September 28, 2015 | CS3 MEDIA NEWS
Instead of focusing on rehab and his pending legal situation, Derrick Rose focused on working on his skills during the off-season to get back into a routine. Rose stated, “Just getting back into a routine, which is something I haven’t done in three or four years. This whole summer, I had tunnel vision. My mindset was just making sure that I was working out every day, and spending as much time as possible with my son.” Rose was asked did he believe he could get back to the way he played as an MVP, but he made it clear that he is still a great player. He stated “I know I’m great. There’s a lot of people that don’t know I’m great, that’s the thing, but it’s cool. I know I can hoop. You can put me anywhere, and I know how to play the game of basketball. I can’t get mad with people, how they criticize my game and the way that I play and how I used to play. I know I’m great”. Rose will be a free agent summer 2017, and he’s keeping an open mind about future opportunities.
Joakim Noah, eager to rebound from last season, explained that over the summer he worked on his game and being healthy. Noah stated, “I went out to Santa Barbara and worked out at P3, just needed a little time to regroup and get healthy, that was my priority for this summer. I’m really really excited for this upcoming season. I just wanted to come right for my teammates. They were there for me. Last year was tough for me, just not being able to move the way I wanted to on the court, to be able to play the way I wanted to play.”
The Bulls replaced Tom Thibodeau with Fred Hoiberg. Coach Hoiberg focused on building close relationships with the players. He said, “It’s always important to have a great relationship with your point guard, but it’s everybody. You really gotta have those relationships where you can have conversations with guys, sometimes are tough conversations, but if you have those relationships built they’re a little easier and for guys to accept things.” The Bulls will start their training camp with two practice sessions on Tuesday.
