slid down the Eastern Conference standings without their MVP leader. The 2012-’13 Bulls have struggled to find repeat performances on either end of the floor, but their offense has seen the biggest drop off.
Coach Tom Thibodeau‘s team has struggled to identify a go-to scorer.
Luol Deng (18.1 points per game) has enjoyed a dominant season as a second option on offense. The problem is his complementary game has lacked the most crucial element for any sidekick. He’s missing his superhero partner.
If there’s been a bright spot for the 8-7 Bulls, it’s been Richard Hamilton. The 13-year veteran isn’t quite reliving his superstar days as a Detroit Piston, but he’s no longer the offensive liability that Chicago fans may remember from last year.
Thibodeau has been forced to implement an all-hands-on-deck approach to his offense. Deng leads the team in scoring, while four other players (Hamilton, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and Nate Robinson) have each averaged between 13.9 and 11.2 points per game.
So when news broke that Hamilton suffered a torn plantar fascia in his left foot (according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com), a gust of despair blew across the Windy City. The shooting guard was enjoying his most productive season as a member of this franchise, and the team had never needed his production more.
All may not be lost from this injury though, which Smith suggests may keep Hamilton sidelined for a week or two. In fact, if Smith’s timeframe is correct, Thibodeau may use the next handful of games to identify the rotation pieces who could help his team even after Hamilton’s return.
Jimmy Butler, the second-year player out of Marquette, should be first in line for Hamilton’s minutes. Butler plays the tenacious defense to fit Thibodeau‘s coaching style, and he’s even shown some offensive ability in limited minutes (5.4 points on 52.9 percent shooting in 15.9 minutes per game).
Marco Belinelli has been the team’s best three-point threat (40.7 percent), but the sharpshooter had appeared to be falling out of the rotation in recent games (he logged just 9.3 minutes per game over the team’s past four games). Given Chicago’s struggles with consistent offensive production, Belinelli could shoot his way in to more minutes now and over the course of the season.
Thibodeau may simply opt for increased touches for his bigs. Boozer has the pedigree to be a top option even if he’s no longer the player that averaged 20-plus points three times over a four-year stretch. And Noah is such a gifted passer at the center spot (4.3 assists per game), that he remains productive despite the lack of an offensive post game.
Chicago’s next three opponents all have losing records (Indiana, Cleveland and Detroit). But following those three contests, the Bulls start a stretch of eight games against teams over .500.
So these next three games loom large for Chicago’s chances to maintain their competitiveness. If Thibodeau pulls the right strings with his offense, the Bulls could return Hamilton to a more consistently productive team than the one he left behind.
All statistics used in this article are accurate as of 12/2/2012.
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A look around the league and the web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.
C : CSNNE . A very good feature from Jessica Camerato about how just about everyone is dead to Rajon Rondo save for his teammates.
PF : CSNNW . Still a little time left to take advantage of Ian Karmel’s rock solid picks of the week.
SF : HoopsAnalyst . Discussing the top point guard prospects for the 2013 NBA draft.
SG : Fox Sports North . Details, as Ricky Rubio returns to practice for the first time since his ACL tear.
PG : SB Nation . Tom Ziller continues the “how does David Lee help?” conversation that will probably never end.
Derrick Rose has a conundrum on his hands. When doctors medically clear him to resume his career, should he rush back and play for the Chicago Bulls? After all, he did suffer from a torn ACL (via ESPNChicago.com), an injury that can possibly affect how he plays the game of basketball.
The Bulls, in a season filled with little expectations, have struggled without their superstar and former NBA MVP. They have had games that would make one suggest they can compete against the league’s better teams. Then there are those games where you scratch your head and wonder if they will miss the playoffs after reaching the postseason four consecutive years.
This is all happening while Rose has been rehabbing.
Derrick Rose is the Bulls’ best player.
When a team’s best player is saddled with a potential career-altering injury, it changes how that team operates. As of now, the Bulls have operated as a team that is just trying to stay above .500 until Rose returns.
Whether Rose plays again or not is not the question. The question is, when does he play again?
Here are some reasons why Rose should or should not sit out the entire season.
There isn’t another athlete on the planet like Derrick Rose.
Since tearing his ACL last April, we have learned a lot about the Chicago Bulls superstar. We’ve seen a side of him we had not witnessed before.
We always knew he was dedicated. Heck, his perpetual silence implied that he was humble. But the extent of his humility, the depths of his determination and commitment were never fully realized prior to “The Return of D Rose” campaign.
“With this documentary I just want people to know who I am as a person,” Rose says in the opening of his campaign’s latest episode. “I’m not doing it for me, I’m doing it for my fans. They are my fans, like, for a reason.”
