Derrick Rose, who suffered a critical injury in April 2012, has assured and reassured both fans and critics of his return at the start of training camp. His coach is all praises and even the critics have seen some nifty tweaks to his game.

Rose went down with an ACL injury, one of the worst types of injuries in basketball. He was embroiled in controversy near the end of last season when confusion arose on his return. He has put all that behind, and as he declares in an interview with Chicago Tribune: "My only goal is to win a championship."

He talks about opening day: "It's just going to be an emotional day," Rose said. "Just playing again and being around my teammates and being in the atmosphere of an arena, playing in front of people. I haven't had that in a long time."

"The only thing that has changed in my game is the confidence," he said. "My confidence grew as a player. You'll see that when I play. I believe I'm one of the hardest workers in the NBA."

Even his critics have seen a marked improvement in his game. Derrick Rose added 10 pounds of muscle to prepare for next season. He displayed a new arsenal of shots, including a left-handed floater. He has also improved on his game's noticeable flaw: consistent outside shooting

His coach Tom Thibodeau has always been in awe of his work ethic, and while he relishes to play his MVP, he should proceed with caution. "We're going to see what he can handle first," Thibodeau said then. "We're not anticipating big limitations on him."

Derrick Rose is now Chicago's main man, perhaps the best player they've had since the Michael Jordan era. He's also the only MVP winner in the past five years not named Lebron James. He's ready to challenge Lebron for the MVP, but more importantly, he can lead his team to its first title after the Jordan era.