Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose hints at possible return home

Derrick Rose has proven to be one of the better stories in the NBA this season. Could he return to the Chicago Bulls in the future?

The Return was supposed to be magical. It was supposed to be a story that would go down in history as one of the most inspiring tales ever written. Derrick Rose was on a mission to return to the Chicago Bulls, following a major ACL injury back in 2012.

Adidas did a series of videos detailing Rose’s road back after the injury, which are now borderline unwatchable for Bulls fans (more so for the emotional distress than anything else). They are emotional because of the fact that we know how his story played out. It wasn’t just the one injury — what followed was a series of injuries that most thought would derail his entire career.

Fast forward a long, grueling six years. Rose, now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, is one of the brighter stories in basketball this season. As a sixth man for the Wolves, Rose has been arguably the most valuable player on the team.

He looks like the Rose of old, giving Bulls fans more reason to watch a completely different franchise over their own. Let’s be honest. The Bulls are a train wreck. Who wouldn’t want to watch Rose turn back time night after night?

“I want to be great. I’m going to be great. There’s no doubt about it.”

Those words still send chills down the spine of Bulls fans everywhere.

Who knew that it would ultimately take so long to see Rose finally get back to playing outstanding basketball? It may have taken a while, but he’s back — and the NBA is right again.

Just a couple of days ago, the Bulls took a beating from Minnesota on their home court. The biggest story of the night was Rose coming home. The ovation he received was enough to make even the coldest of hearts smile.

Rose put on a show for his city. Sure, it ended with a Bulls loss. But, it was magnificent. His 24 points were a game-high and he dished out eight assists as well.

Prior to the game on Wednesday, Rose talked to the media and was asked about a potential return to the Bulls in the future. Per NBC Sports Chicago, this is what he had to say:

"“This is home for me. I’ll never leave Chicago. I still have a place here, I’m always going to have a place here. My son is being raised here. This is home. You never know in the future, you never know.”"

A return to the Bulls would only be right, wouldn’t it? After all this time, after all of the ups and downs, to come back home later in his career and help a young team take the next step — that would be something.

The Bulls have a strong, youthful core. They have yet to build around that core, but bringing in Rose would definitely be beneficial. He is not only playing at a high level again, but he’s a likable guy. He would only strengthen the locker room. He would be someone for the young guys to look at for guidance and peer coaching.

Bringing back Rose almost seems like fate. After the season he’s had, he will absolutely garner attention on the free agent market next summer. But, if given the opportunity, you wonder if he could pass up a chance to come back home.