Full 2011 MVP Voting: Derrick Rose Literally Destroyed LeBron James And Dwight Howard With First Place Votes

The NBA had never seen a point guard like Derrick Rose. Rose took the league by storm right out of the gate. He was fast, strong, physical, athletic, and incredibly aggressive, and that’s why he became Chicago’s biggest hope since Michael Jordan.

Rose-mania was well justified. He wasn’t a fluke, he was the real deal. Rose had the kind of game you couldn’t help to be impressed with, it was a one-man show that you never wanted to miss. Few people in NBA history have had that kind of aura around them.

Derrick Rose completely dominated his rivals during his MVP season, as per Basketball-Reference. Dwight Howard and LeBron James were arguably the two best players in the world back then but none of them wanted smoke with Chicago’s number 1.

As a matter of fact, Rose was pretty close to becoming not only the youngest MVP ever but also the first unanimous MVP in the history of the game. He amassed most of the first-place votes, far ahead of the aforementioned Howard and LeBron.

Rose had 113 first-place votes, 6 second-place votes, and 2 third-place votes. Howard finished in second with 4 second-place votes, 57 second-place votes, and 31 third-place votes. Then, it was LeBron with 4 first-place votes, 26 second-place votes, and 39 third-place votes.

Rose was seven votes away from perfection. He averaged 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.6 three-pointers. and 1.0 steals per game on 44/33/85 shooting. He also led the league in offensive box plus-minus with 6.3, had a PER of 23.5, and 13.1 win shares.

But Rose’s impact went far beyond the stat line. The Bulls finished with a 62-20 record and looked poised to take down LeBron in the Eastern Conference for good. They were a dynasty in the making before injuries happened.

There will never be another Derrick Rose.