Derrick Rose’s World Cup struggles reached a nadir in Team USA’s 96-83 win over Mexico today. The Chicago Bulls superstar missed all five of his shots and committed four turnovers in just 16 minutes of play on Saturday, dipping his total tournament statistics even lower: Rose is now averaging 4.5 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 turnovers while shooting a putrid 21.6 percent from the field. Despite his star’s unequivocally poor performance for the Americans, though, Bulls coach and Team USA assistant Tom Thibodeau insists he’s encouraged by Rose’s play.
Thibodeau on Rose: "This is terrific preparation for him. There’s nothing negative about this. This is all positive."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) September 6, 2014
More Thibodeau on DRose: "Everyone has to take a step back and look at it in totality. He’s moving great. The rest of it is going to come."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) September 6, 2014
Thibodeau is right – to an extent.
Despite consensus reports of Rose’s fantastic training camp with USA Basketball, it was always remiss to expect his practice performance to carry over come World Cup play. Training speed and competitive speed are different animals, a fact due as much to physical endurance as mental. Just like tens of consecutive, full-speed possessions on both ends can’t be simulated, neither can emotional fatigue gleaned from simple missteps and the reality that Rose hasn’t played such a rigorous schedule in over two years.
So we expected the 2011 MVP to labor in the World Cup compared to glowing training camp reports. But “compared” is the crucial and operative word there. While many prudently anticipated a big adjustment for Rose when the ball tipped for real, surely nobody saw these wholesale struggles coming. And despite Thibodeau’s sentiments, it’s very unlikely he did, either.
Rose has missed countless easy attempts at the rim, has only flashed his trademark burst, and has appeared noticeably gimpy on occasion. The latter concern isn’t as big as it seems as long as he continues to suit up for Team USA, but the former ones still cast some doubt on the Bulls’ chances to compete for a title in 2014-2015. For Chicago to legitimately contend with the Cleveland Cavaliers let alone the upper-echelon Western Conference powers, it needs Rose to be at or near his MVP-self. Obviously, he’s been a far, far cry from that for Team USA thus far, and the flares of that kind of player have been fleeting enough that it’s time to temper such widespread optimism.
That’s not a death-knell for Rose or the Bulls, of course. His acclimation was always going to take time, and the brilliance of Thibodeau and strength of Chicago’s roster ensure the Bulls a playoff spot in the improved Eastern Conference. And as long as Rose’s performance makes a steady ascent as the season wears on, there’s reason to believe he’ll reach his former exalted heights.
If his World Cup labors linger, though, it might be time to reassess Rose’s future.
Do you agree with Thibodeau?
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