Former NBA star Isiah Thomas was lavish in his praise for former Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose.
Speaking on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, “The guy that we’re the most proud of out of Chicago is Derrick Rose,” Thomas said. “He lived all of our dreams. And then he plays for the Chicago Bulls, right? And then he becomes the youngest MVP in the league at 20. C’mon man, I mean everybody is like, when ‘D-Rose is walking to the room, it’s like fame music be playing.'”
The two-time NBA champion’s thoughts come on the back of Jackson’s question on the reason behind some of the best players in the league coming out of Chicago. It was pretty much a “what’s in the water” query to which Thomas, a Chicago man himself, explained how the south and the west sides of the city produced crops of players capable of playing both aspects of the game.
He did singularly focus on Rose — one of the best-ever players to have represented his hometown team. The 34-year-old was destined for greatness since his formative years and was a hot commodity during his collegiate run.
Rose played for the Bulls between 2008 and 2016. He was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Bulls, and he has set a slew of records since. The bigger proof of his playoff prowess came when he tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points by a rookie in his playoff debut. Rose’s 36 points against the Boston Celtics was perhaps one of the more dominant showings by a rookie fresh off the batch.
The success and rise of Rose continued as he stacked up his resume with the MVP Award (2011), three All-Star appearances (2010-2012), an All-NBA First Team (2011), and a Rookie of the Year (2009).
During his time with Chicago, he averaged 19.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. While his career has been hampered by a string of injuries, Rose’s achievements certainly put him as a deserving future Hall of Famer.
Over the years, Chicago has produced some bona fide legends in, Antoine Walker, Mark Aguirre, and Tim Hardaway, to name a few, not to forget Thomas himself. The later superstars were Dwyane Wade, Anthony Davis, and Rose, who had a meteoric rise in the league, proving that basketball in Chicago runs deep.
There Was A Time When Players Feared Squaring Off Against A Prime Derrick Rose
He may not be the Derrick Rose of the old, but there was a time when NBA players were apparently hesitant and scared of going up against one of the greatest point guards in the NBA.
Rose’s former teammate John Lucas III claimed that players feared him when the now New York Knicks’ guard was in his prime. Speaking on the No Chill Podcast, “I’ve seen people fake injuries, and it’s some of your favorite players,” Lucas said. “When D-Rose was the MVP, when D-Rose was D-Rose, I done seen people catch the Rose flu, and we used to joke about it.”
The 34-year-old is now pretty much a veteran spending more time on the bench due to the immense talent on the Knicks roster, but there’s no doubt that he’s still got some basketball left in him. His career may have been riddled with injuries, but perhaps he will be able to cap off his run with a title, which will surely gladden fans across the league.
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