A Tale From the Sidelines Part Eleven: Senior Night.

(Continued from Part Ten: The First Three.)

By the mid-point of the season of my senior year, Coach had lost most of his hope in the upperclassmen and decided to invest the majority of his time in the younger players on our team. He believed that the seniors constantly fell short of meeting their complete potential; he was tired of telling us, constantly reminding us to hustle because "that is the one thing [he] should not have to tell us over and over and over again."

In actuality, Coach had continued to remind us for five consecutive games and basically lost his cool during an ugly effort at our second outing against Mark Keppel, the sixth game of the season. We had Keppel, the best team in our league, on their home court and coach Jay expected us to be more mentally prepared than we have ever been. He believed that if we kept our composure,  we would have a chance against the reigning Almont League Champs for more than five years and counting. We could not have been worse. Long story short, we were not ready, we did not show up to play; the game was on Chinese New Year and we all wanted to be else where and our attitude reflected our game.

Right from the tip-off, Keppel jumped out with four consecutive lay-ins that were made easily by our sloppy passing and inability to break their full court press. Our coach called a quick time out which seemed not to do anything as an 8-0 run quickly doubled. We actually went scoreless for half of the entire quarter. By the looks of it, the game was going to be a long one and I had to endure it all from the sidelines.

After the first few games of the season, I had lost a significant amount of playing time. My offense was non-existent, as I posed as a player who simply occupied space. When I was on the floor, it was like my team was playing nine on ten, I had no awareness offensively and that cost the squad. Worst of all, my defensive, which bought me some playing time was in the decline. I was loosing reps during practice and because my time on the floor was slowly diminishing, my court awareness was taking a major hit. After a while, I did not care to run as hard as I used to and for that my conditioning wore and took a toll as well. I went from seeing at least eight to ten minutes on the floor to two or three before finding a seat again.

Finding me on the bench during the second to final quarter was common, what was not was seeing three starting seniors join me. After the horrible start, Coach did not hesitate to sit the guys that he felt were the sole cause of the team, the guys that were, by not giving any effort, digging a larger deficit in the game. The three would return in the second and third to play for awhile until being yanked out with about five to seven minutes still left in the final quarter. It was a blow out but the seniors were hurt by what Coach had done. The team was a team and if we lost, it was not only because of the seniors. Skills should not be perceived because of age or class level but what an individual could actually bring to the table. If you ask me, I would admit that some sophomores or juniors were significantly better than I was offensively (not defensively though, I still feel that I had quite a great defensive campaign during my time in the program).

After the game, Coach told the seniors to go shake the hands of the Keppel players and said that he wanted to speak with the underclassmen. We later learned that he told them he did not ever want to see what he saw that day, that they had to put up a greater fight then the effort that the seniors had gave out there. I had not played a single minute in that game but I could tell you that I was pretty upset that a Coach could separate a team and point fingers the way he did.

Team cohesion and chemistry were the the things that we needed most and we botched the opportunities we had to try to boost them. We would go into our next game against Schurr and throw that one away as well. Things were not looking good and seemed to be only getting worse. At that time, I do not think that anyone wanted to be a part of the team.

Our Senior Night, the final home game that we would ever play in a San Gabriel jersey, was coming up and we did not know what to expect. Our coach had lost his confidence in us during practice and simply ran us through our plays and all the regular motions without giving us a hint of what was going to happen when we faced Bell Gardens for what would be a very important game to the seniors who have stuck with the program despite the circumstances. Our parents were going to be there, some teachers and alumni were coming back, it was going to be a jam-backed house and we all had no clue what to expect.

Without anything to really prepare for in terms of an actually game plan, I decided to prepare mentally. It was going to be my very last night that I would be able to play at home for the school and I wanted to do well, even if I was only going to get two minutes in the game, even if I was just going to warm up in my shooting shirt.

