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| Rose joins Michael Jordan as the only Bulls to be named MVP. (US Presswire) |
LINCOLNSHIRE—Right from the start, Derrick Rose wondered why he couldn’t be the MVP. It turns out, nothing could stop him. Rose officially became the NBA’s youngest MVP on Tuesday and joined Michael Jordan as the only Bulls player to win the award, which was no surprise given his spectacular season and Chicago’s leap to a league-leading 62 wins. He has a ways to go before he catches Jordan, who won five MVPs and led the way to two championship three-peats, but he sure is off to a good start.Rose ranked seventh in scoring and 10th in assists, making him the only player this season in the top 10 in both categories. The only other Bull to do so was Jordan in 1988-89, when he led the league in scoring (32.5 points) and finished 10th in assists. Throw in a 4.1 rebounding average, and Rose joins another elite group. He’s the seventh player in league history to average at least 25 points, 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds, along with Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Wade and James.
“We all knew how good he could be,” Luol Deng said. “It’s a big surprise for all of us how quick he got there. We knew he was going to get there; we said that from the start. He’s just a hard worker, a humble kid. He’s really out there just to win games.”
In the postseason, he’s been just as impressive. He scored 39 and 36 points in the first two playoff games against Indiana. Then he shook off two sub-par performances and a sprained left ankle to score 25 points in Game 5 as the top-seeded Bulls closed out what had been a tight first-round series with a 116-89 victory. They stumbled in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta, losing 103-95. Rose scored 24 points, but he hit just 11 of 27 shots and did not attempt a free throw. He also limped off the court after twisting his left ankle, but expects to be ready for Game 2 on Wednesday. It’s been a rapid, steady climb for a player who came into the league with soaring expectations. He helped Simeon High School become the first Chicago Public League team to win back-to-back state championships, then led Memphis to the NCAA championship game before the Bulls drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2008 after defying 1.7-percent odds to win the lottery.