After Derrick Rose’s 50-point explosion a couple days ago, everybody (including me) was wondering: does this momentous occurrence mark the official return of Derrick Rose? Has he permanently regained his mojo? Will Bulls-era D-Rose reappear in Minnesota?
Given that Rose took 20 shots in this game, the most on the team, my early answer is “yes”. Rose has regained his swagger, at least for the time being. However, this presents problems for the Timberwolves, who now have four players who could be considered (or would consider themselves) the “first option”:
-Rose
-Karl-Anthony Towns
-Jimmy Butler
-Andrew Wiggins
Obviously not all of those guys can be the first option at once. There’s only one first option on a team at any given time. And not all of those guys even deserve to be the first option. But the already unstable power dynamics in the Timberwolves locker room have shifted once again, and I’m eagerly awaiting the fallout.