So D. Rose will be named league MVP? Good job Captain Obvious.
Please excuse my snarkiness on what should be (and it is) a more joyous occasion. But that home loss in game one hurt. Tomorrow it will be announced- the Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose is the NBA MVP. Just the second in team history (you may have heard of the other one, MJ or something like that) and the youngest MVP in league history.
Rose was the #1 overall pick in the ’08 NBA Draft, after just one year at Memphis. So the hometown Chicago product would be finishing his senior year of college had he stayed in school.
I think he’s doing alright though.
The Chicago Tribune, citing multiple sources, reported late Monday night that Rose will receive his award during a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. The AP, ESPN, Miami Herald everyone is breaking it now at this very late hour. The Bulls play Atlanta in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series Wednesday night.
Rose plays the position commonly referred to as “the one,” wears jersey #1, and now he is officially the number one player in the NBA, for 2010-11.
He averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists during the regular season, scored 24 with 10 assists in Game 1 on Monday but the Bulls fell 103-95 to the Hawks.
Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau was named NBA Coach of the Year on Sunday after guiding the team to a 62-20 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Now to answer the biggest question of all, how is Rose’s ankle? You saw him hobble off at the end of the game there.
“It feels the same as before,’’ Rose said of his ankle. “I should be all right. I’ve been getting treatment all day and night, and I have this machine that I bring home with me for it.’’
Selected as an All-Star for the second straight season, the Chicago native made or assisted on at least half of Chicago’s field goals in 26 games, the highest such total for any player in the NBA in 2010-11. He also was the only player in the NBA to rank in the top 10 in points per game and assists per game. In doing so, once again, he joined Michael Jordan (1988-89) as the only players in franchise history to finish in the top 10 in scoring and assists in a single season.
Rose collected 113 out of a possible 121 first-place votes from selected media, and he became the first player since Steve Nash in 2005 to win the MVP award after not receiving any votes the previous year. He also is the 10th player in NBA history to win the award within his first three seasons in the league (rookies: Wilt Chamberlain, Wes Unseld; second season: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Pettit, Bill Russell; third season: Abdul-Jabbar, Dave Cowens, Moses Malone, Bob McAdoo).
“Derrick had an outstanding season for us, and we would not be where we are today without him. Very few players have the work ethic and dedication that he has for the game of basketball,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “He is a terrific example for not only the Chicago Bulls, but also for the NBA. We are very pleased that Chicago’s MVP is the NBA’s MVP.”
Rounding out the top five in voting are Orlando’s Dwight Howard (643 points, three first place), Miami’s LeBron James (522, four first-place votes), the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (428, one first-place vote) and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (190).
Rose, who became the first player since Steve Nash in 2005 to win the MVP award after not receiving any votes in the previous year’s balloting, led the Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 mark. The third-year player averaged team highs of 25.0 points and 7.7 assists to go along with 4.1 rebounds. He became the seventh player in NBA history to average at least 25.0 points, 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds, joining Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. The All-Star guard made or assisted on at least half of the Bulls’ field goals in 26 games, the highest such total for any NBA player this season.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
He does a regular guest spot each week for Chicagoland Sports Radio.com You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank and Facebook