MIAMI -- Theres no question that the city of Chicago was waiting, impatiently at times, to get Derrick Rose back. And the same could likely be said about the Bulls franchise. They werent alone. The NBA was waiting as well. When Roses comeback commences for real on opening night in Miami on Oct. 29 against the two-time defending champion Heat, theres no question the league will be savoring the return of one of its biggest sources of star power. Rose sells tons of jerseys, sells tons of tickets, gets more people watching on television and almost certainly will raise the quality of play in the Eastern Conference. Sure, its better for opponents when he spends an entire season in suits. For the game, its better when hes back on the floor. "Obviously, hes one of our better players in the league," said Heat All-Star guard Dwyane Wade, a native of Chicago. "You miss a guy as dynamic as that. The league as a whole missed him.. So Im sure for the city of Chicago, as hes a guy who really believes in and loves the city, Im sure theyre ecstatic. Having him back will bring a different kind of energy." Rose was the NBAs MVP in 2011, and has played in just 40 of the Bulls 166 games since because of a number of injuries -- the most serious of them being a torn-up left knee suffered in Chicagos first playoff game in 2012. Some suggested that because of his athleticism and commitment to rehabilitation, he would only miss a few months. By the time he returned to the court earlier in this preseason, more than 17 months had passed without Rose in uniform. By the time Rose plays in a game for real, it will be 18 months and 1 day since his knee gave way and rendered him to endless questions about why he could be practicing but not playing. Some of his NBA colleagues understood that logic. "I thought it was very smart of him not to rush back," Cleveland guard Jarrett Jack said. "Everybody kept thinking that just because it was an injury that happened last year that he should come back in the regular season. They didnt take into consideration that it happened so late in April and he would be walking a slippery slope to force himself back and then to try and be himself. "Thats the thing that people forget," Jack continued. "You dont want to come back and just be half of yourself. You want to come back and be at full strength." So Rose waited. The Bulls did better than many people expected without him, winning 45 regular-season games a year ago, ousting Brooklyn in the first round and taking Game 1 of a second-round series against Miami before falling in five games. And the off-the-court side of Rose seemed to flourish. He had the top-selling NBA jersey in China, Latin America and Europe last season. His jersey remains one of the most prominent -- and popular -- at the NBA Store in New York. All that came with the majority of Roses public displays of basketball being shooting and dribbling work on the floor before games, often working himself into a full sweat while his teammates were in the locker room making final preparations before starting warmups. "I think hes coming back stronger than ever," Atlanta forward Al Horford said. "Just from what Ive been hearing, hes anxious. He hasnt played in a year so hes going to be going after people." Thats been evident in this preseason. If someone with an MVP award on his resume needed a breakout preseason game, Rose got it last week against Indiana. He was vintage against one of Chicagos top rivals, with 32 points in just 31 minutes. He was aggressive, getting to the foul line. He created contact, just like he used to. He was strong defending on the ball. His jump shot looked better than ever. "Its definitely going to mean a lot to have him back," Minnesota forward Kevin Love said. "We obviously hope that when he plays the Timberwolves that he has an off game. He looks a lot stronger, he looks very confident and I think hes going to have a great year. He just looks really focused." By the end of the year, Indiana coach Frank Vogel will probably have seen enough of Rose, given that the Bulls and Pacers will probably be the top contenders in the Central Division. And if their four regular-season meetings werent enough, Chicago and Indiana squared off twice in this preseason as well. So Vogels already had a courtside seat from which to assess Roses return. "Same old Derrick Rose," Vogel said. Yep, hes back. Air Max 270 Hot Punch Black .com) - Colorado forward P. Air Max 270 Coral Stardust . Thats exactly what happened. And they enjoyed every moment. Durant remained sizzling with 33 points, Serge Ibaka added 22 and the Thunder roared back from an abysmal start -- they trailed 22-4 early -- to embarrass the Miami Heat 112-95 on Wednesday night, erasing that big deficit out of the gate by outscoring the two-time defending champions by 43 points over a 33-minute span. http://www.nike270-airmax.com/nike-off-white-the-ten/nike-off-white-presto.html . -- LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the Trail Blazers lineup, happy to know that things didnt go awry without him. Nike Off White The Ten Collection . The CFL club is making the move after holding its camp and regular-season practices at the University of Toronto campus in Mississauga, Ont. Nike Air Vapormax Plus Mens White . Lost to Los Angeles in first round of playoffs. MONTREAL -- The Minnesota Timberwolves have been waiting for a player like Kevin Martin for a long time. Martins 21 points and five rebounds led the Timberwolves to a 104-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in NBA pre-season action Sunday night at the Bell Centre. "Hes a 20-point-a-night guy who showed throughout this pre-season what he can do," said Minnesota power forward Kevin Love of his teammate. "Its a really tough guard when you have a guy like Kevin Martin whos so fast and can get open, runs the break, can shoot the ball from distance. He only needs a split-second." Martin, who was traded to the Timberwolves in the off-season from the Oklahoma City Thunder, was lights out from beyond the arc, finishing five-for eight and scoring 15 of his 21 points from behind the three-point line. "I felt good. I got out there, had the team following, running offence," said Martin. "Offensively weve always been good with this system. Its easy to be good offensively." The Minnesota Timberwolves are averaging more than 100 points a game so far this pre-season. "In offence, we have enough talent to score," said T-Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio. "I dont think were going to have problems scoring points this season." Rubio led both teams with seven assists. After a 12-point Minnesota run early in the first quarter, Celtics coach Brad Stevens called a timeout to calm his teams nerves. The score was 18-7. Boston settled down and answered with a 9-0 run that saw Gerald Wallace, who ended the game with 16 points and three assists for Boston, score twice on quick breaks. The Celtics trailed 31-27 at the end of the quarter. The Timberwolves retained their slim advantage throughout the second quarter, and led 557-51 at the half.dddddddddddd Wolves guard Love led all teams in scoring at the half with 16 points. Minnesota kept Boston at bay in the third with good three-point shooting by Martin. The T-Wolves, who shot an impressive 40 per cent from three-point range, led 81-72 at the start of the fourth quarter. Thats when Minnesota began pulling away. Led by bench-player J.J. Bareas six points, the Timberwolves outscored Boston 23-17 in the final quarter. "Were getting more acclimated with each other each day that goes by," said Martin. "Im very hopeful for the season. We have a good team here. We have high expectations for ourselves as a team. We expect to win games." With only one win in seven games, the Celtics, who are rebuilding for the future, now have the second-worst pre-season record in the NBA. They enter the season with neither Paul Pierce nor Kevin Garnett, who were traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a franchise-altering off-season deal. Point guard Rajon Rondo, who played with Pierce and Garnett for six years prior to the trade, missed Sundays game with a knee injury. Rondo underwent surgery in February to repair a torn knee ligament, and hasnt played since. Toronto-born rookie forward Kelly Olynyk had four points for the Celtics on 2-for-4 shooting in 19 minutes of playing time. "Its fun. Its an honour to play in front of your country. Its a special feeling," he said The seven-foot 22-year-old was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks this year, and was at once traded to Boston. The game was held in Montreal as part of the 2013 NBA Canada series. The Celtics first game of the season is against Toronto at Air Canada Centre on Oct. 30. The Timberwolves open their season at home against Orlando on the same night. ' ' '