Chicago Bulls vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Rose, Ricky Rubio on Display

It’s very rare that Derrick Rose ever steps on the floor with someone that could be just as exciting as he is, but Rose will do just that when the Chicago Bulls play the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night in Minneapolis, Minn.

Ricky Rubio has finally landed in the Land of a Thousands Lakes (I counted) and while he hasn’t made the immediate splash some may have hoped for, he’s still shown flashes of brilliance that justify why the T’wolves took him at No. 5 back in 2009.

Even though Rubio doesn’t start, he logs about 28 minutes per game and is often on the floor for the bulk of the fourth quarter. Given that Derrick Rose is averaging 36 minutes per game, he should see a lot of Rubio at the Target Center.

Now, one shouldn’t tune in to the Bulls vs. Timberwolves game expecting some sort of epic duel of two point guards trading crossovers and jumpers. Rose and Rubio have very distinct playing styles.

Derrick Rose is primarily a scorer who can pass and Rubio is primarily a passer who occasionally scores.

Rose is option number one in the Bulls’ set while Rubio looks for option number one plus a few more before finally taking a shot himself.

What makes the matchup so intriguing is how well these two stack up against each other.

The size factor is strikingly similar with Rose checking in at 6'3'' and 190 pounds and Rubio measuring 6'4'' at 180 pounds.

On the stat line, Rose averages 8.4 assists to Rubio’s 7.6, a difference that can be attributed to either more playing time or more options for Rose.

Rose averages 3.4 rebounds per game to Rubio’s 3.9. There’s hardly a difference there. The similarity is probably due to the position they play coupled with the fact that they are involved in every aspect of the game when they are on the floor.

But, the ultimate yin of Rose to Rubio’s yang will be how they try to stop each other from doing what they do best.

Can Rubio stay in front of Rose enough to where Derrick doesn’t get into the paint as much as he would like and is forced to take contested jumpers?

Can Rose play off of Rubio enough to alter his court vision and prevent him from finding the open man?

In those respects, each guard has his hands full in this contest.

The edge obviously goes to Rose here given his experience both in the NBA and with his team, however, seeing as how Rubio dropped three double-doubles in points and assists so far this season (including a 12-12 line in a close loss to the Miami Heat), it’s not too hard to believe that he can put on an entertaining exhibition tonight.

Basketball fans should enjoy this game. It looks to be the beginning of what is bound to become one of the most exciting point guard matchups down the line.