On February 7th, I jumped out of the locker-room with my teammates, more pumped than I have ever been. Despite our horrible season record, I let it all go and only thought about playing basketball and capturing every moment of that game. My mom, aunt, and sister were up in the stands and I seemed to feel their support. Then the word got to me during the lay-up lines. With about 20 minutes to go before the tip off, there was a rumor being passed around that I was going to start the game at small forward or point guard. For me, it was too surreal to even grasp onto the notion that Coach would start any player that has not started for the entire regular season, let alone play regular minutes every night. I fit in that mold and I simply tried to brush it off, but to be honest, I began to feel my heart beat faster as the goosebumps rose from my arms.

With about a minute on the clock to go, Coach called me over and asked me for my jersey number. At that point, it had confirmed the fact that I was set to start. It was an incredible but terrifying feeling. I just wanted to play solid and not mess up in front of the band, the students and teachers that came out to support, and most importantly my mom, aunt, and sister who were here to watch me play for the first time in the Matador Arena.

The buzzer rings and before the game, we have our national anthem play. As I looked up at the flag in our gym, so many emotions went through me. I remembered all the times had the opportunity to stand there, alongside my teammates, my friends; especially the seniors, who have shared this moment with me for four years. Then the starting line was announced and my name was called for the first time, "first year varsity player, Marvin Luu!" I ran out to meet my mom who had greeted me with flowers, a lay made of candy, and a poster, which was a tradition that all seniors were greeted with.

After the long and emotional intro, it was game time. I told myself that this moment, this game would only mean so much more if we could pull out a victory; I told myself that I would have all the time in the world to reflect later, it was time to give my best effort now. The ball was tipped and the Lancers had possession first. We locked down the painted area and forced the guards to pass the ball around the outer perimeter. After ten seconds, one of their guards took a hasty shot and missed. We quickly boarded and pushed up court but rushed a shot and was back on defensive. For the first two minutes the game went at this steady pace until Bell Gardens finally broke their cold streak and scored the first two points of the game with a dump down and lay in by a post player. The onslaught continued form their and Bell Gardens jumped out on an 8-2 run.

I got pretty winded after playing only four to five minutes and was subbed out. A few minutes later, Coach decided that he had seen enough and called time-out. Our emotions and energy was running high but we were not using it right. We were playing too quick for our own good and we were starting to make measly mistakes that were costing us. In his anger, Coach broke his clipboard in half which seemed to fuel us in the second quarter. Our point guard, senior Anthony Ponce slowed the pace down and allowed our center, junior David Gonzalez, to do the work in the paint while our captain, senior Man Nong did his usual thing and drove hard into the paint. By the half, the lead was cut to about ten.

The third and fourth quarters were inspiring. We jumped out with the same energy that we had during the second and pushed the Lancers hard on defense. We fed the ball to Gonzalez and when that did not work we penetrated into the paint and dished the ball out to open players. I contributed the best I could by slowing down the Bell Gardens point guard, tiring him out and making him work for every real estate he so desperately wanted.

The crowd was going crazy! There were screams, cries, and defense chants coming from all over; it was all surreal, so surreal.

However, the Lancers were not ready to just hand over the night to us. They rallied back and kept the game close. The night would turn out to be a great game that went down to the wire. Senior Christian Majano went off during the fourth and was unconscious from three point land. He shot two critical jumpers that gave us some space to breath. Then, Nong jumped in and had some crazy athletic lay-ups drop in. With two minutes to go, the Lancers were down by five and had to start fouling. We sunk our free throws and captured a victory that we seriously cherished.

When the buzzer rang, the roars from all around the arena erupted and the clapping began. We thanked our family and friends for coming out and supporting us before heading into the locker room for a post game talk. Our coach tried to hide a smile but could not; he told us that we had really battled for the game and we earned it. It was nice to see everyone smile and laugh in the locker room, that was missing for a very long time. The victory was more than just a victory to all of us because it was a reminder of why we stuck with the program, why we continued to play the game.

