Rose's return to send revelation Lucas back to Bulls' bench

With Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose’s expected return Sunday from a groin injury when the Bulls face the Knicks in New York, third-string point guard John Lucas III will find himself back on the bench.

However, in Rose’s recent 12-game absence, in which the team went 8-4, Lucas—the son of former NBA player and coach John Lucas—proved he belongs in the league, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

“I’m not here by accident,” Lucas told the newspaper. “I proved I can play with the best. That was my whole goal, to show people I could play. People who said I was here because of my father, I didn’t want to hear any of that. Every night I step on that court I want to prove everybody wrong.”

According to the Sun-Times, Lucas has been the biggest surprise of the Bulls’ season, although players and coaches say they have long known what he can do.

In his first NBA start, against the Washington Wizards, he scored 25 points, then he scored 20 against the Orlando Magic and had 24, including a late-game, fadeaway jumper over LeBron James, in a victory against the Miami Heat.

Asked if he has earned a measure of security now in a pro career in which he has been a bottom-of-the-roster NBA player as has included stints overseas in China, Spain and Italy, Lucas told the Sun-Times: “I don’t even think about stuff like that. It’s a business. This league is crazy. I go out there and play like it’s my last game every game. I don’t care if we’re up by 30 or down by 40, I’m going to go hard no matter what.”