Derrick Rose was drafted with the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, which was a very big deal in Chicago considering that the Bulls only had a 1.7% chance of receiving the number one pick in the draft lottery held last May. Since then Derrick Rose has performed at a level that some players in the league never reach. His numbers have been very solid since he has been drafted, and they will only get better as he progresses in his young career.

    Derrick Rose has been playing very good basketball. He started off his first season doing something that hasn't been done by a rookie in Chicago since Michael Jordan was on the team. Rose scored 10 points in each of his first 10 games of his career. Considering that the Bulls have drafted other college greats with top picks like Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Elton Brand, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah, that is quite an achievement in hindsight. Derrick Rose was also selected to the U.S. Select Team to scrimmage and help prepare the National Team for the Olympics in Beijing. Rose has been a real leader in the locker room all season, and unlike fellow rookies OJ Mayo and Brook Lopez, Derrick Rose makes players around him better.

   Derrick Rose is playing great ball and has some very nice numbers to prove it. He is 2nd in rookie scoring with 16.9 ppg and is first among rookies and 15th in the league in the assist category with 6.4 apg. The only part about Rose's game that can use some improvement is his 3-point shooting, which is at very low .259%. But the upsides to this kid???s game are his size (6'3) and his speed and athleticism. He is a freak athlete with the ability to create plays for him in the lanes, or make plays for other guys. He is a mix of Jason Kidd and Dwayne Wade in that he is a distributor with the ability to get to the rim with great athleticism. 

  I would look for Derrick Rose's numbers to grow pretty well considering they just made a trades before the deadline that will bring in Brad Miller at the center position, a player the Bulls desperately needed in the post. A guy who will give Rose more options and take some double teams to open up some shots for other guys. Also I like the addition of John Salmons, the 6'6 207 lb swingman out of Miami. He will be a guy to receive a lot of Derrick Rose passes for shots when you see Rose drive to the rim. I really feel now that Rose has some consistent players in the post, his assist numbers could easily move to 8+ assists a game, and if he works on his 3 point shot a little, he could easily drop 20+ points a night. Derrick Rose with these players is now in position to possibly take this Bulls team, who is one year removed from the play-offs, back to the play-offs this season. Derrick Rose will lead this team the best he can, and knowing how much of a winner and leader is, he won't be happy with a team that sits on a couch at home come playoff time, he is looking for a ring. But I think for now he will be happy with a ROY award.