Derrick Rose continues to make us nervous

Star Point Guard Derrick Rose sat out Saturday night as the Bulls took on the Washington Wizards in their 3rd Preseason game of the year. Rose sat out this game due to a sore knee. Rose’s knee started to give him a little trouble and some discomfort during Chicago’s Friday practice, and Coach Thibodeu thought it best to let Rose rest instead of play the following day against the Wizards. Some people were worried by Rose not taking the court, but the Bulls insist that sitting out Rose was more of a precautionary measure than anything else. Which makes sense- after going so long without playing leading up to the preseason games, Rose’s safety is a main priority. Even still, Rose’s absence on the court was to the dismay of a packed stadium full of fans anxious to see him play. The game took place at the HSBC arena in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. This was the first NBA game of the year to take place in South America.

First Team All Star and previous league MVP Derrick Rose has not played a single season game in the NBA since he was injured with a torn ACL during the 2011-2012 season playoffs. Though it was originally believed that Rose would return in time to start last year’s season, his return date was repeatedly pushed back farther and farther until it eventually it became clear that he wouldn’t play in the 2012-2013 season at all. Rose did play the first two preseason games with the Bulls this year with no real sign of injury. Though he was a tad rusty, Rose played incredibly well for having been out with a major injury for 17 months. Rose is also expected to return in time for the next game, which is Wednesday, Oct 16 against the Detroit Pistons.

Without Rose, I think we can all agree that the Bulls are still a fabulous team. They proved this last year by making it to the Semifinals, and ending the regular season with a 45-37 record. Their winning formula still seems to be going strong, as the Bulls still prevailed against the Wizards. PF Taj Gibson scored the most points for the Bulls, ending with 18. SF Luol Deng followed with 14 points. Kirk Hinrich played in place of Derrick Rose and added 8 points to the Bulls’ final score.The Bulls were helped in their win by a Wizards team that just couldn’t get it together. Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 16 points, but star point guard John Wall did not have such a good game. Wall ended the game with only 3 points; he was 1-9 from the field and missed both his 3pt attempts.

Hopefully, this is will be the last injury scare we get from Rose for the year. He’s proven that he’s physically capable and still has the ability to be the amazing player that he was before his injury. The hard-working Bulls deserve a champion season, and this could very well be the year for it to happen.