Tag: Derrick Rose

On this day: Derrick Rose becomes youngest MVP in NBA history

11 years ago today, D-Rose hoisted the MVP trophy for the Chicago Bulls.

Derrick Rose — a Chicago legend through-and-through.

On this day 11 years ago, Derrick Rose became the youngest player to win the MVP award in NBA history at just 22-years-old.

During his MVP campaign, Rose averaged 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game in 81 games for the Chicago Bulls, helping lead them to a league-best 62-20 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, before ultimately falling to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Rose, born and raised in Chicago, was one of their own and quickly became a fan favorite in the United Center and across the world. The level of athleticism and explosion from a guard like D-Rose was something the league hadn’t seen before. His gravity defining dunks made him a staple in the league and on highlight reels before injuries took a toll on his career just a year after winning the MVP.

Following tearing his ACL in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, Rose struggled to find himself again on the floor and reach that level of stardom. In three seasons with the Bulls following the initial injury, Rose averaged 16.9 points per game as his athleticism and shiftiness wasn’t anywhere close to his peak.

Since his tenure with the Bulls ended after the 2015-16 season, Rose has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Detroit Pistons, and the New York Knicks, where he currently is under contract.

Despite the fall from stardom, Rose’s MVP season will forever live on in NBA history.

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A short history of Grayson Allen playing dirty after yet another incident

Grayson Allen was up to his usual dirty tricks against the Bulls, and given his history, it’s fair to wonder how the man is still a professional basketball player.

Picture this: It’s a cool and calm Friday night. The Bulls and Bucks are duking it out in what might be the start of a fun rivalry. Sneakers are squeaking against the hardwood floor, there’s basketball being played, and all is right with the world. That is, basketball was on your mind until a fight, per se, broke out.

In the first of four matchups, the Bucks may have beaten the Bulls, but the game’s outcome was hardly the main story. That’s because Milwaukee’s infamous bottom-of-the-bench mainstay Grayson Allen just had to make himself a presence (in an awful way) and couldn’t help himself.

After making a career of “savvy” sleights of hands (and feet) in college at Duke, Milwaukee’s glorified eighth man was up to his usual tricks against Chicago and top sixth man, Alex Caruso.

Following the play, officials ejected Allen, and Caruso was not only able to finish the game, but OK.

Or not.

Not only is it a massive blow to a Bulls squad who already leans on Caruso’s versatility on both ends of the court, but it’s also another instance where Allen, quite clearly, couldn’t make a regular basketball play.

A moderate shove? Sure. Making a point to wrap up Caruso safely before he jumps into the air? Yes. Clotheslining a guy and slamming him to the ground? Come on; it’s not 1988 anymore. Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman, and I mean this with no disrespect (sort of), would be dinosaurs in an era of the game that, you know, focuses on playing the game first, and hurting the opponent never.

Their modern protege didn’t even bother apologizing for his dangerous antics.

Unfortunately, the slam and throw of Caruso is par for the course for Allen.

(Mind you: This may be an incomplete resume of “non-basketball” plays. And what a euphemism that word is.)

First, there was that mentioned rap sheet at Duke.

As if everyone didn’t already loathe the Blue Devils to their core, Allen stood out amongst the pack.

Then, during his second season with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019, he took back-to-back flagrant fouls and was ejected from a Summer League game against the Celtics. You read that right. Officials threw Allen out of a preseason men’s professional basketball game, otherwise known as glorified practice.

Finally, earlier this season, he tried to trip the Knicks’ Derrick Rose on a straight-line driver rather than square his feet and play defense like a well-adjusted person.

With all of this history in mind, in addition to his takedown of Caruso, it’s unfathomable how Allen remains in the league. When he was a kid, he had to be that one teammate taking warmups far too seriously before eventually giving one of his (former) friends a bloody nose while wondering why no one likes him. (Man, please relax. There’s still a game to be played, and Johnny’s starting tonight!)

It’s unclear how the Bucks feel about their eighth man in private, but the rest of the basketball world would rather see this boxer-turned-ball player hang up the laces for good.

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Lonzo Ball did something no Bulls player has done since Derrick Rose

Lonzo Ball put up a very impressive plus/minus number in the Bulls’ beatdown of the Pistons.

The Chicago Bulls decimated the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night at the United Center, winning 133-87 in the Bulls’ most lopsided scoreline of the season.

Chicago only led by a single point after the first quarter, but the Bulls really broke the game open in the third, outscoring the Pistons 36-14 en route to the 46-point margin.

Guard Lonzo Ball had a solid night, but at first glance his stat line looks fairly ordinary. Ball drained four threes and finished the game with 18 points, along with six rebounds and five assists.

