Chicago Bulls 2009 Preview: Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose: Too soon. Its too soon to buy the hype. Even though he looks like a Google, we've got to temper him like he's Yahoo. But its hard. Just looking at the video (above), how do you not get excited? Road Runner speed, impossible quickness and athleticism. Best yet, he's an actual point guard. Not a shooting guard (AKA BG or Captain Kirk) filling the role of PG simply because they are short. Ben Gordon sees the court like Stevie Wonder sees the keys on a piano. Rose you ask? He's a little Magic Johnson, except more athletic. A pure pass first point guard. What more can you want?

Alright, I guess I fell into the hype trap. Seriously, we need to temper our expectations. Rose has not played one regular NBA season game. He would be a sophomore in college at Memphis. Wven while at Memphis, he ran what was really a fast court offense. Can he handle the half-court slow down offense typical of the NBA? I think so. I hope so. But this much is clear. I think Rose struggles early on, but by January, he's the best player on the Bulls team. Not so hard, when Drew Gooden is your best player. True. But this Rose will grow, sprout, and start flowering. P.S. There is a Rose called the Bermuda rose. I guess its a very rare and special rose. Maybe we call Derrick, "Derrick "the Bermuda" Rose. hmm...

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Mental: Unknown- (But, from what I can tell, I think he's got the righ attitude).
Physical: A- (Super athletic, pretty big already. Maybe a little too short.)
Skill Set: A- (He's got everything but the outsider jumper).
Will to win: Unknown (Memphis' meltdown in the NCAA championship game worries me a little).
Potential: Sky's the limit
Overall Grade: B+
Interesting Link: The complete guide to Derrick Rose.