Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose Is League MVP Through First Two Months

When Derrick Rose asked, "Why not me for MVP?" most people probably shrugged it off and did not think twice about it.

Well, just over two months into the NBA season, Rose is exactly that: The leader of the MVP race. With all due respect to Dirk Nowitzki, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Deron Williams, Rose is the guy. 

Rose not only has the numbers, just under 24 points per game and 8.5 assists per game, but he has had to carry a Bulls team that has played all but about two weeks without either Carlos Boozer or Joakim Noah.

The Bulls missed Boozer for the first 15 games of the season as he recovered from a broken finger. Rose led the Bulls to a 9-6 record, including a 4-3 mark on their annual circus trip. 

About two weeks after Boozer came back, Noah went out with thumb surgery. 

No other MVP candidate has had to deal with injuries to its second and third best players that have kept them out for extended periods of time. 

Rose also has the Bulls sitting atop the Central Division and it looks like they will run away with it. They're also in third place in the Eastern Conference and have won 14 of their last 16 games through January fourth. 

None of this stopped Rose from taking his game to another level. From the get go, Rose has been scoring the ball and has been the primary playmaker for the Bulls. With the return of Boozer, some of the scoring load has been taken away from Rose, but he is still the guy with the ball in his hands when it matters most.

Before the season, one of the bigger concerns with the Bulls was who would the ball go to in the last few minutes of a close game. There were doubts as to whether Rose could be that guy or not. He put those doubts to rest pretty early on in the season.

Throughout the season, Rose has thrived in the fourth quarter. In the Bulls' first game on the circus trip against Houston, Rose scored 17 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Bulls to a comeback. A couple weeks later against the same Houston team, Rose nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer of regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime.

The following night in a loss to the Spurs, Rose scored 33 points again.  

Against Cleveland, the Bulls were down one and with just under 20 seconds left, Rose took the ball to the rim, scored a lay-up, and was fouled. He converted the three-point play and the Bulls went on to win. 

The biggest improvement with Rose has been his three-point shot. He not only is taking more, but he is making more. He already has more three's attempted made this season than in his previous two seasons combined. 

The threat of Rose as a three-point shooter has opened up the driving lanes a lot more for him. Although he has not been getting the respect of the referees in getting to the foul line, that certainly has not stopped him from being aggressive. 

When Noah went down, Rose took it upon himself to make up for some of the rebounds the team was missing by improving his own rebounding ability. He has averaged 5.2 rebounds per game since Noah went out with his thumb injury. 

That is what MVPs do. They elevate their game when their teams need it most. All season, Rose has elevated his game to newer heights when he has needed to. This type of play is not just going to continue until the Bulls are fully healthy. This type of play will be the norm for Rose throughout his prime. 

The scary part is, Rose has not reached his prime yet.