Dwyane Wade Talks About the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose
Chicago native Dwayne Wade, who is in Chicago for the fourth annual Wade’s World Weekend, had some praise and suggestions for Chicago’s other superstar guard and reigning MVP, Derrick Rose.
“He’s a phenomenal player, and not only that, he’s a phenomenal person,” Wade said of Rose. “I’ll never have nothing ill to say about D. Rose. The caliber of talent he has is second to none, but the person he is, it’s the same. I kind of look at him and say, I’m proud he’s from Chicago.”
Rose and Wade both grew up, at least partly, on the South side of Chicago, though Wade moved to the nearby suburb of Oak Lawn when he was eight years old.
“He’s kind of like me in the sense of his humbleness, his work ethic and the things he’s been through,” Wade added.
Asked if he saw things in their games which compared, Wade declared, “He’s a lot more explosive than me! He’s a lot more explosive than I’ve ever been! But you know, we’re both from Chicago. He’s got the tough grittiness to him. We’ve got the same style.”
Wade went on to say that the two connect when they do events together and that their families talk to each other. “When we see each other, we have the respect for each other that two kids from Chicago have.”
Earlier, Wade told ESPN’s Nick Fridell what the Bulls should be looking for in a shooting guard to play alongside their MVP.
"It would have to be a player that can take the pressure off him from making every play," Wade said. "As a point guard, when you have to score so much and have to make every big shot and have to make all the passes, eventually it takes a toll on you throughout the season no matter how phenomenal you are. So just someone who can come in and take some of that pressure away. That's why I was excited not only to play with my friend, but excited to play with a guy like LeBron, because it takes some of that pressure away from having to do it year after year after year. It saves you, your body."
Wade very nearly was that person last summer, though at the time, Derrick Rose was still a long shot to win the MVP and no one knew how good he was going to be.
"I was very serious about wanting to play in Chicago," Wade said. "I visualized myself being alongside Derrick Rose many times and Joakim Noah and all those guys many times.
"It didn't happen, but you never know what the outcome would be. Obviously they did a great job."
Would a Rose and Wade backcourt have compared with—what is widely considered as the greatest and most electric backcourt of all time—Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and Walt Frazier?
“I don’t know. I wasn’t around at that time, but I’ve heard great things about it,” he laughed.
Chicago laments that we never will either.
Kelly Scaletta is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.
