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. Lyle Alzado Womens Jersey . The All Blacks played their best rugby of recent years when they beat South Africa 38-27 in Johannesburg two weeks ago, clinching the Rugby Championships in a match which has been hailed as one of the best ever played. Ronnie Lott Jersey . They kicked off the still-going trend of host cities winning the Grey Cup and sent Hall of Fame head coach Wally Buono to the front office a champion. http://www.shoptheraidersonline.com/Elite-Jim-Otto-Raiders-Jersey/ . Seriously. Seven years of losing has brought many different faces, players and management, to the annual pre-season get-to-know-the-team round up. Lyle Alzado Youth Jersey . Basketball fans around the globe will be watching as Kobe Bryant makes his season debut - 240 days after tearing his left Achilles - against Toronto, a team he has used as his own personal punching bag. John Matuszak Womens Jersey .Y. - Carey Price had an early feeling that one goal might be enough to settle the latest matchup between his Montreal Canadiens and longtime Original Six foe, the New York Rangers.JOLIET, Ill. -- Chase Elliott is proving to be a quick study. A few questions for his teammates and a couple practice laps, and he was ready to roll in his first race at Chicagoland Speedway. Elliott held off Trevor Bayne to earn his third Nationwide Series win of the season Saturday night, putting the rookie on top of the standings. "We had an awesome race going," Elliott said. "I try to make the most of my practice laps. They gave me a good car. That gives me time to learn the track in practice." Elliott had a strong car all day long for JR Motorsports, qualifying third and leading a race-high 85 laps. Bayne tried to chase him down on fresh tires in the final laps, but ran out of time. "The gap was closing," Bayne said. "Probably 10 more laps, but well never know." Elliott, the son of former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott, also won in his first trips to Texas and Darlington this year. He leads the standings by seven points over Regan Smith. Chase Elliott said Smith and Kasey Kahne provided some importance advice about the track. "I did have some questions that I asked, and I definitely think that helped tonight," he said. "So thankful to have a couple great teammates and good to have something to lean back on with those guys." Kyle Larson was third, followed by Kahne and Ty Dillon to round out the top five. Brian Scott, who started on the pole, finished sixth and earned $100,000 in the second event of the four-race "Dash 4 Cash" bonus program. Kahne and Larson were the lone Sprint Cup regulars in the field on an off weekend for NASCARs top series. Everyone comes back to Chicagoland in September on the same weekend that the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship begins at the 1.dddddddddddd52-mile oval. The night began with a pair of Richard Childress Racing teammates in front after Scott and Dillon had the best showing in qualifying. It was Scotts second pole of the season and No. 4 for his career. He won his first Nationwide Series pole at Chicagoland on Sept. 17, 2011. Scott led for 20 laps before Elliott moved in front. Erik Jones finished seventh in his Nationwide debut, driving Joe Gibbs Racings No. 20 Toyota. The 18-year-old Jones won the Truck Series race last week at Iowa in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota he shares with Busch. Jones also won a Truck race last year in Phoenix. Jones is expected to make two more Nationwide starts in Matt Kenseths car this season. "It was definitely a learning experience for me and everybody involved," he said. "I feel like I learned a lot the whole night and really picked up on some things that will help me through the next couple." Jones got some advice from Busch in preparation for his first run in the series. "A lot of what we talked about was working through traffic and it definitely helped out," Jones said. "It was something I was able to apply right away tonight and use to my advantage." Smith, who led the series standings by eight points over Elliott Sadler coming into the day, started 15th after a disappointing qualifying session, and it just got worse during the race. He never got into the mix on his way to 16th place. It was similar to last year, when Smith was on top of the series heading into the first stop at Chicagoland, and then slid into the infield on Lap 129 and finished 13th. He had the same finish in the September race at the same track. ' ' '