Derrick Rose vs. Isiah Thomas: Which Point Guard Star Would You Take?
No player in the NBA is having more of a MVP-type season than the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose.
The 2011 All-Star starter is averaging 25.1 points and 7.8 assists per game. Those are the best stats by a Bull since Michael Jordan in the late '90s.
Drafted first overall by the Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft, Rose has gone from an exciting up and coming star to arguably the top point guard in the league, surpassing the likes of Chris Paul and Deron Williams.
And he's led Chicago to the best record in the Eastern Conference even though the team has been without the services of Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah for several games due to injury.
If Rose continues to put up MVP numbers for years to come and manages to win a championship or two, he will likely be considered one of the top 10 greatest point guards in NBA history someday.
A player who everybody agrees is a top 10 point guard of all time is former Detroit "Bad Boy" Pistons star Isiah Thomas.
After leading Indiana University to a National Championship as a sophomore, Thomas was selected by Detroit with the the second overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft. He would go on to play his entire 13-year career in the Motor City, leading the team to back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.
In addition, Thomas won an NBA Finals MVP, was an All-Star every year except for his last and was named one of the 50 greatest players in league history.
Let's say you were an NBA general manager and you had to build your franchise around either Rose or Thomas in his prime. Who would you choose?
Sure, it's really foolish to place the two in the same sentence, knowing that Rose is only in his third professional season, and Thomas played 13 years in the league, won two rings and is a first ballot Hall of Famer.
But in a way, they're sort of similar. Both were born and raised in Chicago, both are known for their ridiculous speed and quickness, and both were/are dangerous scorers.
As far as stats are concerned, Rose may be the better scorer of the two. His 25 ppg this season is more than Thomas ever averaged during his career. Thomas' career-high was 22.9 ppg, which he accomplished in his second season as a pro.
And when it comes to shooting, Rose has the edge. He has career numbers of about 47 percent form the field, 31 percent from three-point land and 82 percent from the free throw line. Also, he's hit a career-best 126 treys this season, while Thomas failed never managed to knock down more than 61 in a season.
Thomas career shooting numbers are 45 percent from the field, 31 percent from beyond the arc and 76 percent from the charity stripe.
However, Rose can't compete with Thomas in terms of getting his teammates involved. Thomas averaged at least 8.3 assists per game in nine different seasons, including a career-high 13.9 in 1984-85. Rose is averaging just 6.7 apg for his career.
Nothing against Rose, but it's highly unlikely that he will ever come close to 13.9 apg for a season. That's just an insane stat.
When defense enters the conversation, Thomas is also superior. Thomas averaged no fewer than 2.1 steals per game in his first five seasons in the league and 1.9 for his career. He also recorded over 100 steals in every season except two and reached a career-best 204 in his third season.
Meanwhile Rose has averaged only 0.9 steals for his career and is yet to rack up more than 85 in a single season.
If D-Rose were to go up against a young Isiah, Rose would probably win because he's much faster and stronger. However, Thomas clearly has the more accomplished career of the two.
Rose may one day trump Thomas, but he's got a long, very long, way to go.
