Preseason — it’s one of those words that make many sports fan grimace.
But on Saturday night, preseason or not, many NBA fans were anticipating the return of Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.
Sure, I doubt anyone says on a Saturday night, “Dude, we need to stay home to watch the preseason game,” but I thought it was a sight to see.
After missing the entire 2012-13 NBA season because of an ACL tear, Rose was ridiculed and mocked for sitting through the postseason despite being cleared to play by team doctors late in the year.
I really don’t think the 25-year old guard coming off a season-long injury would’ve helped the scrappy Bulls in last year’s postseason, but after seeing him cross up and do his signature acrobatic moves against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, I felt a sense of relief from Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau, a defensive guru, had trouble getting Chicago’s offense to flow correctly last year without its top point guard, and the Bulls were arguably one of the most abysmal offenses in the league as a result. In all seriousness, I might have to stop watching basketball if I ever see another Carlos Boozer jump shot.
The Bulls posted a measly average of 93.2 points per game last season, which tied Washington and Philadelphia for worst in the league.
That statistic shows Chicago wasn’t scoring efficiently without a true scorer last year and that the Bulls need Rose for a deep playoff run.
As long as Thibodeau is Chicago’s coach, the Bulls will be great as ever on defense. Center Joakim Noah might be the best center in all of basketball, but Rose’s offensive explosiveness is what is needed for the Bulls to finally push into the NBA Finals.
To be completely honest, I’m not even a big Rose fan, but I won’t lie — it was good to see the NBA’s 2011 Most Valuable Player back on the court.
Even if he was rusty in his debut, Rose’s prominent return couldn’t have come at a better time.
Luke O’Roark is a freshman studying journalism and a sports writer for The Post. Are you also excited to see Derrick Rose return? Email Luke at lr514812@ohiou.edu or tweet him @Lukeoroark.
