Derrick Rose tore ligaments in both of his knees in the last two years. Before going down, his agility and top-end speed made him one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league, and one of my personal favorites to watch.
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Coming off a torn left ACL in 2012 and a torn right meniscus last year, many NBA fans questioned if he would have the same type of explosiveness when he returned to the Bulls.
Rose’s performance in Monday night’s win against the Pistons should silence those questions.
His two most impressive plays both came on assists, and the 2011 MVP showed that he is still on of the most creative guards in the NBA.
1) Cross-over pocket pass to Pau Gasol
First of all, that crossover is wicked. Josh Smith never stood a chance.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “That was all right. Not bad, but any guard in the NBA should be able to make that move.”
I hear your doubts and politely invite you to check out this next piece of evidence.
2) I’ve never seen this before in my life so I’ll just call it “The mid-air, double pump-fake, no-look D. Rose Special”
Hot damn, thank you, ma’am!
This is flat-out ridiculous. The hang time. The body control. The precision pass around two defenders. I can’t think of another player in the NBA who could actually pull this off.
At such an early point in the season, it’s tough to tell just how good Rose and the Bulls will actually be. But if Monday’s performance is any indicator, we’ll definitely see plenty more highlights coming out of Chicago.