Former Chicago Bulls players Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson returned to the United Center as members of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night and each received loud ovations from the fans in attendance.
Both Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose get loud ovations during intros. Bulls PA announcer said "from Chicago" for Rose
— Ashish Mathur (@amathur25) December 27, 2018
As solid as Taj Gibson was during his time in the Windy City, Derrick Rose will always hold a special place in the hearts of Chicago fans more than almost any former Bulls player, as evidenced during his introduction.
Bulls fan still love @drose pic.twitter.com/DP2DyDYjGl
— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) December 27, 2018
Now, this is not the first time that either player has returned to Chicago, but it is the first time Rose has done so since completely turning his game around.
After playing just 16 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, Rose looked cooked and was apparently pondering retirement while he stepped away from the team.
The Cavs would later trade Derrick Rose to the Utah Jazz, who then released him. The Timberwolves picked him up and Rose proceeded to play seven games for Minnesota last year.
However, Rose struggled mightily and looked like a player on the verge of being out of the NBA.
Enter the 2018-19 campaign, and Rose has done a 180. The 30-year-old scored a career-high 50 points in a win over the Jazz earlier in the season, and through two months and change overall, Rose is averaging 18.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 29.2 minutes per game in a bench role.
Even more remarkable, he is shooting 48.5 percent from the floor, 46.9 percent from 3-point range and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line.
It has been a stunning turnaround for Rose who was essentially just an inefficient chucker for the last five years. He had lost a good portion of his athleticism after all of the knee injuries and surgeries he had, so it's undoubtedly exciting to see him back.
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