Up to today, I still remember that game and the jam-packed arena. It served as a huge boost to the entire teams confidence, a moment that seemed to outshine all the rough times that we had; it made those tough times worth it because it allowed us to see how hard we had worked. My senior season was coming to an end but that moment was something that I knew I would cherish forever.    

As Team USA picks up the gold metal in Madrid, things are looking up in international play

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There was no doubt that Team USA was going to dominate Serbia during today's gold medal FIBA championship held in Madrid, Spain. In fact, the team came out swinging and never looked back, winning with a margin of 37, 129-92. From the jump ball at center court to the final buzzer of the contest, the team had not lost their edge against a Serbian National Team that fought and clawed its way up. The story of Team USA's success comes at no surprise, but in terms of the international talent, things are being to look up.

Many have believed that Spain would return to the finale in no time; the question never seemed to be whether or not they would get to the gold metal game but how they would do it. All was well for Spain during the qualifying rounds; the Spaniards dominated in pool play, leading the entire FIBA World Cup in field goals scored per game while also dominating the books with the highest field goal percentage scored in the paint.

Spain was destined to be a challenge for the U.S. squad. The Spaniards had an experienced group of players who all knew each others sweet spots and had an impeccable cohesion; everybody communicated on defense and ran the offensive effectively. Spain was the only National team that most in the U.S. really worried about, that is until France swooped in during the Quarter Finals and shocked the host country that had a team that consisted of five players currently playing in the NBA: forward/centers Marc and Pau Gasol, forward Serge Ibaka, and point guards Ricky Rubio and Jose Calderon.

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When France managed to pull off a late game spurt and a shocking victory over Spain, the world began to pay much more attention. With Boris Diaw leading the group, most believed that Spain would have to make way, because a new and improved team was ready to make a major push to topple the dominate country in the sport. France had played gutsy, hard-nosed basketball. Without the likes of Tony Parker, a regular and major contributor for the national team's offense, everyone on the team picked up the load and found their own touches. NBA veterans Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier shared the load with a surprisingly huge contribution by the young and talented Robert Gobert, a 22-year old 7 foot 2 inch center who is going to play with the Denver Nuggets in October.

After France defeated Spain, the rest of the title chase was left up in the air. Serbia had defeated a very talented Brazil team with young players just like Gobert. Although the Serbian team was lead by former NBA veteran Nenad Kristic, the team had found its main force in Milos Teodosic, Nemanja Bjelica, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, three players in their early to mid-twenties that happened click in ways that no body would have ever thought of during pool play. Bogdanovic may only be 22-years of age, but the young player has a consistent jump shot, nice ball handling skills, and plays solid defense. After his performance in this year's FIBA games, he is likely going to help the Phoenix two years from now, when he is finally able to make his NBA debut. For a 22-year old, he is a great guard who happens to play the lanes very well. There was no surprise that Bogdanovic had his hands on a couple of plays that would help carry Serbia over France.

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The outburst in young talent helped bolster France and topple a very experienced Spanish team; it has allowed us to witness the improvement and rise of a solid Serbian ball club. Players like Gobert and Bogdanovic are slowly coming up, highlighting a trend that may transcend international basketball in the years to come. If Gobert can continue to prove to be an aggressive offensive force in the NBA, he can help break the traditional "soft" label placed on many European and international players. Gobert, among others, are changing the way that the game is being played overseas, thus developing a much more aggressive and athletic style that is currently present in the NBA.

At the same time, players in the U.S. are also adopting playing styles evident in international play. One may see numerous American ball players like James Harden utilize crafty and creative euro steps or flipping up mid-range floaters and jumpers instead of always banging hard into the paint.

As a huge basketball fan, it is awesome how the game is growing globally and how the love for basketball is being celebrated and illustrated through the mixing of different playing styles. As much as I am a fan of Team USA basketball, it is nice to see that other teams are growing and becoming much more aggressive. Young talents are starting to appear from all over the world and this is possibly because of the development of these players at such a young age. I would not be surprised to see contests grow in competitiveness as margins during games close in. In the future, I think that Spain will not be the only country to pose as a major opponent for Team USA, perhaps this year serves as evidence of things that are going to change      

COMMENTARY: What's up with Milwaukee?

