It must not be fun to be on the Bulls Summer League roster. Not only are you competing and fighting for an opportunity to be in the NBA and scratch out a living as a basketball player when all of a sudden a former MVP and All Star is barreling down the lane at full speed right at you.
And for those that have forgotten, Derrick Rose is incredibly scary at full speed.
Summer Leaguers are experiencing that with Rose participating in practice with the team before they headed out to Las Vegas for NBA Summer League, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
It seems like it has been forever since Rose has stepped onto a basketball court. He played in only 10 games last year before a torn meniscus knocked him out for the season. He has been handled with extreme care since tearing his ACL in Game One of the 2012 NBA Playoffs. Hard to blame the Bulls considering their entire offense is built around his ability to penetrate, score and dish.
Chicago has survived, but the team clearly needs Rose.
Derrick Rose has appeared in just 10 games the last two seasons because of injuries to his knee. Photo by Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Whether or not he worked out in front of free agent forward Carmelo Anthony, Rose is working out more and more and playing basketball more and more. He is on track to return for the beginning of next season — hopefully with no restrictions.
A big test has come this summer as Rose is working out against other guards on the Bulls roster like Brandon Paul and Tony Snell. There are not a lot of guards to compete with and so these two guys likely got the brunt of Rose’s punishment.
There are no reports as of yet for how Rose looked in those practices. There really are no reports about how ready Rose is for the regular season and training camp — he likely is not playing for Team USA at the World Cup in August.
All we seem to know is Rose is on track to play when the season tips off. He may have Pau Gasol as a buddy by then to help out. The Bulls though will go through the rest of the offseason hoping Rose is ready to return. He survived some intense practices, but that is nothing compared to what will come when the regular season arrives.
Meanwhile the Bulls and fans wait.
