Derrick Rose still believes he can be the player that he once was. Largely, his comeback has been successful from a health standpoint the last two years. But, Rose has loftier goals for himself.
When Derrick won the MVP award in 2010-11, he averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. Despite a less than stellar outside jumper, Rose relied on his athleticism to soar by defenders to the rim. He was basically unstoppable.
Where it went wrong
That natural physical ability has been sapped by a string of unfortunate knee injuries. But, Rose still managed to be effective, averaging 17.7 and 16.4 points over the last two seasons, respectively. He managed to take the court for 66 games last year, the most since his MVP season.
But, even though his numbers were solid, Rose looked different last year. His passion seemed to wane, he took the backseat down the stretch, and his relationship with Jimmy Butler crumbled as Butler became the clear alpha for the Bulls.
Something to prove
Now, after leaving Chicago for the first time in his career to play for the New York Knicks, Rose is determined to prove that he's still an upper echelon point guard.
While speaking during his trip to promote his sneakers in South Korea, Rose reaffirmed his stance that the Knicks are a super team.
If that's to become a reality in any sense, Rose can't be the only player making a statement.
From ESPN's Ian Begley:
Rose, a free agent in 2017, says he and the other Knicks will be properly motivated heading into the season.
“We have to go in, and we have to prove something,” he said. “All of us want to prove something. Bringing a group like that together can be very dangerous if we all come together the right way.”
If this team was built five years ago with the current mold of Kristaps Porzingis, the hype train would've gone off the tracks. Now, they're going to have to produce that hype with strong play if they want the “super team” label to stick.
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