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The 2014-2015 season has not officially started yet, but the Milwaukee Bucks seem to be bound for yet another upsetting season that may only lead the struggling franchise into a deeper drench. The team seems to be currently relying on two particular names to save their upcoming campaign, and possibly their entire organization from taking an exit out of Milwaukee.

The biggest off season pick ups for the team is in their new head coach, NBA champion and former New York Nets coach Jason Kidd, and their second pick of the 2014 NBA draft, forward Jabari Parker.

Kidd is stepping into the job after quite a hasty and bizarre exit from the Nets organization and Parker is a nineteen year old rookie who has to worry about finding his footing in the NBA before he takes charge of an entire team. I could only wonder if this is enough for the Bucks to bounce back from the last two years.

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Currently on the roster, the Bucks have veterans Jared Dudley, O.J. Mayo, Jared Bayless, and Ramon Sessions, along with some younger athletic talent in Brandon Knight and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who have both showed some promise and potential last year. On paper, the team actually seems quite decent but Milwaukee is just a place composed of parts and pieces of what it wants to be; it cannot function as a unit. It is a place where both decently skilled and athletic players land but play with no rhyme or reason. Players that often find there way into Milwaukee play for the single purpose of showcasing their talents in hopes that another team may notice.

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The team plays as though they are not an organization that is looking to rebuild in hopes of winning a championship, instead, it is an organization with players that are screaming to get out. There is not a single player that has been drafted by the team that has stayed on the team in the last five years. Point guard Brandon Jennings, who was the face of the Bucks for awhile, found a new home in Detroit and never looked back.

Even worse, the fans turned their backs on the team when attendance seemed to hit all time lows last season. According to Bleacher Report, the team ranked 29th in attendance with only about 14,437 fans going to each Bucks home game. At one point, they actually offered the rest of the 2014 home games, 26 in all, for only $99. This meant that fans could attend the games for only $3.81 a night.

I am all for underdog stories and I would love for the Bucks to come back strong, but if they want to, the team has to find the time to get together and seriously consider the idea of working to achieve a common goal. First and foremost, players have to show their commitment by investing in the system that Kidd imposes on the team. Secondly, they must trust each other and understand that the floor and the ball must be shared.

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This is the perfect time for the veterans to step it up and change their solid careers into great ones. Mayo has a shot of becoming an elite player that can pose as a leader. The position is up for grabs and it is there if he is willing to take it. So can guys like Jerryd Bayless and Ramon Sessions; they already proved to be more than capable athletes, now it is time to prove that they can focus on more than just their own individual skill sets.

Parker will likely draw some attention but he is playing for the Bucks who, as an entire organization, will not get much media coverage. He will also have the opportunity to turn some heads without the initial pressure of having all eyes dazzled onto his number 12 jersey come October.

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In addition, Knight and Antetokounmpo had their taste at NBA action and will only improve as they tag on more and more NBA contests. If they are willing to stay with the Bucks, the organization may possibly build off of them as well; throw in a solid center into the mix and the team is looking pretty good against other respectable NBA teams.

I do not think that it is a long shot to improve any NBA team, it just takes time and commitment which comes with the management and the players. The Bucks organization has to get serious about contending for a championship rather than using their team to get reasonable players to survive a season or two with decent standings before shipping them out for similarly skilled players. At the same time, players have to feel like Milwaukee is a place where they are willing to invest their effort in playing for. You put those two things together and sure enough the attendance will increase and team could very well be looking at a promising future, or at least one that is not similar to what NBA fans have witnessed in the past few years.



  

The San Antonio Spurs head towards another "sleeper" season

In an off season where Cleveland has managed to bring home LeBron James and pick up Kevin Love, where Chicago found another big man in Pau Gasol to go alongside Joakim Noah, the San Antonio Spurs have done nothing much to change there roster.

