A Rose Is a Rose Like No Other

CHICAGO -- And to think we were concerned about gummy bears. The gooey globs symbolized Derrick Rose's youth, not to mention his fetish for junk food and other health-unconscious slop devoured by teenagers. How long would he need to break away from just being a kid, particularly in a hometown that demanded him to be an instant cornerstone at an arena where a certain Michael Jordan is cast outside in bronze?

Oh, about one season. That's all the time Rose required to grow up, eat right, stare down the NBA with those fierce eyeballs and high cheekbones and become the face of Chicago's stirring sports renaissance.

Not a year ago, the Bulls were an insult to Jordan's legacy, shamed by a toxic season in which they quit on one coach, ignored another and wilted like weasels amid early-season rumors of a Kobe Bryant trade. Tonight, in the most important basketball game in the United Center since the dynasty was prematurely dismantled, they'll attempt to grab a 2-1 lead over the defending champion Boston Celtics in a series that the Bulls really should win. There are many reasons for the sea change, including a trade-deadline deal for John Salmons and Brad Miller that rescued the tattered reputation of general manager John Paxson. But the biggest factor was a ping-pong ball with a Bulls logo that popped into a chute, disregarding the 98.3 percent unlikelihood of it happening. It meant Rose, a prodigy from a crime-ravaged South Side neighborhood where young people are gunned down with alarming regularity, was being commissioned in the draft to resurrect the team he watched growing up.

Damned if he didn't accomplish the mission immediately. With explosive quickness that produces end-to-end romps of about four seconds, combined with upper-body strength that allows him to invade the painted jungle and attack the basket against men of all sizes and wingspans, Rose is the latest in the immaculate point-guard species who is bound for greatness. He was rewarded Wednesday with the NBA's Rookie of the Year award, which came just four days after his gob-smacking breakthrough in Boston, a 36-point, 11-assist playoff revelation that matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's rookie scoring record and announced to the hoops planet that D-Rose is The (Bleep). All season, Rose insisted that the individual trophy was not his aim.

He lied.

"When I first came into the season, my biggest thing was to get this award. I was telling all of you that I didn't really care about it, but I did," Rose said. "You really do want this award because it shows how much work you put into it. There was a lot of talent out there, but I think winning got me this award. It means a lot when you think of the people who got it, like Kevin Durant and LeBron James. You want to be in that category."

Winning is his calling card, a remarkable priority for a 20-year-old whose peers are trying to get on SportsCenter every night and make commercials. Two years ago, he won an Illinois high-school championship at Simeon. Last year, he came within his own free-throw miss and other Memphis mental mistakes of an NCAA championship. He won't be winning an NBA title this year, not with LeBron James ready to school him should the Bulls survive the Celtics and eventually meet the Cavaliers. But Rose carries an aura that promises a special career, assuming Bulls management doesn't screw it up and surrounds him with a worthy cast.

"We were very, very fortunate to win the draft lottery and have the opportunity to select Derrick in the draft," Paxson said. "Derrick has proven this season what a great player he is. He has had a phenomenal rookie year. For Derrick to take the ball from Day One and lead our team and have the year he had is really, really significant. As we go forward here, we've got the guy that we are going to build around."

Build around? How about the guy who could make himself a rookie NBA legend by eliminating the Celtics? The absence of Kevin Garnett, whose knee problems have turned the champs into a vulnerable defensive team, gives Rose an opportunity for a historic upset. If he was unstoppable in Game 1, his backcourt mate, Ben Gordon, produced his own Jordan impression with 42 points in Game 2. The Celtics, of course, still have Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and the brilliant Rajon Rondo, who is producing astounding stat lines and waging a memorable battle with Rose. But the Bulls have become a solid home team since the Salmons-Miller deal and, if nothing else, should split two games here in a series seemingly destined for a Game 7 in Boston.

In the process, Rose has become the darling of a passionate sports town that finally has new life. Chicago was growing stale with the same story lines -- Cubs rise and fall, Ozzie Guillen wigs out, Bears have no quarterback, Bulls disappoint again, Blackhawks aren't relevant. Amazing how all of that has changed in a matter of months. Oh, the Cubs still may rise and fall and the Blizzard of Oz remains a loon. But the Bears now have Jay Cutler, the toast of the town in more ways than one -- pick a nightclub; he has been there -- and their first real quarterback in eons. And the Blackhawks have emerged from the dead with aggressive management and two young stars, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. No one has become bigger, though, than Rose.

He wanted to be Rookie of the Year because of the challenge posed by his No. 1 status on draft night. Believe it or not, some people in Chicago -- and beyond -- urged Paxson to take forward Michael Beasley. They thought Rose would fall prey to hometown pressure and not be prepared to play his best ball here at a precocious age. He proved them wrong, as he usually does. "As the No. 1 pick, you have a lot of pressure on you, especially from your hometown," he said. "Everyone is looking to see if you can live up to that pressure. I just wanted to play hard and get the award from winning. It wouldn't feel right if I didn't win it."

And wasn't it silly for people to think he'd fall in with a bad crowd in his old neighborhood? "I live in Deerfield. There's not a whole lot to do," said Rose, referring to the sleepy northern suburb where the team's practice facility is located, about 35 miles from his Englewood roots. "I don't really have to worry about getting in trouble."

His words come softly, without even a hint of boasting. This is a kid who was raised well and seems almost devoid of an ego. Oh, he wants to be as good as anyone who has played the game, but he's smart enough to realize the process is lengthy. Someone asked how it felt to win an award once won by Jordan. "It feels good, but I haven't even scratched the surface of where he was in the NBA," Rose said wisely. "It's gonna take a lot of hard work, working in the gym in the offseason, looking at videotape, learning from the veterans." Think he can't possibly be this humble? After his stunning performance in Boston, he holed up in his room, turned off his phone and watched three movies. Not even a sneak peek at ESPN worship? Nope. In Rose's world, if he doesn't watch the highlights after poor games, why should he after great games?

The equilibrium is that steady. "My mom always told me I wasn't bigger than nobody else so don't look at people like that," Rose said. "If I say anything like `I'm The Man,' my brothers will yell at me or hit me."

Barack Obama, Chicago sports fan, refers to Rose as "The Man." But Derrick Rose never will do the same.

"One of the things that has been a great comfort for me as a first-time coach is that Derrick is coachable," said Vinny Del Negro, whose once-tenuous job security has been firmed up by Rose. "The point guard position is the hardest to master. From Day One, Derrick has been a sponge in trying to master the game. He wants to continually improve. When you have the right mindset, beyond all the great ability, the sky is the limit."

The praise doesn't end in Chicago. "He plays both ends of the court, which is refreshing to see," Bryant told the media. "A lot of young players don't play both ends. He works hard at it and plays defense as well."

It's important to point out that Rose hasn't been perfect. Last April, he was busted for driving 105 mph in his Land Rover on a suburban expressway. But didn't James get a ticket for driving 101 in a 65 zone? Point is, the kid has showed flawless character after his one slip-up, unusual for someone of such youth who has so many expectations upon him. Is he really just 20?

"I want the pressure," he said. "I want it and I feed off of it. Whenever I get the ball in my hand, I calm down."

While the rest of us hyperventilate.