Rose smells as sweet

Derrick Rose is out to prove he’s still a crack point guard in the NBA this season. In a recent poll among NBA general managers, Rose failed to notch a single vote as the league’s 30 team bosses picked Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Mike Conley as the top court generals today. What a step down for Rose who at 22 years and six months old, became the youngest-ever MVP in NBA history in 2011. Rose was also the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 so the snub in the GMs survey was a blow.

Still, you can’t blame the GMs. Rose, 27, underwent three knee surgeries in the last three years. He sat out the entire 2012-13 season and in between that respite, played only in 49 total games over two campaigns. Rose’s career stats, however, remain impressive. His averages are 20.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 35.6 minutes in 339 games with the Chicago Bulls. In 2010-11, Rose mesmerized the NBA by averaging 25 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists while hitting 85.8 percent from the line.

On the first day of training camp to get ready for the new season, Rose suffered a fractured left orbital bone. Not a positive sign for Rose but at least, the injury is far from his knees. He’ll wear a protective mask when the Bulls open the campaign against Cleveland on Oct. 27. During preseason games, Rose hasn’t looked comfortable wearing the mask as his face appeared to be contorted in a tight fit. But for sure, the mask will be adjusted by the time the Bulls host the Cavs on opening night.

The Bulls are far removed from the Michael Jordan era. Chicago hasn’t won an NBA title since Jordan hit that jumper in Game 6 of the Utah series to deliver a sixth championship to the Windy City in 1998. The Bulls haven’t made it back to the Finals in the last 17 years. This season, they’re unveiling new coach Fred Hoiberg and a juiced Jimmy Butler fresh from signing a five-year $95 Million contract. Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson, Kirk Hinrich, Mike Dunleavy, Doug McDermott, Tony Snell and Aaron Brooks are back. Jordan Crawford, a four-year NBA vet, is trying out for a spot. So are rookies Cristiano Felicio of Brazil and Bobby Portis of Arkansas.

But the key remains Rose. In the last playoffs, he averaged 21.7 points and hit a buzzer-beater to lead Chicago over Cleveland in Game 3 of their duel which the Cavs eventually clinched in six. “The encouraging sign is that he played in 51 regular season games after appearing in 49 the previous three years combined, missing one season entirely,” wrote Marc Narducci in The Sporting News 2015-16 Basketball Yearbook.

The other thing is Rose will be wearing his brand new signature Adidas D-Rose 6 Boost when the season begins. It’s a handsome shoe, no doubt. The “home” model was launched last Oct. 15 and is available in local stores at P8,995. A “road” version will be out on Nov. 5 with five more editions set to hit the market through the end of the year.

The D-Rose 6 Boost has been described as embodying Rose’s journey of overcoming adversity with hard work and perseverance, inspired by his will to never break. It has a forefoot and heel Boost cushion engineered for basketball movements to ensure energy return and comfort. The fit-frame heel cage and straps are constructed to deliver an adaptive fit. The sole has a herringbone traction pattern for optimum grip on the floor with woodgrain textures and design.

“This is the second shoe I’ve been able to wear with Boost and the comfort and energy you get back is crazy,” said Rose. “I’m not going to wear another basketball shoe that doesn’t have Boost. Adidas also brought a lot of details about Chicago that I think fans will love.” At the base of the laces is the six-point star of the Chicago flag and there are six reflective lines in the heel. The city’s architecture is captured in the diamond pattern upper and faceted eyelets.

“Derrick is in a different place than he was a few years ago and we wanted to create a shoe that shares his focus to bring a championship home,” said Adidas vice president of global design Brian Foresta. “Our close work with Derrick allowed us to design a shoe that reflects his journey and helps build his game.”

The jury is still out on whether Rose will revive his MVP form. Lindy’s Basketball suggested this guarded opinion on how far Rose will go: “Rose’s game will never again be about big man-challenging, acrobatic drives to the basket. And it shouldn’t be. Even before his three knee surgeries, Rose’s daredevil style wasn’t conducive to a long career. After tearing the ACL in his left knee in 2012, tearing meniscus cartilage in his right knee in 2013, then going in for some maintenance on the right knee last February, Rose had no choice but to adopt a safer means of scoring the basketball.

“During his comeback season of 2014-15, Rose still drove to the basket and became pretty good at dropping in floaters while avoiding contact. There were times, though, when it seemed he was too tired or sore to attack the basket and resorted to tossing up too many 3-point shots. Rose recorded 7 30-point games last year, three in the playoffs, which showed he still has all-star potential even after sitting out all but 10 games over two seasons. Now, he’s hoping the second year back in action will bring more consistency.”

There’s never been a question about Rose’s heart. In Hoiberg’s all-out attack system, Rose will feel at home. The stage is set for a re-blossoming. A rose by any other name will smell as sweet and even if the NBA is not a Shakespeare play, Rose is tipped to be smelling like a Rose when the Bulls get going.