In some instances, this may seriously be a bad thing, but in the case of the Spurs, this is the best possible off season that they could possibly have.

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The only change that comes to the roster is the fact that the Spurs managed to pick up Kyle Anderson with their 30th pick of the draft. Anderson is a solid point guard coming straight out of UCLA. Although he is probably not going to see to much playing time, his professional demeanor is perfect for the organization. Other than Anderson, the majority of the roster is essentially the same.

While Boris Diaw agreed to return by signing a three year, $22 million contract back in July, Tim Duncan will also return. The five-time NBA champion opted to play out his contract with the Spurs and is set to compete in what is likely his last season of his illustrious NBA career. In addition, coach Greg Popovich agreed to an extension and will be sticking around with the Spurs for quite some time.

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To go along with the usual veteran players in Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Diaw, the young but disciplined talent in Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, and Patty Mills will fill out crucial parts of the roster. Leonard is coming off of a career post season where he was able to turn some heads with his tough defense and solid offense. The soft-spoken small forward has really found a home in San Antonio and has the potential to grow into a big-name and elite NBA star.

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However, Leonard is a product of the San Antonio system and does not necessarily need to be a household name. The thing that has separated the Spurs from the rest of the 29 teams in the NBA, is there commitment to the team itself. Everybody in the Spurs roster knows their role and is willing to give up individual skills for the benefit of their team. We will never see Green isolate or Leonard dribble out the shot clock to take the final shot because that is not the type of team that San Antonio is. Whoever has the best option on that given possession will find the ball in their hands, regardless of which player has the most experience on the floor.

Even the guys who are deep in the bench have the potential of bringing something to the table at any given time. Players like Matt Bonner and Marco Belinelli are excellent spot up shooters that can allow the Spurs to spread the floor; big man Aron Baynes has a physique that allows him to  and muscle his way into the paint to grab boards and score put backs. Not to mention, Baynes solid production also gives Duncan or Tiago Splitter the occasional breathers that they may need.

The Spurs are a smart team and they understand what they must be in order to get the job done. The coaching staff has clearly made all their players check their egos at the door. Nobody on that team is unsusceptible to a good scalding if they take plays off. Even today, at the age of 32, Parker can still be visibly yelled at by Popovich from the sidelines for making poor plays or not hustling hard enough. This places a sense of responsibility in all of the players in the entire team, a feeling that is shared and understood from the starting five to the last man on the bench. This is the difference between a championship team and the contenders.

Although the Spurs still have a championship team, I am quite surprised at the fact that they really have not garnered any attention in the off season. While we all hear minuscule, small scale news that seems to blow up, news about James and what jersey he is going to where or Kevin Durant and his huge contract with Nike, nothing really comes up from the boys in San Antonio. When there is big news, something quite small from another team seems to grab the majority once again.

The news of the signing of Becky Hammon, the first female assistant coach in NBA history, was in the forefront for a good week and a half before more small talk on James, Love, Durant, and other trade rumors that do not even come to fruition take the scenes again.

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Perhaps it is their cohesion and teamwork that prevents the media to point out a particular player or news worthy coverage in the Spurs squad; perhaps this is the reason why no body ever talks about them in the off season, and yet they always seem to be back in the picture once the post season begins. I think that the Spurs are heading into what appears to be another "sleeper" season, which is what they are all about. The organization is composed of many personalities that are self aware and as long as they know what they are doing, what their game plan is, the rest of the league needs to look out, because San Antonio is likely to sneak up and contend for their second straight title.

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Unveiling of racism in the NBA leaves an ugly impression in the spectrum of sports

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There is no doubt that racism is a subject that will manage to find its way in nearly every little crosshair of social activity. However, it still stings pretty bad when it is found in the forefront or headline of professional sports.

Although trash talking amongst players are quite susceptible in leading to the range of unwarranted racial boundaries, it is hard to swallow the fact that some players have been playing for owners that may still be discriminating against their own athletes and fans by the color of their skin and their ethnic backgrounds.

