by Yo Hwan Cha, staff reporter

The return of Derrick Rose was a highly anticipated one. People from all over the world have been waiting for the moment Derrick Rose stepped back onto the basketball court, since his injury in the 2011-2012 NBA playoffs.

Many fans were frustrated yet patient with the amount of time he had taken to recover; since this time away created suspense and disappointment for all of D-Rose’s fans.

Derrick Rose was the number one pick of the 2008 NBA draft and has been/is the star point guard of the Chicago Bulls. In the first game and first round of the 2011-2012 NBA playoffs, the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose were playing against the Philadelphia 76ers [source].

With only one minute and 22 seconds left, Derrick Rose was injured and was later diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament or ACL.  The ACL is located in the middle of the knee, preventing the shin bone from sliding out in front of the thigh bone. An ACL injury is the over-stretching or tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee. This was the moment all Bull’s fans were stunned and silenced.

“I was happy when Derrick Rose was injured because, me being a Miami Heat fan, saw that it would be much easier for the Heat to win the ring,” freshman Ronnie Baretela, said.

Miami Heat fans, like Ronnie Baretela, were rejoicing in the horrible injury of the Chicago Bull’s star player, Derrick Rose. While fans of other NBA teams may have been celebrating or have been satisfied with the fact that there will be one less player that their team has to compete against, Bull’s fans were devastated.

“I wasn’t watching the game but I heard the news of his injury. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Derrick Rose getting injured like that is like a Chicago Bull’s or Derrick Rose’s fans worst nightmare. I’m a Bull’s fan all the way but I’m more of a Derrick Rose fan than anything else and hearing the news of his injury just blew my mind,” eighth grader Kevin Jang, said.

The return of Derrick Rose was a fantastic and a very emotional moment for everyone. Even people not fan’s of the Bulls, state that D-Rose and the Bull’s are a force to be reckoned with.

“The return of Derrick Rose was well overdue but if he starts playing at an all-star level, like his old self, the Bulls will do a lot better. If D-Rose is healthy and playing at his normal, all-star level, the Bull’s will be a championship contending team. I personally think that they’ll finish in 3rd place,” Baretela, said.

At the conclusion of the 2013-2014 NBA preseason, Derrick Rose averaged 20.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 27.2 minutes per game.  During the preseason the Chicago Bull’s went undefeated, standing at eight wins and zero losses. The preseason was a good start for the Bulls, Derrick Rose and their fans.

“Despite the fact that he is rusty, Derrick Rose is back to being an essential player to the team. I think that if you give him a little more time to get used to real games and real game situations, Derrick Rose will be back to this all-star playing level in no time,” Jang, said.

Derrick Rose is now averaging 15.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.3 steals, and 31.4 minutes a game, out of the nine games he has played in the regular season. In his last active season, the 2011-2012 regular season, Derrick Rose averaged 21.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 0.72 blocks, 0.9 steals, and 35.3 minutes per game, out of 39 games.

Rose has a long way to go to match or even surpass his 2011-2012 NBA regular season stats. Rose and Bulls fans all over the world are behind him every step of the way, through the ups and downs.Derrick Rose’s expectations are very high and fans around the world are looking forward to Derrick Rose’s return to his normal self on the court.

Now that the Chicago Bull’s have played through the absence of Derrick Rose in the previous NBA season, the Bull’s are now better equipped to play in the current NBA season. This adds to the fact that they are now re-joined with their all-star point guard Derrick Rose.

The Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose and their fans are all anxiously waiting for the outcome of the 2013-2014 NBA season; whether or not they will win the championship. The Bulls have a long way to go until the NBA championship but Derrick Rose, the team and the fans are all taking it one game at a time.