CHICAGO -- Barring any setback, former league MVP Derrick Rose is expected to return in uniform for the Chicago Bulls' first pre-season game on October 5 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
If the sterling 6-foot-3, 190-pound point guard will indeed suit up against the vaunted Indiana Pacers, it will mark the superstar's first NBA game since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his right knee in the first game of the opening round of the 2012 NBA playoffs.
Still in the hunt for their first championship since the Jordan Era, the Bulls have added rookies Tony Snell and Erick Murphy and veteran Mike Dunleavy Jr in the roster. But the 24-year old Rose remains the fulcrum of an Eastern Conference contender that also boasts of center Joakim Noah, power forward Carlos Boozer, small forward Luol Deng and defensive guard Jimmy Butler in the lineup.
The NBA quickly pushed the Bulls back into the national spotlight by penciling Rose and company against the two-time defending champions Miami Heat in the NBA's 2013-14 Opening Night triple-header on October 29.
In what is expected to be a highly-charged opener, LeBron James and the Heat will receive their rings after winning the Larry O'Brien trophy last June. And when the pomp and pageantry settles at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, the Heat and the Bulls will waste no time renewing their budding rivalry.
A solid performance by Rose will help silence some critics who questioned his decision to sit out the 2013 playoffs. It would also give some level of credence to his assertion as still the best player in the NBA, a claim that would require solid results before given serious thought among the league's top analysts.
So the questions beckon: Will D-Rose be the same player before his devastating injury? Has he added weapons in his game during his rehabilitation and in this off-season?
And most importantly, does Rose have enough help around him to beat the Miami Heat in a best-of-7 series?
Only time will tell. Meanwhile, the eager wait continues. (OT)
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