Things have not gone well, to say the least, for the Chicago Bulls' point guard, Derrick Rose, to start this 2015-16 NBA season. From eye surgery on his left orbital to a minor sprained ankle to vast shooting woes, you wouldn't think there was a silver lining. Patience, however, needs to be exercised here. Rose isn't as big of a problem as many think and certainly doesn't need to be sent away in a trade or -- gasp! -- waived from the team like a certain ESPN writer has said recently. Instead, his play has improved and there are signs of life for the 27-year-old.
That ESPN staff writer is Bradford Doolittle. Now, that article linked above is of the "ESPN Insider" variety, meaning you have to give them money to read it. Incredibly lame, ESPN. As if you didn't make enough money already.
Anyway, the gist of what Doolittle is saying can be found in this piece from Sports Mockery, a Chicago-based sports news site. While they aren't the gold standard of sports news, at least this piece is helpful. Here's what Doolittle had to say:
"At age 27, when many star players enjoy their best season, Rose is having the kind of year that could kill the Bulls' championship dreams.
He no longer terrorizes the defense off the dribble. Without the defense contracting to stop him, his assist rate has fallen from a career high of 40.2 four seasons ago to 28.2 this year.
He might improve, but there is a huge chasm for Rose between getting better and returning to greatness. Once a player slips this far, he rarely, perhaps never, climbs back to his peak level."
A little bit later, he talked about whether the Bulls should move Rose. Logically, a trade was the first thought, but that's unrealistic with Rose's high salary. The next idea was to outright waive him.
What?
Apparently there's still a waive clause that would free up most of the money owed to Rose for this upcoming offseason that the Detroit Pistons used last year on Josh Smith. But what would that accomplish? Getting rid of him for nothing is absurd. Especially as I start to go over the claims above by Doolittle.
1. Rose could kill the Bulls' championship dreams.
No, no he can't. In fact, the only way the Bulls have a chance this season is if Derrick Rose plays well and is one of the main reasons why. This team isn't good enough without him to win it all. They may not be good enough no matter what. But saying otherwise regarding Rose is pretty outlandish, and that's why waiving him is completely off the table. It'd be pointless.
2. He no longer terrorizes defenses off the dribble.
Derrick Rose reverse - 12.16.15Derrick Rose with the vintage reverse! #NBAVote
Posted by Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, December 16, 2015
That was last night against the Grizzlies. He also had a play where he showed off his classic speed where he weaved throughout the Grizzlies' defense for three-quarters of the court. It'd have been a major highlight, but he did miss the layup, so I couldn't find any footage of it. Either way, he also shot 9-of-19 for 19 points and helped lead the Bulls to their fourth-straight win.
3. He might improve...
He is improving.
Let me preface that by saying, on the season, as a whole, Rose has a player efficiency rating (PER) right around 9-10. That's bad, no doubt, and is a main factor for the criticism. For reference, 15 is average, 20 is star-caliber and 30 is what LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and the like aspire to and hit often.
Continuing, Rose's shooting percentage has been down in the dumps. He doesn't look like himself. But there are reasons why.
As mentioned, the eye injury has had a major impact. Having double vision and not feeling comfortable in traffic can throw off anyone's shot. He also had the minor ankle sprain that kept him out for two games. Those types of things are definitely on his mind as he tries to avoid major injury again. But him taking off the mask a few nights ago against the Los Angeles Clippers and then cutting his hair back to the way it was when he was the MVP were signs that he was trying to move on and regain the confidence and consistency that he had night in and night out a few years ago.
You see, the talent is still there. His three 30-point games during his heroic playoff performances last season are proof of that. His 29-point dominance of the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this season is proof of that as well.
It's mental. But Rose is getting back to playing like himself.
In the last seven games, Rose's PER has been much more respectable, but before revealing that, let's look at his other numbers.
During that span, Rose has shot 40-of-89 overall and 5-of-18 from downtown. That's good enough for 44.9 percent shooting from the field and 27.8 percent from downtown. Not otherworldly numbers by any means, but they are much closer to his career averages. His per-36-minute (receiving only about 31.5 MPG in that time) averages put him at 14.7 PPG, 4.7 APG and 3.9 RPG, all while shooting those much-improved percentages.
Ultimately, when factoring in all of his numbers, his PER is at 14.6. That's basically average. While it isn't his star level of over 20 that he hit during his MVP campaign, it's a far cry from the lowly 9-10 mark that he had been at throughout the first 15 games or so of the year.
So Rose is getting better. As he gets healthier, starts seeing more clearly and builds up his on-court confidence once again, he will only continue to boost his performance.
Making a rash decision like trading or waiving him would be utterly foolish. Rose had a rocky start to the year, all things considered, so let's just be a little more patient. Odds are, he'll be just fine and by the time we get closer to the All-Star break, all of this nonsense will be a thing of the past. He may never again be an MVP candidate, but that's OK. He just needs to be one of the top point guards in the league and he will with a bit more time.
Just you watch, Dr. -- er -- Mr. Doolittle.
