Is Derrick Rose Still An Elite Point Guard?

By ESPN

Most NBA observers probably wouldn't label Derrick Rose as elite at this stage of his career. But Rose believes he fits that description and that it's only a "matter of time" before he shows it to others.

Rose was asked after Knicks practice on Monday if he wants to show this season that he still is an elite point guard.

"Yeah, but I know I am," he said. "That's no surprise to me. It's only a matter of time until I put it together. All the hard work I put in, everything how I dedicated my whole life to this game, what I sacrificed. It's only a few that did it and that's doing it. So it's all about just putting it together."

It's only natural for players to have confidence in their abilities, but Rose's production in recent seasons has fallen short of elite levels. Last season, Rose averaged 16.4 points on 42 percent shooting and handed out 4.7 assists per game for a Bulls team that missed the playoffs.

Knicks president Phil Jackson traded for Rose in June and would, obviously, love to see the guard return to the elite form he showed earlier in his career, when he was named the youngest MVP in league history in 2011. Since that season, Rose has dealt with several significant knee injuries; due to those injuries and various others, the 28-year-old and has played in less than 40 percent of his games in the last five seasons.

Rose missed a little over two weeks of training camp earlier this month while attending a civil trial in Los Angeles over allegations that he and two friends gang-raped an ex-girlfriend. He returned to the Knicks on Friday after a jury found Rose and his two friends not liable of the accusations. Rose has spent the last four days working with coaches and teammates ahead of the Knicks' season opener Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Monday, October 24

No games scheduled

Tuesday, October 25 Schedule (All Times Central)

New York at Cleveland, 6:30 p.m.

Utah at Portland, 9 p.m.

San Antonio at Golden State, 9:30 p.m.