Derrick Rose's Quick Progress Should Have Every NBA Fan Excited

After seeing him shooting around before the Chicago Bulls took down the New York Knicks, excitement has grown surrounding the return of Derrick Rose, an emotion that should spread to more than just Bulls fans.

As one of the league's most thrilling players to watch, both in person and on television, there shouldn't be any basketball fans lamenting his return.

The popular guess about Rose is that he'll be able to make his way back to the court sometime soon after the All-Star break. But there isn't a definite return date set yet.

Not only was he caught on tape shooting jumpers before Friday's game, but he has actually dunked here and there, according to this tweet from teammate Jimmy Butler:

"

Derrick Rose is dunking again. Nothing spectacular, but still a good sign. "I've seen a few flushes here and there," Jimmy Butler said.

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 9, 2013"

The simplest things are getting people excited, and they should. Just watch him shooting around at Madison Square Garden, and tell me you're not ready to see him back in action.

Of course, you can fear for your team's fate if you're a fan of an Eastern Conference team, because the return of Rose is going to lead to a dangerous Bulls team.

There are people who are going to doubt whether he's going to be able to come back and play at a high level. After all, repairing an ACL is about as serious to a basketball player as Tommy John surgery is to a pitcher.

One of the most encouraging signs is actually the recent recovery and domination by Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.

Peterson tore his ACL on December 24, 2011, underwent surgery just a few days later and went on to play in every game for the Vikings this season, nearly breaking the single-season rushing record in the process.

By the middle of August, less than eight months after his surgery, Peterson was in training camp preparing for the upcoming season.

If we want to put Rose on the same timetable, assuming that he's on pace to continue what looks to be the new normal in athletics, he's right alongside Peterson, just over eight months past the date of his surgery.

So why should that excite everybody?

Well, it took Peterson just a month to look like his old self and go into full-on beast mode (sorry, Marshawn Lynch), racking up at least 100 yards rushing in 10 of Minnesota's final 13 games.

Given that, Rose should have plenty of time to recover at his leisure (rushing him back would be a silly move), play his way into a comfortable position and just get to clicking by the time the playoffs start.

If you're a fan of the Bulls, a fan of exciting basketball or just a fan of Rose doing insane things in general, your time is rapidly approaching.

If you're none of the above, I suggest you check your pulse, because you might be dead.