At a time when Rose can—and rightfully should—be focused on his well-being, he remains devoted to his fans, to his city. He looks at them—not his leg—and sees the reason why he has become who he is, the reason he has established himself as an icon.
And that is not to be overlooked or chastised. Rarely are athletes of Rose’s caliber so affable, so gracious or so appreciative.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve been out and people just came up to me saying that, like, just seeing little snippets of the documentary like inspired them,” he said.
He feeds off those reactions. He is motivated by the loyalty that has been reciprocated by his fans. And that has left him fighting, harder than ever, to ensure a successful return to the hardwood.
Just as notably, though, he has never lost sight of what is also truly important—his team.
It would be easy for Rose’s almost nonexistent ego to become caught up and engulfed in the overwhelming public support he has received. It would be easy for him to declare himself Chicago’s savior.
But that’s not him. Even off the court, often within the confines of a weight room, he attempts to not only lead the Bulls by example, but show his gratitude through hard work.
“I got a lot of confidence with the team that we have,” he explains. “They see me lifting all the time, shootin‘, just trying to do extra just to show them that just because I’m not on the court with them that I’m still working my butt off so that I can get back on the court as quick as possible.”
This is no ordinary recovery. This particular rehabilitation takes an abundance of time and diligence to execute. Rose knows it, and so do his teammates.
But that’s not enough. Not for him. He still feels the need to prove to his team that he is behind them, that he wants to return to the court for them just as much as the fans.
This is what we never understood previously, what we never had the opportunity to understand about Rose. He isn’t just prepared to give as much as he can to this game, to his team or to his fans—he’s prepared to give everything.
“That’s my life. That’s what you’re not understanding,” Rose admits. “I would die on that court. Like, die. I’m gonna go all in for it.”
Well, we may not have understood it before, but after watching the grueling path Rose continues to take toward recovery, all the while depicting the embodiment of commitment and composure, we sure as hell understand it now.
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Derrick Rose is sidelined until he recovers from his torn ACL injury, but knowing what we know of him and his competitive nature, he’s stewing on the chance to come back and help he Bulls to a title win.
You can’t help but believe that as he works out and rehabs, he’s pushing himself with his heart full of incentives and that the ultimate goal of winning a title burns within for various reasons.
Based on what we know of Rose, there are many things both on and off the court which are motivating him right now. After all, this is a man who needs little excuse to find a motivation to win. He once held onto two missed free throws for a year before exacting his revenge on the Clippers.
He only dominated Chris Paul in one of the finest games of his career, and poor Paul wasn’t even a Clipper then.
No, he’ll find any little reason to motivate him, but that doesn’t mean he finds only little reasons. There are some big ones too.
Derrick Rose is well on his way to a full recovery from that nasty torn ACL he suffered back in April, but that isn’t stopping many fans, analysts and even superstars from other sports from having an opinion or trying to help his recovery.
Adrian Peterson, star running back for the Minnesota Vikings, has been one of D-Rose’s most prominent supporters, but has been a little too hands-on as of late.
According to ESPN Chicago’s staff, the RB discussed the situation with the media prior to this Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
“It’s funny you bring that up because I was planning on calling him today or tomorrow, D-Rose,” Peterson told reporters. “I just got his contact (information) this weekend, just to talk to him a little bit and see how things are going with him and to answer any questions he has for me.”
While it’s great that AP reached out for Rose’s number to talk, he shouldn’t start giving medical advice or opinion.
You may think that All Day is qualified to do so, considering he suffered an awful ACL tear on Christmas Eve of 2011 and returned in time for the start of the 2012 season in near-perfect shape. You might even think he’s an expert, considering he’s now leading the NFL in rushing yards less than 11 months after undergoing surgery on his left knee.
However, football and basketball are vastly different sports and the common motions have widely different impacts on the knee. Cutting on a hardwood floor and rushing on turf or grass aren’t quite relatable. Flying through the air for a slam dunk isn’t anywhere near the same as catching a screen pass.
If you know anything about either of the two sports, you’ll realize we can probably stop comparing and contrasting now—you get the point.
The bottom line is that Rose and the Bulls have put together a crack team of doctors and rehabilitation specialists to help the 2011 MVP get back on the floor as soon as possible. They are catering to his specific injury and working to make sure that he’s at full strength to run, cut and jump all over the hardwood upon his return.
Peterson’s doctors likely did the same for him, and look how well it’s worked out. As long as Rose is listening to sound medical advice and rehabbing with trained professionals, he’s going to be fine upon his return.
It’s awesome that AP cares enough to keep pestering D-Rose about his recovery, but it’s time to stop fielding questions and giving advice.
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