Derrick Rose has been the star of the preseason. As the Chicago Bulls star makes his long-awaited return to basketball after sitting out the entire 2012 season, Rose has been busy proving that he is back and better than ever. After a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant is not sucked by Rose's fast start, claiming the point guard has the "it" factor.
"There's just certain players that have that 'it,'" Durant said, via ESPNChicago.com. "And he's one of them. A guy that is not going to be denied no matter what injury, bad games, whatever, he's just going to always bring it. So I knew [his comeback] would be like this."
Durant would certainly know. He spent some of the summer working out with Rose and watching the comeback first hand. In 81 minutes of preseason play, Rose has 78 points in three games. He looks confident, pushing and pivoting off the injured knee where he suffered a torn ACL in the 2012 playoffs. Rose is back to the player he once was and some may say that he looks better upon return.
"You see him from preseason, he hasn't lost a step," Durant said. "Great players, they put in overtime, and I think that's what he's done. This past year with him being hurt, he put in extra work, and I know just working out with him this summer, he strives for perfection, so you got to love a player like that."
Thunder head coach Scott Brooks is hopeful that Russell Westbrook can make the same kind of return that Rose did. The Oklahoma City point guard suffered a torn meniscus in his knee last season, ending his year early. Watching Rose make such a strong return leaves Brooks hopeful that Westbrook can come back stronger than before.
"You can come back and be at that level," Brooks said. "Years ago, you have major surgery, it's hard to come back, but now you can come back. All the medical and great training and staffs that every team has allows that to happen. The way [Rose is] playing now, he's going to go down for many, many years as one of the best players."
Any frustrations Chicago fans had with Rose last season are likely to be silenced in 2013. The Bulls star saw a slight fall from grace in his city after sitting out all of last season , but if the preseason is any indication of what is to come, fans should be pretty satisfied with Rose this year.
