Derrick Rose Defies Comparisons in Hot Start with Bulls

Who does Derrick Rose remind you of?

A friend posed the question to me as we stared in utter amazement at the gifted rookie’s latest acrobatic shot.

Already displaying an improved jumper and an ability to attack the basket at will, I pondered possible comparisons to the newest Chicago Bull.

Chris Paul? Isaiah Thomas?

“Who?”

“Stephon Marbury,” he said.

Stephon Marbury?

The same Marbury whose incessant complaining landed him a full-time job on the bench?

The same Marbury who refused to enter a game for the New York Knicks this year and thus has still yet to play a minute this season?

That Stephon Marbury?

My disillusioned friend rambled off Marbury’s stats prior to his disastrous trade to the Knicks and, yes, that Isaiah Thomas. Marbury averaged around 20 points and eight assists before the Big Apple. Not far off from the 19 points and six assists Rose is averaging through his first month as a pro.

After all, they were both highly touted in high school, with Marbury hailed as the next great New York City point guard for famed Lincoln High School and Rose leading Simeon Academy to two Illinois state championships.

They each stayed for the minimum in college, with Marbury leading Georgia Tech to the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament and Rose taking his Memphis squad all the way to the championship game, before each being selected as high first round NBA draft picks.

But that is where the similarities end.

Marbury has been in the middle of controversy throughout his career. With the Timberwolves, Marbury and Kevin Garnett formed a promising young duo, but the excitement in Minnesota came to abrupt end as Marbury complained about his role in the offense and demanded a trade in just his third season.

Players normally mature over time – just look at the evolution of the Kobe/Shaq saga, with Shaq recently saying he’d welcome a return to the Lakers – but Marbury never got the message. The once promising guard is now with his fourth team and is feuding with a second Knicks coach.

And some people thought Larry Brown was the problem.

But enough about Marbury and his failed attempts to reach the playoffs' second round.

Let’s get back to Rose.

There is something ingrained in Rose that Marbury never possessed: leadership and a team-first attitude.

“Derrick is one of the great players I've ever coached, but of even more importance, he is one of the greatest teammates I've been around," said Memphis coach John Calipari.

“This is not about the Bulls being Derrick’s team, the way the Lakers are Kobe’s team and the Cavaliers are LeBron’s team,” Rick Morrissey wrote in his Chicago Tribune column. “This is not about ownership. Too many players think that sort of thing is important. Anyone who spends 10 minutes talking with Rose knows it’s not important to him. Winning is, and he mentions it about every other sentence.”

Sense a theme?

Following his first game as a pro—and his first win—Rose spent the immediate moments following the game soaking up the win but dismayed over his four turnovers.

There is no question the kid has immediately improved the level of play in Chicago. The Bulls are three wins better then they were at this point last season, and that includes injuries sidelining Drew Gooden, Luol Deng, and most notably, Kirk Heinrich.

The coaching staff counted on Hinrich to ease Rose into the point guard position, but a thumb injury has sidelined him for three months. Forced into a larger role ahead of schedule Rose is already the unequivocal team leader.

After managing just two points at halftime against Golden State, Rose responded with 23 in the second half, leading Chicago to its first road win of the season in one of the most difficult of venues.

Two games later, Rose scored eight of his team’s final 10 points in a 101-100 squeaker in Utah.

Rose has done all this despite the pressure of playing in his hometown, inexperience, constant double-teams, and most of all, despite being a rookie.

All while Marbury sits at the end of the bench.

So who does Derrick Rose remind me of?

Someone with all the capabilities of returning the Chicago Bulls back to greatness.

But I’ll give Marbury this. With his Adidas signing, I don’t see Rose coming out with a $15 basketball shoe anytime soon.