Two-time NBA champion Norris Cole appeared on the ‘Run Your Race’ podcast with Theo Pinson and opened up about Derrick Rose in his prime. Cole said modern point guards like Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving had no chance at guarding prime Rose while talking about point guards faking injuries to avoid playing him.
“When people ask me who the hardest guy I ever had to guard, I tell ’em, ‘D-Rose was the toughest guy.’ Your favorite point guards of today had no chance against Derrick Rose. No offense, but Kai (Kyrie Irving), Steph(en Curry), and them, no chance against that guy. People were getting the D-Rose flu. He was coming in and cats didn’t want to play.”
(Starts at 3:06)
Derrick Rose could have been the best point guard in the NBA for years if his body held up to the potential of his talent. Rose won MVP in 2011, though Cole did say LeBron James didn’t get the award that year because of the media being upset at him for his move to Miami.
Rose became the league’s youngest MVP after averaging 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in his third season. Rose would lead the Bulls to their best years since Michael Jordan but would see his prime cut short after tearing his ACL in 2012. He never returned to his former explosive self or averaged 20 points in a season again.
Rose is on the Grizzlies this season and is a mentor to the young squad and players like Ja Morant. He has been one of the many injured players on the roster, averaging 8.0 points and 3.3 assists in 24 games.
Whether he makes the Hall of Fame is undecided but Rose is definitely one of the most recognizable players of his generation, despite the injuries cutting his success short.
Did Derrick Rose Deserve The 2011 MVP?
The 2011 MVP is considered one of the best modern stories in the NBA, as Rose was rewarded for leading the Chicago Bulls to the No. 1 seed in the East ahead of the superteam Miami Heat with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Individually, Rose’s numbers didn’t stack up as well against LeBron.
James averaged 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists this season, similar numbers to what he put up in his final season with the Cavaliers where he won his second career MVP. James was also an All-Defensive First-Team selection, impacting the game at an incredibly high level on both ends of the floor.
Many people have repeatedly said that the NBA MVP isn’t the award to crown the best player in the world but is often to recognize the superstar-level play of one player, usually on the best team in the NBA. Rose leading the Bulls ahead of a Heat team with Wade, Bosh, and LeBron was considered an incredible achievement.
The narrative of a third-year point guard with one of the most eye-catching styles in the NBA outperforming a team with the three Heat superstars was also incredibly engaging. His achievements were quite historic that season, so it’s unfair to say he didn’t ‘deserve’ to win the MVP, especially given how the votes turned out.
James would regain his recognition by winning MVPs in 2012 and 2013 as well. Rose’s MVP interrupted what could have been an entirely deserved five consecutive years with MVP awards for LeBron, easily the single-most dominant player of that era. However, Rose did put up a fight that very few could replicate with a season that’s still cherished by fans to this day.
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