Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose or Michael Jordan, Who Helped More in Year 3?

Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls are in the midst of a possible run to the NBA Finals for the first time since Michael Jordan led them to their second three-peat in 1998.

The question is, who was more impressive in their third year in the league; Michael Jordan or Derrick Rose?

In the 1986-87 season, Michael Jordan had been on the mend from a season before of only playing in a total of seven games due to a broken bone in his left foot.

He came back with a chip on his shoulder and was looking to make up for the season before.

Jordan ended up averaging a career high 37 points-per-game, to go alongside his 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assist and 2.9 steals per game.

With the kind of numbers that Jordan put up, one might think the Bulls had a successful season. On the contrary, the Bulls achieved minimal success that year.

In the end, Chicago's record in the 1986-87 season had been sub .500 at 40-42—an improvement from the 30-52 record a year before, but nothing spectacular. Despite making the playoffs that season, the Boston Celtics immediately swept them for the second straight year.

In Jordan's defense, the Bulls were filled with nobodies—a mediocre Brad Sellers, Charles Oakley and a young John Paxson that hadn't hit his stride.

Single-handedly responsible for the Bulls making the playoffs, Jordan scored more than 3,000 points in a season for the first time since Wilt Chamberlain did so in 1962-63.

However, the only accolade Jordan has to remember the 1986-87 season is his All-Star appearance.

On the other hand, in Derrick Rose's third year of play, he has so far led the Bulls to great heights.

Rose has taken the Bulls to a 62-20 record, which was best in the league in 2010-11.

Rose put up an average of 25 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.7 assist per game. He is just the eighth man in history to average those numbers.

Leading his team, who were without two of their main contributors for a combined 57 games this season, Rose earned a deserved MVP award to go along with his first start in an All-Star game.

With the Bulls on the brink of knocking the Hawks out of the playoffs, Chicago find themselves on a collision course with the Big Three of the Miami Heat.

If the Bulls can knock the Heat off and make it to their first finals in 13 years, it should all but stamp Rose's third year in the league as more impressive than Michael Jordan's.

Yes, Rose has a better surrounding cast than Jordan did back in 1986-87, but taking into account all the injuries that his main contributors suffered this season, I'd give Rose the nod ahead of Jordan all the same.

He is the Chicago Bull that proved more helpful to the team's cause in his third year of playing on basketball's biggest stage.