Chicago Bulls: Will Derrick Rose Ever Live Up to the Hometown Hype?

Derrick Rose is Chicago's bona fide star and one of the NBA's best players, but will he ever live up to the hometown hype?

The answer depends on who is hyping up the question.  For fans expecting Rose to be the next Michael Jordan, the answer is no, because there will only ever be one Air Jordan.  But, fans expecting Rose to lead the Bulls to an NBA title and become Chicago's next Hall of Fame guard will probably see their wishes come true.

Rose is that good.

When Rose went to the Memphis Tigers as a college freshman, he was the No. 2 prospect in the nation. Already famous in the Chicago area—where fellow high schoolers would tromp down to Simeon to see his games—Rose was an NBA star in the making.  

At Memphis, he led the Tigers to the NCAA title game where they lost to the Kansas Jayhawks on a last-second play.  Rose did not put up amazing statistics for Memphis; he averaged 14.9 points, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds on 47 percent shooting.  But teams were enamored by his budding court vision, incredible athleticism and seemingly limitless potential as a true scoring point guard.

So, when Chicago took him with the No. 1 pick to be the city's hometown hero, there was so much hype surrounding his arrival and potential that it was impossible for Rose to live up to it right away.  But, he grew quickly in his first two seasons and won his first NBA MVP award in his third—at age 22.  Yes, 22, you read that correctly; he became the youngest MVP in NBA history.

He did it by working really hard and honing his game.  Rose came into the league as an exceptional pure athlete, but he was a poor shooter, particularly from range.  As he became a better shooter in his first few seasons, he became one of the league's most unguardable players.  

After that, he got injured and was not the same in his fourth season—playing only half the team's games before bowing out in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs.  But, with surgery and a full year to recover, he should return even better.  

The frightening (frighteningly good for Bulls fans) thing is that Rose still has not reached his NBA potential. His mid-range game and free-throw shooting can both improve significantly, which will make him nearly impossible to guard on the perimeter.  And, if he learns to draw more obvious contact—and therefore fouls—he will be nearly unstoppable in the paint.

How is that for living up to the hometown hype?