By SAM AMICO
FOXSportsOhio.com
March 6, 2011
Derrick Rose for NBA MVP?
That seems to be all the talk these days, and I keep asking myself, 'Well, why not?'
The Chicago Bulls have the second-best record in the East (43-18), and their starting point guard is the biggest reason why. Rose has also turned the Bulls into more than just a hard-working team with some young talent.
They also must be considered a legitimate threat to reach the Finals. Just look at what the Bulls have done lately.
In the past two weeks, they have won at Orlando, at Washington and at Milwaukee, and defeated Miami both at home and on the road.
Or how about this as a case for the Bulls: As far as we know, no other team has made Heat players cry after the game.
The Bulls have also split their two-game season series with both San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers. So it's not as if they are beating up only on the 90-pound weaklings.
Rose is the biggest reason, and he has been as reliable as any All-Star in the league. He also has been at least as good as Phoenix's Steve Nash when Nash won those back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and '06.
Like Nash, Rose is a master of creating scoring opportunities for himself and is the ultimate distributor. For instance, it's no coincidence Bulls forward Luol Deng is having a strong year. Rose is getting Deng the ball where and when Deng needs it most.
The difference between today's Rose and yesterday's Nash is Rose is a considerably better defender. In fact, when first-year coach Tom Thibodeau brought his defense-first philosophy to Chicago, he knew Rose would be the perfect guy to get everything started out top.
Rose is averaging 24.6 points - and just to offer another example of how consistent he is, that's a number he averages in both wins and losses. So even when the Bulls falter, you can hardly blame this guy. He is also averaging career highs of 8.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Rose's lone weakness is his 3-point shooting. He is shooting just better than 32 percent on 3s. Entering Monday night's game against New Orleans, had missed 16 in a row. But he makes up for it with pure speed and an ability to get in the lane against anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Sure, there are plenty of good ones out there. Such guys as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant have to be considered league MVP candidates every season. And as surprisingly good as Rose and the Bulls have been, they aren't the Celtics or Spurs.
But take Rose off the Bulls and they would likely turn into the Minnesota Timberwolves or, at best, the Indiana Pacers. Instead, the Bulls appear to be primed for a run deep into the playoffs with the likes of Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and a few others.
Mostly, because Rose is showing them all the way.
That right there makes him worthy of MVP talk. And if he continues at this pace, that will be more than talk. For Rose, being chosen the league's best player will be reality.
Who's No. 8?
With a bit more than a month and around 20 games left, the picture of who will be the East's bottom two playoff seeds is becoming clearer.
That's especially the case now that Charlotte guard Stephen Jackson will be missing time because of a strained hamstring. Jackson is the Bobcats' lone go-to guy following the trade of Gerald Wallace to Portland. Without Jackson, the 'Cats have no chance. Heck, they may not make it even with Jackson.
That leaves Philadelphia, Indiana, Milwaukee and Detroit.
The 76ers have been the best of that group, having overachieved in their first year under Doug Collins, a true Coach of the Year candidate. Collins' mostly young bunch won 32 of its first 62 games and currently holds the No. 7 seed. It would actually be a surprise if the Sixers slipped, considering everyone beneath them is so average.
Meanwhile, the Pacers were 27-35 entering Monday night, one game in front of the Bobcats for the No. 8 seed. The Bucks and Pistons, meanwhile, each had 23 wins and would need to get hot if they hope for the right to play Boston, Chicago or Miami in the first round.
So the smart pick is probably the Pacers, who seem to win just enough to remain slightly interesting. Considering where they have been in recent years, that would be a big step.
And anyone who thinks getting beat in the first round is meaningless, needs only to look at the Oklahoma City Thunder this season.
You never know. The team to take a step forward next season, as the Thunder have this season, could a Sixers team of Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young and Elton Brand that continues to play together - or a Pacers team led by Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and Darren Collison that finally learns how.
