Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose looks ‘every bit as athletic as he used to be’
The Chicago Bulls have had a very busy offseason. The Bulls chased New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony but once he re-signed with the New York Knicks, they turned their attention to Los Angeles Lakers’ big man Pau Gasol, signing him to a three-year, $22 million deal. They brought over Real Madrid forward Nikola Mirotić on a three-year, $17 million deal. Before both of those moves, they traded the rights to the 16th-overall and 19th-overall selections to the Denver Nuggets for the rights to the 11th-overall selection, former Creighton Blue Jays’ forward Doug McDermott.
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Gasol averaged 17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds 3.4 assists and 1.5 blocks per game last season. He shot 48.0% from the field, 28.6% from beyond the arc and 73.6% from the free throw line. Mirotić averaged 13.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game for Real Madrid last season. McDermott averaged 26.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 52.6% from the field, 44.9% from beyond the arc and 86.4% from the free throw line for the Blue Jays last season.
If point guard Derrick Rose can return from his injuries, the Bulls are a legitimate contender to win the Eastern Conference.
Rose, of course, played in just 39 games in the 2011-2012 season after being named MVP in the 2010-2011 season. After tearing his ACL in the 2012 postseason, Rose missed the entire 2012-2013 season. He played in just 10 games last season before again going out for the season.
Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders says “all indications are that Rose looks very strong and is in great shape, but he needs to play some basketball to fine-tune his instincts” and “as of right now, he’s 100% and apparently every bit as athletic as he used to be.”
Rose averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game while shooting 35.4% from the field, 34.0% from beyond the arc and 84.4% from the free throw line this season. In his career, he has averaged 20.8 points, 6.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 46.0% from the field, 31.2% from three and 81.5% from the charity stripe.