We would like to think that in the spectrum of sports, there is a special place on the field or court where individuals could let their skills and attributes do the talking, but in reality, men in the front office, the same men who dictate the course of the entire team, may be making conscious decisions based on other motives.

I think that there is enough evidence to say that any avid sports fan has heard at least a hint or fraction of a racial comment during the course of a game but it is cringe worthy, serving as almost a slap to the face, when these racial comments are coming from the lips of those who are in command of the franchises.

I am not going to go on with this entry and say that racism could be abruptly solved and that we could simply put good notions and morals in the minds of those who are flooded with the wrong ideas because I simply cannot. I am not going to say that selling a team is going to, all of a sudden, resolve all issues and restore the same type of hope in professional sports that people once had, because I simply cannot.

It will take time for people to realize the importance of equality and the unjust in racism on their own. I do not think that you can aggressively drill notions into people's heads, they have to discover it themselves. However, when racism is found in one of the biggest professional sports leagues, it has the potential of creating a nasty backlash that may make skeptics out of people; it could change the whole perception of the NBA and leadership in it.

What is also certain is the fact that players are probably going to face their owners with much more caution and uncertainty then they may have ever felt before.

One can simply refer to the huge stir and shockwave that swept the NBA when the whole Donald Sterling situation had blown up. Big stars on and off the Clippers organization, including Chris Paul and LeBron James, were even considering a boycott of NBA contests if Sterling did not sell the team by the start of the upcoming season.

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Now with the recent situation with Bruce Levenson of the Atlanta Hawks, one can only image how many more of these cases are going to pop up. Levenson is set to sell the team after self-reporting his racially charged e-mail pertaining to the hopes of increasing revenue based off of particular ticket sales to fans of certain racial groups. Some have speculated that Levenson's entire ordeal is simply a business ploy that will allow him to sell the team for a higher price but officials are still looking into the situation.

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With the recent media exposure received by Sterling and Levenson, the league has been plagued with an ugly enigma that will probably take some time to shake off. Racism is a serious issue that many are not so quick to forget as it is clearly leaving a bad taste in the NBA, one that they need to get rid of promptly.

 

Throwback Thursday: The Incredibly Stylish Rick Fox

When one thinks of the Laker teams of the '90s and early 2000's, the players that often come in mind, that is along with the Shaq and Kobe tandem, are usually Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Brian Shaw, Ron Harper, and a wiser AC Green. However, Laker fans will never forget the stylish and always cool Rick Fox.

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Fox was a product of the North Carolina Tar Heels, a team who he had helped lead to the Final Four back in 1991. At the end of the same year, He was eventually drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 24th overall pick of the first round. Many fans in Los Angeles have clearly brushed off the part of his history where he actually played six years with the despicable Celtics, dawning his soon-forgotten number 44 jersey.

In the summer of 1997, the Celtics released Fox and the Los Angeles Lakers picked up the 6'7'' small forward. In Tinseltown, Fox found his true home and became a fan favorite with his solid shooting and perimeter defense, all of which were accompanied by a nice smile, grin, or casual gum chewing after some exceptional plays.

During his time with the purple and gold, Fox was an on and off starter. He played and started in all of the games in the 1997-98 season but became a reserve after the Lakers acquired Glen Rice in 1999. After Rice's departure in the midst of the 1999-2000 season, Fox returned as a starter for all but five games where he averaged 9.6 points per game, a slight dip from his first season with the Lakers but it was enough to aid the team in their quest for their second straight title. Essentially, Fox was not a stand alone player but a perfect role player who was crafty and often guarded some of the best players in the game. He played pesky defense and was more than willing to do the occasional grub work to put the team on top of their opponents.

