Derrick Rose: Why D-Rose Has the Resolve to Dethrone LeBron James
Derrick Rose and LeBron James are nothing alike. They play two different positions and are asked to do different things on both ends of the court. They have different heights, weights and body types.
LeBron James is already considered one of the league's all-times greats, people are just starting to register who Derrick Rose is.
Here's a quick story to give you a little bit of perspective on the difference between the statures of these two athletes. I was in Las Vegas this week eyeing a collectibles shop in Caesars Palace. The walls were covered with memorabilia from sports present and past.
They must have had between 50 and 100 pieces of NBA collectibles. Jerseys from LeBron, pictures of Kobe and a signed ball from Dirk Nowitzki, but not a single item from the league’s reigning MVP.
But perhaps there is more to the contrast than just glaring differences on the court. Rose has never seemed affected by his growing fame, while James is continually distracted by his.
As Dan Wetzel writes for Yahoo! Sports, it was James who allowed his free agency to become a media manipulation in order to move his own branding forward (a move that ultimately backfired due to poor advice from friends rather than experienced NBA counsel) and hold several NBA cities hostage in the process.
Rose, while never having had the opportunity to, is likely to never use the media as his pawn in free agency. When the time comes he’ll either stay in Chicago, or he’ll leave, but you can bet there won’t be a circus around it, regardless of his stature.
But all instances of fame and fortune aside, Rose needn’t concern himself with which player is more humble off the court. It only matters who gets the job done in the Eastern Conference finals.
It’s amazing to me how the tables have turned. In the span of three weeks all the Bulls advantages over the Heat don’t seem to matter and all the weaknesses the Bulls have matter now, more than ever.
While Rose doesn’t have the experience James does, or the raw physical skill James does (though Rose is quite skilled), Rose may still have the advantage. These games may come down to who wants them more, and when you measure both men, it’s Rose that has been focused since day one.
It’s Rose that set his sights on being the best he could for his team. His supporting cast, installed right after James went to South Beach, was met with no parade and their coach has allowed no victory laps.
The Bulls could not have cared less about beating a surprisingly pesky Atlanta Hawks team because they have learned the true value of focus. The times for hugs and pats on the back haven’t arrived for them. The Heat gushed over their series win against the Celtics like it mattered. As if it took pressure off of them.
For the Bulls the pressure is still on. They have won nothing yet, and failing to beat the Heat makes the season a failure. There are no moral victories in Chicago and Rose is the champion of that cause.
King James stepped up big for Miami in a tight Boston series, but Rose has been doing it for the Bulls since day one. When all is said and done, the Bulls know they have the best closer in the series, whether King James finally made good on a clutch opportunity or not, and that’s an advantage the Bulls can use to win this series.
Rose went through an entire offseason of hearing about Miami and how good the Heat would be. As the Bulls pulled it together he was continually doubted, and yet Rose cares little about all of it. He cares only about winning.
No circuses, no media frenzy and no self-proclaiming himself “The King.” He wants to win and to be the man doing it. He’s proven as much.
LeBron hasn’t proven that at all. If it takes the heart of a champion to win this series, then D-Rose is in good shape.
