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It didn't take long for Minnesota Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose to hear himself introduced at the United Arena with a nostalgic “and from Chicago” — a tradition reserved for those born in The Windy City, as he took the court on Wednesday against his hometown Bulls.
“It made me reminisce about some of the old days,” Rose said after the game while sporting a beanie with “Chicago Native” scrolled across the front, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews. “With the year I'm having, it's very special to come back here and play.”
Rose is putting up the most points per game since his fourth season in the league, one that re-wrote the script of his NBA career and forced him into a tale of struggle, relentlessness, and, ultimately, a glorious return to prominence.
The now 30-year-old dropped 24 points with three rebounds, eight assists and two steals in a dominant 119-94 win for the Timberwolves, showing glimpses of the MVP form he once displayed while donning the Bulls uniform.
Derrick Rose now is soaking all the success that has evaded him through the middle stretch of his career, doing so under his old coach Tom Thibodeau, who has remained one of his strongest supporters and showed so last season, signing him off the waiver wire.
“I always felt that if he got back to being healthy, he could be very productive,” said Thibodeau.
“I'm just taking it all in,” said Rose. “It feels like my rookie year, where I'm bringing everything — of course with the knowledge I have and all the games I've played. Of course, it's not my rookie year. But if feels like a breath of fresh air.”
Rose is averaging 18.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game — undoubtedly one of his best lines since the start of his career. A 45.5 percent clip from deep also comes as a welcome and unforeseen surprise, given he's never shot more than 34 percent in any season of his NBA career.
