Here are (the final 4 of) 5 ways that the more recent meniscus injury suffered by DRose could have saved his career and the Chicago Bulls NBA Championship hopes (continued):
2. Extra Time to Develop His Game
Since Derrick Rose suffered the ACL injury, the experts have all said that the injury was a result of the way DRose plays the game, going to the hole strong, getting punished on the drive, and finishing with his athleticism.
Another player with a similar game, Dwayne Wade, has fallen off from being a dominant player because of knee issues that now limit his explosiveness.
Those same evaluators want Rose to develop the other parts of his game that will allow Rose to rely less on driving and finishing at the rim with his athleticism.
In the preseason after his initial return, Rose displayed a nice looking new three point stroke that he had added. With the additional rehab time, we would expect Rose to have solidified his three point, mid-range, and teardrop shots, as well as, adding ways to elude contact, effectively adding years to his career.
3. His Teammates Got To Develop
In Derrick's absence, Joakim Noah got to fully embrace his role as the leader of this Chicago Bulls team. The steps Noah has taken since declaring that the floundering Bulls were not going to tank last season catapulted him into the MVP conversation and helped him win Defensive Player of the Year. But only because he did his leading both on and off the court.
After his announcement, Noah amassed one of the most dominant stretches of 4 games by a player in this generation, putting up three triple-doubles. It opened a lot of eyes around the league and earned Noah the respect around the NBA that the center has long deserved.
Beginning at the All-Star break, Jo made his biggest impact as the leader of the Chicago Bulls off the court when he began his recruitment of free agent Carmelo Anthony. And while Carmelo ultimately decided not to leave the comfort of New York, the threat of Chicago as a serious destination for Melo probably caused the Knicks to overpay to retain Anthony, as well as forced the Knicks into a wait til next season plan rather than retooling to become competitive more immediately.
However, Noah was part of the party that travelled to Los Angeles to meet with Pau Gasol, which ultimately resulted in the 2-time NBA Champion joining the Chicago Bulls. The addition of Gasol may be one of the most under-appreciated coups that could most affect the upcoming season's NBA Championship race.
Noah has always been a leader, but in assuming the role for the Chicago Bulls, it takes the pressure and expectations off of Rose to do it all. Noah's success is documented, including leading the Florida Gators to back to back NCAA National Championships, and Bulls fans hope that his embracing of the leadership role for the Bulls will yield similar results.
Taj Gibson was also able to emerge as a starting quality power forward with increased playing time and the need for him to be more assertive on the offensive end. He put up career-best numbers in 2013-14, and he narrowly missed being named Sixth Man of the Year.
With the acquisition of Pau Gasol, who will most likely start, Taj Gibson will likely have another crack at winning Sixth Man of the Year.
4. The Team Developed Their Identity
The Chicago Bulls have been one of the most consistent teams over the Tom Thibodeau era in terms of effort and identity as a defensive powerhouse.
But in DRose's absence, the Bulls went through the kind of pressure and adversity that creates diamonds from coal. In the forge of last season, the Chicago Bulls chose to fight and grind every night despite little chance of going deep in the playoffs. It demonstrates the character of the players at the core of this team as warriors and winners.
By putting winning first, the team solidified its winning culture and proved the abilities and quality of the role players on the team, making the team more attractive to free agents, enticing to Carmelo Anthony and ultimately, luring Pau Gasol to the team.
5. Trust
One of the biggest ways the meniscus injury may have saved Derrick Rose's career, as well as, the Chicago Bulls' championship aspirations is providing the time it takes to build trust.
Time has shown that Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and the rest of the Chicago Bulls have worked hard to become a formidable unit around Rose that are not only great talents in their own right, but also more than the sum of their parts.
Their hard work in the off season and experience in Rose's absence have developed them as players that can be trusted to share the load of winning. Even new faces like Doug McDermott and Pau Gasol are players that have achieved and bring that experience to a Chicago Bulls team reloaded to win now.
Rose has also had the time to not only allow the ACL injury to fully heal, but also ample time to build trust in the knee again. Guarding of the surgically repaired knee may have been a contributing factor to the injury to the right knee, and it was because he favored the knee that had not been surgically repaired.
But with nearly two entire seasons off, Rose has not only had time enough to heal and build trust in both knees, he is now hungrier than ever to prove to the world that he can return to dominance. DRose is on a mission.
How far will DRose and the Chicago Bulls go in the 2015 NBA Playoffs? Will DRose return to his dominant form? If you BULL-ieve, let us know in the comments below!