His plus/minus for the game, however, ended up at an absurd +39 – the highest number a Bulls player has posted since Derrick Rose in 2012, according to StatMuse.

The player with the highest single-game plus/minus in Bulls history is Ronnie Brewer, who on New Year’s Day in 2012 finished +48 in Chicago’s 104-64 win over the Grizzlies.

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Report: Knicks among teams interested in trade for Rockets guard Eric Gordon

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks have interest in potentially trading for Rockets guard Eric Gordon this season.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, we should add Thursday’s Houston Rockets opponent, the Knicks, to the long list of potential suitors for veteran guard Eric Gordon as the Feb. 10 trade deadline for the 2021-22 NBA season gradually draws near.

The widespread interest in Gordon is understandable. He turns 33 years old on Christmas, and Houston is in the middle of a rebuilding movement prioritizing the development of young players like 21-year-old Kevin Porter Jr. and 19-year-olds Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun.

But the Rockets (9-20) value Gordon’s on-court play in helping stabilize the season after a 1-16 start, and they also like his influence on younger teammates and their development. Gordon is already signed for 2022-23 at a reasonable salary of under $20 million annually, and he’s defending at an elite level and shooting well above 40% from 3-point range.

Thus, in a league craving “3&D” wings, Houston knows it can be patient and wait for a team to meet their understandably high asking price (likely involving prospects and/or future draft assets to better match with the timeline of general manager Rafael Stone’s rebuilding plan.

Might the Knicks (13-16) be that team? It’s a huge market team that has largely underachieved to this point in the season after making the 2020-21 Eastern Conference playoffs. Thus, there are high expectations from ownership that are failing to be met. Moreover, as Berman notes, there is a connection between Gordon and veteran Derrick Rose.

Knicks point guard Derrick Rose has had Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon on his radar. Now, with the Dec. 15 trade marker past, Knicks president Leon Rose does, too.

The Post reported in 2016 — after Rose was traded to the Knicks — that he was trying to recruit the then-free agent Gordon to New York. Gordon eventually signed a deal with New Orleans.

Rose and Gordon go way back. They shared the backcourt for a Chicago-based AAU team, called the Mean Streets Express. They were nicknamed “The Eric and Derrick Show,” and some regard the duo as the best backcourt tandem in AAU history.

Berman notes that Gordon “is on a long list of potentially available players the Knicks have talked about internally, according to a source.”

Gordon struggled to score in Thursday’s loss to Rose and the visiting Knicks, recording just 5 points on 2-of-8 shooting (25.0%). But he did register a game-high 9 assists in his 30 minutes played at Toyota Center.

There is a long way to go until the Feb. 10 deadline, and Stone and the Rockets aren’t likely to rush into a deal. But the presence of an enormous market franchise in the bidding can’t hurt their leverage.

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Chicago Bulls all-time roster: See which legends made the cut

In honor of the NBA’s 75th anniversary, we present the best rosters in Bulls history.

As part of celebrating their 75th anniversary, the NBA is releasing a list of the greatest 75 players of all-time, which they’re calling NBA 75.

In honor of NBA 75, we have put together a similar list — the Chicago Bulls all-time roster. The roster is made up of the most important 15 players and three coaches in Bulls history, starting from 1966 to present day.

Now, for players like Dwyane Wade, who are undeniable Hall of Famers, don’t fit the bill of making the all-time roster for the Bulls with playing such small stints with the franchise.

Check out our Chicago Bulls all-time roster below.

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Bush Push not worth remembering for Notre Dame fans

Why remember this painful memory?

The battle between Notre Dame and top-ranked USC on Oct. 15, 2005, objectively is remembered as an all-time great college football game. The Irish came agonizingly close to one of the best wins in program history but for Reggie Bush giving Matt Leinart enough of a nudge to score the winning touchdown with only a few seconds remaining.

If the Irish’s defense had been able to hold up just a little bit longer, we could have been talking gigantic shifts in the trajectory of the program and in college football. It is for this reason that, unlike our editor, I cannot bring myself to fondly recall this game.

Thinking about what could have been if one of my teams had just one or two more things go their way is one of the most painful things for me to do as a sports fan. On this night in South Bend, it looked like the Irish had done just enough to pull off the seemingly impossible. At least that’s how it appeared for a moment or two. Instead, Irish fans and Trojans haters were left with empty promises.

This game is one of the biggest what-ifs I’ve experienced for a team I have a rooting interest in. It’s up there with moments like Derrick Rose tearing his ACL, the Bears losing to the Packers in the 2013 season finale, and Alec Martinez scoring in overtime to eliminate the Blackhawks in 2014. I’ll even throw in the numerous near-misses the White Sox had at winning the division in the 2000s and early 2010s.