Fox had some phenomenal performances during the Lakers three title runs from 1999-2002. During 2000 playoffs, Fox played in all 23 games as a reserve behind Rice. Despite averaging only 4.3 points per game during the first two rounds and Conference play, his numbers would increase to 6.7 in the Finals against the Indian Pacers. He would go on to put up a 11 point performance in game one and a critical three pointer late in game six during a major momentum shift that would allow the team to rally back and defeat the Pacers for the title, the first of three that Fox would eventually win.

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 The next year, Fox would see a hike in his post season numbers when he returned to the starting line up. His average bolstered to 10.0 points per game along with 3.6 assists a night. In the finals, he managed to put up 19 points in a game one loss against Philadelphia and 20 in the fifth and final game for the series, nine of which came from perfect three point shooting.

During the third year of the Lakers historic three-peat era, Fox put up an average of 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. He would go on to start in all 19 games of the finals including the four that would be needed to sweep the Nets.

The 2003-2004 season would be Fox's last season before leaving to pursue his other ambitions, including a career in acting. Interesting enough, Fox had already been working on numerous acting projects during his basketball careering. In 1994, Fox received his first gig in Blue Chips as a basketball player for the Texas Western Team. Two years later, he would also appear in Eddie as Terry Hastings, a basketball player who is struggling and finds help in a fan played by Whoopi Goldberg. Fox would appear in a total of five films, four television series including Nickelodeon's The Fairly OddParents, and one television movie during his active years as an NBA player. It is clear that Hollywood was perfect for Fox who always seemed to be camera ready.

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Nevertheless, Fox was extremely talented it what he had done best, and that was shooting the lights out from beyond the arc when it mattered and playing some solid defense. Los Angeles needed a player of his caliber, who did not mind playing as a starter or coming off the bench. Whenever he was on the floor, he did not fall short of giving his best effort which reflects the hard worker Fox is. No matter the project, Fox seems to always dive in with two feet and that is what has allowed him to remain stylish and extraordinary.

Derrick Rose's time on Team USA serves as a marker for his return

Anyone watching Team USA basketball knows that Derrick Rose has not been performing particularly well. The former MVP of the NBA has shot at a dismal 22% from the field (4-18) and 14% from beyond the arc (8-11) within an average of 19 minutes a night thus far in the FIBA games.

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Rose's numbers have clearly been the low points of the team's three recent blow out victories over Finland, Turkey, and New Zealand. However, this does not prove to be all that bad for Rose who has been in and out of the NBA for quite some time now. Chicago fans should not be worried about their young leader and his recent slump because competing with Team USA will only allow Rose to test his limits and get a feel for a game that he has not really played for the last two to three years.

Any athlete that comes back from an injury is expected to require some time to shake off the cobwebs and that time is not always going to be pretty. What better timing is this year's FIBA Basketball World Cup for Rose, who will have the opportunity to ease his way back into competitive basketball without having all of the attention and pressure on him. With the talent on the team in Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and DeMar DeRozan, Rose will not have to carry the team or do too much at all. Players with the caliber to play on the team will be able to pick up the slack on days that Rose may not be performing up to his "expected" numbers.

 In addition, Tom Thibodeau, the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, is currently an assistant coach on the team which means that Thibodeau can monitor Rose's minutes and progression before the start of the NBA season.

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There is a reason why he is still on the team rather than Damian Lillard, who showed off some exceptional skills during the Team USA camp; Rose's work ethic and concentration during his time thus far in FIBA contention have inspired his teammates to continue to play hard day in and day out which is beyond his lackluster numbers.

So to those who have been skeptical of Rose's return and impact on the Bulls during this upcoming season, I suggest that you all reevaluate his performance in the FIBA games. Do not look at the numbers and try to find meaning there, think about what it means for Rose to be able to step on the floor, make mistakes, and learn from them now when real consequences will not disrupt the flow of the team's game. He is slowly getting his groove back, slowly gaining confidence, and with the time to shake off the cobwebs, Rose will be back in shape early than before; this way, the Chicago star can be ready to lead the Bulls back to playoff contention without making rusty mistakes when consequences seriously do matter.