Derrick Rose Scores 70 points Against NY Knicks; Kobe Bryant's Retirement & James Harden MVP Season, How True is This?
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose scoring 70 points against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant finally deciding to hang up his sneakers, and Houston Rockets star James Harden winning his first Most Valuable Player award.
These are only some of many unbelievable things that could happen in the future, at least in the eyes of the TNT crew.
TNT laid out its futuristic and intriguing advertisement to kick off the new NBA season on Wednesday before the Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat season-opening game. And for sure, it certainly sent many eyebrows raising as the 'future' unfolds before their very eyes one by one.
Rose Explosion at the Garden?
Rose finally made his return after missing over a year to rehabilitate his surgically repaired ACL. In his first official NBA game, the former MVP scored 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting with four assists in a 107-95 loss to the Miami Heat.
Two days later, Rose bounced back as he scored 18 points and hit the game-winner with five seconds remaining on the clock to give the Bulls an 82-81 victory over the New York Knicks at United Center.
70 points at MSG - a possibility
Though he just shot 32 percent from the field through his first two games, Rose is very much capable of scoring buckets at will. Rose's struggle isn't that surprising considering that he missed one full year of basketball. One thing is for sure, Rose is playing healthy and he doesn't show any signs that his surgically repaired knee is swelling up again.
The Bulls and Knicks will meet again over a month from now at Madison Square Garden. By that time, Rose has already acclimatized to the competitive nature of the game, and perhaps, regain his mojo as one of the most lethal scorers at the point guard position. 70 points is a serious number to reach. But there are few players capable of dominating the game on offensive end - Rose is one of them.
Kobe Bryant Retiring - Really?
The Black Mamba is coming off the most devastating injury in his career after tearing his Achilles tendon late last season. At age 35, Kobe Bryant doesn't anymore command a strong respect from several basketball pundits - including ESPN, who ranked me the 25th best player in the league. But Mamba is mamba, and it will be a folly to bet against him.
Retirement? At the end of this season? Yeah, it will happen when the butterflies started singing. Let me get things straight here, Bryant is a basketball warrior personified. The concept of Mamba retiring is a little bit premature right now. That won't happen anytime soon, especially if he knows that he's in for another big money deal next summer.
James Harden Hoisting the MVP
As far as the race for the Most Valuable Player award is concerned, there's only one man that can win this hardware at will - LeBron James. No basketball player in the world that can dominate and provide big time stats on both ends of the floor but James. MVP voters love statistics, more so if your team is winning.
James is in position to win his fifth MVP this season, but another 'James' in Texas could also be in the run for it. If the Houston Rockets live up to expectation and Harden continue to evolve as a player. Watch out, James can really make his case this season.