For Bulls’ Rose, NBA playoffs long time in making

Derrick Rose AFP file photo

CHICAGO — For the first time in three years, the Chicago Bulls will have their injury-plagued star player, Derrick Rose, on the court at the most important time — at the start of the NBA playoffs.

Not since the 2012 playoff opener has Rose appeared in a postseason game, and not since the 2011 Eastern Conference finals have the Bulls had their hometown star for the duration of their run.

The Bulls open their current playoff campaign at home Saturday against Milwaukee.

“It’ll be fun,” Rose said. “It’ll give me a chance to go out here and battle with my teammates in the playoffs. The playoffs is a different atmosphere, a different type of setting. I get the opportunity to play the game that I love playing. The intensity is going to be definitely high. I can’t wait to play.”

Does he wonder what might have been had he been healthy the past few years?

“Can’t think about that,” Rose said. “I let that go years ago. (I’m) living in the present and that’s where I’m trying to keep things.”

Still, it’s hard not to wonder if the Bulls would have emerged from the Eastern Conference at least once and maybe captured their first championship since 1998 had their standout point guard not suffered season-ending injuries to both knees.

After all, they had the No. 1 overall playoff seed in back-to-back seasons and Rose at his explosive best.

He became the youngest Most Valuable Player in NBA history while leading the Bulls to 62 wins and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 2011. The Bulls lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games, but the following season, they looked like they were poised to make another big run.

Then Rose crumbled to the court late in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against Philadelphia. It happened just as he seemed to be rounding into form after missing 27 games in a lockout-shortened season.

The Bulls also lost Joakim Noah to a sprained ankle and wound up losing in the first round.

Chicago expected to get Rose back for the 2012-13 season, but that never happened. And his long-awaited comeback ended at 10 games last season when Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee.

Without Rose, the Bulls couldn’t challenge the Heat for supremacy in the East let alone win a championship. They lost in the second round to Miami in 2013 and got knocked out in the first round by Washington last season.

“You always reminisce,” Bulls forward Taj Gibson said. “Every year, we reminisce about ‘what if.’ We talk about this all the time. It’s frustrating. You have to think about the times we were right there and we were just a little bit short.”

The Bulls believe they can challenge for the Eastern Conference title this time with Rose back and Pau Gasol now on the team. They’ve earned the third seed with a 50-32 record and expect most if not all their key players to be available — a rarity for Chicago this season.

Rose averaged 17.7 points this season, but his aggression has been lacking at times. He also recently missed about six weeks following a minor operation on his right knee and sat out the second half of Wednesday’s finale against Atlanta because of soreness in his left knee.

He insisted it was minor. He was also adamant about something else.

“I believe I’m one of the best players in the NBA,” Rose said.