I’m not taking away anything that this game provided. I’m probably just coming across as a bitter sore loser, but this is a Notre Dame site, and I’m not going to apologize for it. I just so happen to be one of those fans that prefers to remember the good times my teams provide and forget the bad ones. If you’re one of those fans, I advise you to do the same.

NBA free agency: Projected lineup for Knicks with Kemba Walker

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

During his first year as head coach of the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau got the most out of his players. Julius Randle took a huge step forward, winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Meanwhile, Immanuel Quickley outperformed expectations and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second-Team.

The organization built on that success by re-signing Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel. They have also managed to sign big names such as Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker, who were actually teammates on the Boston Celtics in 2020-21.

Statistically speaking, Walker’s play was elevated quite a bit once Fournier joined the Celtics. Boston outscored opponents by an excellent 14.8 points per 100 possessions when Walker and Fournier were on the floor at the same time during regular-season action, per PBP Stats. Boston’s net rating (1.1) was much worse when Walker appeared without Fournier.

Meanwhile, Walker averaged 27.0 points per 36 minutes when he shared the court with Fournier. Compare that figure to the 22.5 points per 36 minutes in minutes he played without Fournier this past season.

The two players can add some value to the momentum that the Knicks had en route to the 2021 NBA Playoffs. especially if players like Quickley and RJ Barrett continue their development.

NBA free agency: Projected lineup for Knicks with Kemba Walker

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

During his first year as head coach of the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau got the most out of his players. Julius Randle took a huge step forward, winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Meanwhile, Immanuel Quickley outperformed expectations and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second-Team.

The organization built on that success by re-signing Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel. They have also managed to sign big names such as Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker, who were actually teammates on the Boston Celtics in 2020-21.

Statistically speaking, Walker’s play was elevated quite a bit once Fournier joined the Celtics. Boston outscored opponents by an excellent 14.8 points per 100 possessions when Walker and Fournier were on the floor at the same time during regular-season action, per PBP Stats. Boston’s net rating (1.1) was much worse when Walker appeared without Fournier.

Meanwhile, Walker averaged 27.0 points per 36 minutes when he shared the court with Fournier. Compare that figure to the 22.5 points per 36 minutes in minutes he played without Fournier this past season.

The two players can add some value to the momentum that the Knicks had en route to the 2021 NBA Playoffs. especially if players like Quickley and RJ Barrett continue their development.

Reinventing Derrick Rose: How has his game changed since winning MVP?

Veteran point guard Derrick Rose was electrifying as ever on Wednesday, helping the New York Knicks earn their first playoff win since 2013.

Veteran point guard Derrick Rose was electrifying as ever on Wednesday, helping the New York Knicks earn their first playoff win since 2013.

Rose had 26 points with 5 rebounds as well as 4 assists during the victory over the Atlanta Hawks. However, it was nothing like how it was when he was winning individual awards more than a decade ago.

Last week, he had a long Instagram post detailing how upset it makes him when people classify what he is doing now as “vintage” because of just how much his game has evolved since playing college basketball for coach John Calipari at Memphis.

Rose, while still playing some of the best basketball he has played in recent memory, wants to be celebrated for his growth. He isn’t turning back the clock. He is reinventing himself whenever he is on the floor.

Derrick Rose was fine with Trae Young’s trash talk to Knicks fans: ‘If you want to talk [expletive], talk [expletive]’

Derrick Rose thinks the NBA has gone soft

Over the last few days since the Knicks’ first game in their series against the Hawks, people have been complaining about Trae Young’s reaction to hitting the game-sealing shot.

You’ve certainly seen it by now. Young hushed the crowd and said it was “quiet as [expletive]” in the building after hitting the shot.

And in the time since all people have done was call him a villain and complain about him drawing lots of fouls against the Knicks. Derrick Rose isn’t with all of that, though.

The former MVP said he absolutely loved Young’s reaction to his game-winning shot and he called the NBA “soft” for labelling young a villain.

“That’s basketball. The league got so soft. That’s basketball. He come in, he played a great game. The crowd is supposed to do that. His reaction is supposed to be that way…That’s all part of the game. When you’ve got both sides fighting for something. And you’ve worked your butt off all year…In the summertime, when nobody’s watching you in the gym working on your game. And you see the results of it — not only in the regular season, but in the playoffs. And if you want to talk [expletive], talk [expletive]. But the next game is going to be tougher. And the environment is going to create a great atmosphere for some great basketball.” 

That’s extremely well said. Young should absolutely embrace his role. Knicks fans should absolutely hate him. That’s what playoff basketball is.

This is exactly how it should be.

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