In response to:
Rose clocked driving 100 mph
Derrick Rose, the No. 1 draft choice of the Chicago Bulls and the NBA, will step into a Kane County court to face charges of driving more than 100 m.p.h. on the Reagan Tollway, his attorney said Tuesday. Rose, 19, who lives in Chicago's West Englewood community, was driving a 2008 Land Rover on April 29 when he was stopped at 2:58 a.m. about a mile west of Illinois Highway 47 for allegedly going 106 m.p.h. in a 65-m.p.h. zone, according to Kane County court records. He is scheduled to appear in court July 11.
This kid is not ready.  He simply does not have the maturity needed to take full advantage of his physical abilities yet.  I think that playing in his hometown will ultimately be too much for him to manage.  Rose's college coach has already confirmed that Rose has to overcome terrible nutritional and workout habits.  Now, he's had a court date before he even has a contract.  I'm not saying he's going to be the next Pacman, but this is alarming because he has not received his first NBA dollar.  Parenthetically, he may have already gotten his first endorsement dollar by now, but you know what I mean.

An important factor is that this happened April 29th.  What was he doing here?  Why wasn't he in class?  Where was he going?  Where was he coming from?  Who's car was it?  Why did he have access to it?  I grew up in Chicago's Auburn Gresham community which neighbors Rose's Englewood hood, and there are very few people from this side of town out in Kane County for anything much less at 3:00 AM in an '08 Range Rover!  Trust me on this one!  Without answers, these questions lead me to wonder more about his influences and the company he keeps.  This dude is still "new" money, and when he gets his first taste, he uses poor judgement.  Has he forgotten Jay Williams?  How comfortable would you be handing this young man millions of dollars?  Whether you are an owner, family member, or part of the entourage, you have to be concerned that this ship may be taking on water before its maiden voyage.

Thank goodness the NBA rookie scale prevents him striking it rich by NBA standards.  If this was Matt Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons would be trying to stop payment on that signing bonus.  Kirk Hinrich may not be the answer, but he's competent player and safe citizen.  He can be a credit to any NBA franchise at the proper salary.  Rose has too many associations in Chicago to allow him to fully focus on becoming a fully formed professional.  These distractions will be his demise, and this incident will be the first indication when we look back in a few years.