"My confidence is very high...my confidence level is through the roof."
In case you missed these Team USA Camp highlights going viral in the sports world, take a minute to see the kind of shape Derrick Rose is in.
In my opinion, he becomes a top 15 fantasy option. You might be able to get him lower, but he won't fall far, despite his injuries. The previous Rookie of the Year and MVP is going to return to full form by playoffs at the very latest, if not 20 games in. You might also be able to trade cheap for him if he struggles early on. But he's had surgery on both knees, both stronger now than before, and he's had two years to perfect his shot and work on his game.
The difference now is that he has shooters on his team. Jimmy Butler has been coming around, Mike Dunleavy is a specialty shooter, and Doug McDermott, the NCAA leading scorer, will be huge for them. He has three great shooters to facilitate to, not to mention that Pau Gasol can knock down a mid range jumper as well as, if not better than, Carlos Boozer.
Rose is the number 1 facilitator on the team, has a great nose for the ball, and has a full team of options for passing the ball to. By the All-Star Break, I predict Rose will be back around 23 PPG, 8 APG, 4 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 3 TPG, and shooting above 45%. However, right out the gate, there is a possibility he struggles around 15 PPG and 5 APG on 30% shooting with 4 TPG. That is one reason I might recommend passing if you can get a great player early and then trading cheap for him.
Bottom line is, I don't draft Rose in the first round, but if he's available in the second round, he's mine, no question about it.
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