A Rose revival
‘Born again’ star scores 22, helps Towns down Bulls
MINNEAPOLIS — There are numbers to suggest Derrick Rose has reclaimed his place as a viable offensive threat, critical to his team’s fortunes.
But perhaps of more importance, there is nuance.
“He’s just calm,” longtime Bulls and current Timberwolves teammate Taj Gibson said. “He’s comfortable being around people who are familiar with him, people who are going to let him play his game, understand when he’s feeling right and when he’s not feeling right.
“The way he’s getting ready for the game as far as working out, monitoring his body, taking care of himself, he’s a totally different person. Every game, it’s like he’s in a new form. He’s born again. And it shows.”
Rose scored 22 points in 31 minutes Saturday night in the Timberwolves’ 111-96 victory over the Bulls. The Timberwolves, who got 35 points and 22 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns, are now 5-2 since trading Jimmy Butler.
“The ball movement, everybody is on the same page,” said Rose, whose relationship with Butler had grown strong again this season. “The new pieces that we have are for the team. They’re professional, great dudes. And that’s what we needed.”
Zach LaVine’s 28 points and Jabari Parker’s 27 points in his third straight 20-point game led the Bulls, who opened the fourth quarter scoring two points in 5 minutes, 54 seconds. The Bulls shot 4-for-16 with five turnovers and were outscored 27-17 in the final period.
“We have stretches and do things out there that make you turn your head like, ‘What the hell are we doing?’ ” LaVine said. “I wish we didn’t do that.”
The Timberwolves prevailed despite starters Andrew Wiggins and Robert Covington combining to shoot 1-for-30, including 0-for-20 in the first half. Wiggins went scoreless for the first time in his career.
It has been seven years and five surgeries — four on his knees — since Rose became the youngest most valuable player in NBA history for the 2010-11 Bulls. His combination of speed and strength, of torque and toughness, captivated many.
After the Cavaliers traded him and the Jazz waived him, some theorized Rose’s career might be over. That Rose took brief breaks from both the Knicks and Cavaliers — the former unexcused for personal reasons, the latter excused as he battled ankle issues — fueled such talk.
But his longtime ally, former Bulls and now Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau, offered what some viewed as a lifeline for Rose and signed him off waivers. The thing is, Thibodeau doesn’t do sentimental favors. He signed Rose because he knew he could play.
“The only time Derrick hasn’t played well is when has been injured,” Thibodeau said. “You can look at the entire time in Chicago. You can look at the year in New York. You look at what he did and you can tell he’s a good player.”
Rose is averaging 19.4 points. That marks his highest scoring average since 2011-12, the season before Rose tore his left ACL for his first knee surgery. His .476 3-point percentage obliterates his previous career-best of .340.
“It’s all opportunity. I didn’t have the opportunity these last couple years,” Rose said. “Coming here, Thibs believed in me. He gave me a chance. That’s all I needed — one more chance.”
Rose comes off the bench now. So his goal is to win Sixth Man of the Year, not MVP.
“It’s a great story,” Thibodeau said. “Once you get around Derrick and you get to know him, you know the type of guy he is. He had everything going at a very young age.
“If you think about it, he played in the (NCAA) championship game his freshman year of college. He was Rookie of the Year. He’s an All-Star. He’s an MVP at 22. And then you go through three consecutive years of major injuries. One year is hard. To be able to lift yourself up, that tells you a lot about somebody.”
Rose is looking forward. “I’m just playing my game, not rushing anything,” he said. “I’ve been working my ass off in the offseason trying to put my game together. I’m piecing it together pretty good.”