Derrick Rose's confidence peaking: 'I guess the league will learn'

Scoring 15 fourth-quarter points against the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference can do a lot to the ego.

Derrick Rose returned from a two-game illness-related absence on Monday, hanging 29 points on the Toronto Raptors in just 31 minutes of action. Rose' final frame was vintage Rose, with the Raptors at a complete loss for how to slow him down.

Not that he needed it - he's expressed a great deal of confidence in his game since late November after returning from ankle and hamstring issues - but the outburst seems to have Rose's belief in his game at an all-time high.

"They were giving me my shot," Rose said. "I guess they'll learn. I guess the league will learn."

Even if opposing teams do learn, the Chicago Bulls point guard doesn't think it will matter much.

"I don't think there's any way (defenses) can take me out of the game," he said. "That's how confident I am."

Those are heady words, but this is a former MVP talking. Rose hasn't been at that level for several seasons thanks to his injury troubles, but as he rounds back into form, the signs of a rebirth are there.

For now, the numbers are somewhat modest. In 27.5 minutes, Rose is averaging 17.5 points and five assists, shooting 43.7 percent from the floor with an above-average player efficiency rating of 18. On a per-minute basis, those numbers measure up well with his career marks.

With the victory over Toronto, the Bulls are now 18-9, just three games out of the conference's top spot. Their goal, surely, is to peak in late April rather than late December, and it's easy to get excited about what this team will look like if Rose's confidence continues to grow and his game continues to make its way back.