Michael Tillery has a good Q&A exchange with Derrick Rose over at SLAM. Here’s my favorite part:
SLAM: Who did you watch growing up in terms of the point guard position? Obviously, you grew up in Chicago, so you followed the Bulls but were there any point guards you wanted to emulate.
DR: To tell you the truth, I didn’t watch any NBA growing up besides the Bulls. Other than that, I was at the park playing basketball. I didn’t really think about the NBA like that. I was never a basketball historian, I just loved the game.SLAM: So who was that guy? Was it Mike?
DR: Michael Jordan.SLAM: What did you take from his game the most?
DR: His competitiveness. He was one of the most competitive people in the world. That’s the reason why you are on the court—to take someone’s heart.
Rose has been compared to Chris Paul and Deron Williams, but I don’t think those comparisons are valid. Paul and Williams are excellent pick-and-roll point guards. Rose’s handle isn’t as advanced and his court vision is limited. Rose is much more effective when the Bulls isolate him and allow him to break his man down off the dribble. Rose is a pass-first point guard, but he’s a much better scorer than playmaker at this point.
With his combination of strength, quickness, leaping ability, willingness to learn, and competitiveness, Rose has all of the tools to become a great point guard.
