4 Advantages Derrick Rose Brings to Chicago Bulls

There is no denying the impact Derrick Rose has on the Chicago Bulls as their unquestioned leader, Rose has taken the reigns of one of the proudest franchises in the NBA. 

Rose led the Bulls to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against LeBron James and the Miami Heat last season. 

On an individual level, Rose propelled himself from above average player to the NBA's Most Valuable Player a rare feat for someone of his size. 

For the Bulls, Rose is even more.

He is the light at the end of the tunnel created by Michael Jordan and the ultra-successful Chicago Bulls teams of the 1990s. 

When Jordan retired in 1998, the Bulls were in complete disarray.

The eventual buildup of a playoff team centered on Eddy Curry, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon was a nice diversion, but Bulls fans hungered for much more. After seeing star power personified from Jordan, Bulls fans needed that again; they need to be back in the NBA championship picture, and Rose has done that.

Rose has the Bulls off to the races again in 2011-12 jumping out to a 6-1 start, but more importantly Rose and the Bulls have not missed a beat and despite not making a splash in the offseason.

Plain and simple, Rose is a special talent. A talent above and behind anything the Bulls have seen since Jordan.

Why is Rose such a special player? What makes him such a great member of the Chicago Bulls?

In this slideshow, I look at four aspects of Rose’s game and character that give him and more importantly the Bulls an advantage over not only other point guards but also the entire NBA.

Rose Is the Best Player at His Position in the NBA

This subject brings up a lot of debate. Allow me to specific that Rose is the best "player" at the point guard position. Better than Rajon Rondo, better than Russell Westbrook, better than Deron Williams and, last but not least, better than Chris Paul. 

Is he a better pure point guard than Rondo, Williams or Paul? No, he probably is not. If you are looking for a pass-first point guard, keep looking.

However if you are looking for the best player at the point guard position Derrick Rose is your man. 

Rose leads all point guards in scoring at 21.5 points per game; he is first in free throws, first in Win Shares (1.2). 

While one game certainly does not settle the debate, Rose dominated Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers to the tune of 29 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds.

It does not prove that Rose is better than Paul, but it was certainly a statement.  

There is no denying the impact Rose has on the Bulls and his team and should be no argument about who the best point guard in the NBA is…regardless of how he plays the position. 

Rose Has a Winning Pedigree

It is hard to argue with history. 

I am not usually one for intangibles or calling individuals "winners," but Rose has a pedigree of winning dating back to high school.

Few players have the winning resume Rose has. 

As a member of the Simeon Wolverines, Rose won the IHSA Class AA Championship in his junior and senior years. 

Rose moved onto college where as his Memphis Tigers reached the NCAA national championship game in 2008, Rose's first and only season at the university.

Thus far in the NBA, Rose has picked up right where he left off, leading the Chicago Bulls to three straight playoff appearances, including an Eastern Conference Finals berth against LeBron James and the Miami Heat. 

The next step for Rose is obviously an NBA Championship, and I do not think it will be too long before he can claim that.

Rose Always Looks to Improve His Game

I love this trait most about Rose. He is seemingly never content with his game and always looking for improvements. 

Rose had trouble getting to the foul line, so what did he do? Rose improved his free throw attempts per game from 3.1 in his rookie season to a career-high 6.9 last season. 

Rose was not a great three-point shooter. He then improved his percentage from 22 percent to 26 percent to an outstanding 33 percent last season. 

Rose needed to shoulder more of a load on the Bulls offense. Easy stuff. Rose brought his points per game total from 16.8 to 25. 

Need to get better on defense? Easy again, Rose brought his Defensive Win Shares from 4.9 to 6.0 and then exploded for 13.1 in 2010-11?

Simply put, when Rose notices an inefficiency with his game he does not hide that part of his game, instead he works on it and improves. 

Beyond the numbers he's improved his overall dribbling, improved his help defense, starting taking more three pointers, improved his floor vision and no doubt has become and embraced his role as leader of the Chicago Bulls. 

Like the great players before him, Rose is constantly working to improve. 

Rose Is Chicago Born and Raised

This is the intangible portion of the slideshow, but its impact cannot be understated. 

Rose is an advantage to the Bulls and Bulls fans alike because he is Chicago through and through. 

Despite being born in arguably the worst neighborhood in Chicago, Rose embraces his roots and has become one of Chicago's most visible stars. 

From a public relations standpoint Rose, staying home could not have worked out better.

Rose has a built in audience of Chicagoans that saw him rise up to the top of the state as a member of Simeon to the hometown boy that nearly brought a national title to Memphis.

The city of Chicago has followed Rose every step along the way. 

The very idea that the Bulls best player lives and trains in the city is also a tremendous benefit; fans see Rose as their hometown boy.

Rose is the kid who rose up from the roughest neighborhood in the city and became a superstar for their beloved Chicago Bulls. 

You cannot write stories that good. 

From a national perspective, Rose's situation is unlike any other. LeBron James was once in this spot, leading his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to the top of the NBA before leaving for the greener pastures of South Beach and the Miami Heat. 

At this point, no player is as aligned with his hometown team as Rose is to the Chicago Bulls. 

Likewise, Chicago has no issue buying Rose jerseys, shirts, and hats or purchasing tickets to watch their hometown boy do his thing for the hometown team. 

The Bulls have always been popular in and around Chicago, but with Rose, it is at another level.