The Chicago Bulls’ PG Derrick Rose: Overrated?

For anyone who is sick of the Jeremy Lin hullabaloo and wants to hear about basketball outside of a .500 franchise, enjoy this article.

It is no secret that Chicago Bulls PG Derrick Rose is the type of franchise cornerstone that a championship team can thrive with. He can score at will, is a born leader at such a young age, and led the Chicago Bulls into immediate contention last season. It is unlikely that anyone but Colin Cowherd agrees, but the MVP is the talk about the most valuable player in the league, not necessarily the flashiest scorer or a fan pick.

The evidence against Derrick Rose and in favor of Miami Heat SF LeBron  James last season is astounding. In this day of statistical record keeping and deeper analysis, it is clear that LeBron James deserved the MVP award. Starting with last season, through the playoffs, and boiling over this year. Chicago Bulls PG Derrick Rose obviously is a class act at his position, but is he the best in the NBA?

The first anecdote begins with the Chicago Bulls as a whole. This team wins on defense and inside play. Of course, Derrick Rose is the heart and soul of the scoreboard each night. The Bulls can and will win without Derrick Rose, as shown by their 7-2 record since Rose has missed time with back issues. The Bulls showed resilience on the road, and took a complete lineup to outlast the Boston Celtics last night. The Bulls are certainly a better team with Rose, but the MVP is a guy that no team can win without.

Last season, Derrick Rose shot a paltry 43% from the field. The media stirred hatred for LeBron James last season was so outrageous that the term “volume scorer” was created specifically for Rose. This term is now used today to legitimize a scorer who plain stinks at shooting, but takes such an exorbitant amount of shots that their PPG still looms high.

Of course, that is all Rose is truly great at. He is a poor distributor, has yet to blossom defensively, and takes far too many shots to keep his FG% steady. LeBron, on the other hand, has posted far better field goal numbers, nearly outscored him last season with far fewer shots, almost had more assists, and obviously out rebounded Rose.

Even with two superstars to flank him and a host of hot shooters, LeBron was able to score a lot with a higher percentage. This season, it is not even close. LeBron has scorched the opposition on both sides of the floor. This includes a shutdown performance in the fourth quarter against Derrick Rose in which James was asked to blanket Rose for the remainder of the game.

Yet for all the insults hurled James’ way about his deferring in the clutch to Miami Heat SG Dwyane Wade, he had no problem annihilating the Bulls including a scintillating display in game 5, when most TV sets in the Miami Metro area were long shut off in disgust. Of course, nobody can forget the two free throws blown by Rose this season. The airball to finish a game that the Heat won in overtime is another example.

In that series, LeBron James shot ten percent better from the field.

If the numbers don’t do it, if the playoffs won’t show it, then somebody is still in denial. LeBron James is the best player in the NBA, and deserves his credit.

Tags: Derrick Rose, dwyane wade, Lebron James