MINNEAPOLIS _ Even when he was bouncing around the league, when the letters DNP were appearing after his name on too many nights, when an ankle injury slowed what had been a promising start in Cleveland last season, guard Derrick Rose never lost his belief in himself.
"I felt my confidence has always been there," Rose said. "It's just opportunities."
After signing with the Wolves late last season, after getting past yet another ankle injury, after showing flashes of his old self in the playoffs, Rose is back at training camp this season.
Rose didn't wait. He re-upped with the Wolves _ and his old coach, Tom Thibodeau _ shortly after free agency began in July. He knows here he will get that opportunity.
"I'm just looking for comfort," Rose said, who knows starting is likely in his past, though he has been running with the first team early in camp with Jimmy Butler not here. He came back to Minnesota, he said, because Thibodeau knows what he can do.
"I'm not here to steal nobody's job," he said. "I'm not here to challenge anyone for their spot. I'm here to help."
Rose has been through plenty since entering the league in 2008. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2009 and was league MVP in 2011, but knee injuries and surgeries wiped out one entire season and parts of others.
He started last season in Cleveland before an ankle injury slowed him. He was traded to Utah, then bought out, becoming a free agent. Days after the birth of a daughter, he signed with the Wolves.
Rose is not the player who won that MVP award. But, when healthy, he has proved effective. He showed that in last year's playoff series against Houston, when he averaged 14.2 points, 2.6 assists and shot 50.9 percent in 23.8 minutes per game.
Now, older (he will turn 30 next week) and wiser, Rose is confident he can help the Wolves take the next step.
"When you dig deep into his numbers, what he did in Chicago, what he did in New York (was impressive)," Thibodeau said. "Last year, early part, he got off to a good start and he got hurt. The only thing that has derailed him is injuries. When he's healthy he's a terrific player."
And one willing to play any role.
"If on some nights they need me to play more minutes, I'm fine with that," he said. "I'm cool when he challenges me to play better defense more than score. I'm just looking to do what my team needs me to do."
