Is Derrick Rose Correctly Placed at Number 8 in ESPN's NBA Rank?

Recently, ESPN did a rather long segment where they ranked every player in the NBA from number 1, all the way to number 500. Coming in at number eight on their list is Chicago's own Derrick Rose. 

The question is though, is eight the right spot for the reigning MVP? In this slideshow, Rose will be compared to each of the players ranked higher than him on the ESPN list.

Number 7: Kobe Bryant

I really didn't like ESPN's final rankings and the way they came out. Sure, Kobe is getting a little long in the tooth for an NBA player, but he is still one of the greatest players in the history of the game. I mean, come on ESPN, show the man some love.

In comparison to Derrick Rose, Kobe is rightfully higher. The numbers and championships he has produced, along with the consistency he has performed with through out the years, give Kobe his spot here.

Kobe is well known for having a great work ethic, which has led to his success. Derrick is very similar to a young Kobe in that regard; if D-Rose can have a long career that only matches Kobe's production, Bulls fans will be thrilled.

All in all, Kobe simply has done things Derrick has yet to do, making him rightfully placed higher.

Number 6: Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is certainly one heck of a player, and a phenomenal scorer. With his immense size, coupled with his ability to put the ball in the hoop, KD just might have an MVP future.

It's hard to compare Durant and Rose to each other. Sure, they are roughly the same age, and together might be the future of the NBA, but their styles of play are very different.

In the end, Rose should be ranked higher than Durant. Even playing without a superstar like Durant is in Westbrook, Rose has managed to take his team closer to an NBA championship, and turned in an MVP season along the way.

Number 5: Dirk Nowitzki

This comparison isn't even a question. Dirk took a team that arguably has a weaker supporting cast than the Bulls (Chandler, Terry and Kidd vs. Noah, Deng and Boozer) and turned them into champions, something Rose has yet to do.

Another aspect where Dirk is much better than Rose is in clutch time. Rose still is not great at finishing with :10 seconds left to win the game; he has missed a couple potential game winning shots throughout his career (although he has made a couple too). If Rose could incorporate Dirk's ability to finish at the buzzer, he would shoot up the rankings.

At the time, hard to fault ESPN for putting Dirk here.

Number 4: Chris Paul

Highly debatable right here. A pure, prototypical point guard with a long range jumper and the ability to dish the rock in Paul versus a new breed athletic, scoring guard who can still dish it in Rose. 

Any team that has either Paul or Rose would be lucky to have them. But of the two, Rose is the better player and should be higher on the rankings than Paul. True, Paul does have better assist numbers, but Rose has done several key things Paul never has, including: leading a team to the best record in the NBA, making the conference finals and winning the MVP.

True, they have different supporting casts, but a point guard is supposed to make his team better. It's like an NFL quarterback: The most important stat is Super Bowl wins. As Rose is closer to winning the big one than Paul, and has equal or better stats, he gets the nod.

Number 3: Dwyane Wade

Contrary to the Chris Paul pick, I find this one hard to fault. Wade has been performing consistently for a longer time period and has won an NBA championship. It won't be long though, before Derrick Rose passes him on this list.

And as the most similar player to Rose on this list, its remarkable to see how far D-Rose has come in his short amount of time in the league. Honestly, if you said when he was drafted Rose would, in three years: win an MVP, lead the Bulls to the best record, and will soon be better than Dwyane Wade, you would be called crazy.

In the end, ESPN got this one right. At the end of next season, though, expect Rose to be higher than Wade.

Number 2: Dwight Howard

Yes, it's him. As I've written before, I'm very against a Dwight Howard to the Bulls trade. But it's hard to deny he is better than Rose at this point. To prevent any "should the Bulls trade for D12?" debate, let's just leave it with the fact that Howard is where he should be ranked. 

Number 1: LeBron James

It's him. Whether you love or hate him (definitely hate him), it's hard to argue that, at this point, Derrick Rose should be ranked higher than him. LeBron has a couple of MVP trophies to throw around, but still no rings.

All in all, Rose and LeBron are similar as they are freak athletes dominating their competition on the court. However, as Rose has such a noted work ethic, it will not be surprising if he eventually becomes number two to LeBron, or passes him to become the number one player in the NBA.

And Rose will definitely win more rings than the "King" ever does. For now though, LeBron is rightfully the best in the NBA.