Da Windy City
Fansided

Derrick Rose and Anthony Davis: The first (of hopefully many) chapters

By Michael Whitlow

facebooktwitterreddit

On Saturday night at the United Center in Chicago, two of the best players in the Windy City’s rich and illustrious hoop history, will take the floor for the first time against each other at the NBA level.

When you think of the best player to come out of the city of Chicago — at least in recent memory — you will probably think of two players: Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and New Orleans Pelicans rising star Anthony Davis.

Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history, has been plagued by devastating knee injuries over the past few seasons, but is getting back to his old, explosive self for the 20-9 Bulls this season.

Davis, the 6’10” forward who spent one year in the college game at the University of Kentucky and led the Wildcats to the school’s eighth title, has become one of the hottest commodities in the NBA this season with his dynamic, all-around game.

Although the two Chicagoans have never faced-off against the other, their respect for one another was well-documented by the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson over this past summer, while the two played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup Tournament.

"“I don’t care about personal statistics,” Davis said. “I just want to win.”Or was that Rose who said that?“As long as we win, I couldn’t care less about how much I score, how many times I miss, how many times I shoot,” Rose said.Rose said he first met Davis before the Perspectives Charter School product played in the 2011 McDonald’s High School All-American game at the United Center, just more than a month before Rose became the youngest most valuable player in NBA history.Now that the two are Team USA teammates, Rose’s appreciation for Davis has grown.“He’s just like me, just a Chicago kid trying to be great,” Rose said.The two don’t talk about their Chicago connection, another signal that their shared passion for winning remains the main focus.“He’s very serious,” Rose said. “You can tell he’s improving his game. He’s lifting almost every day, taking care of his body, just becoming a pro. I wish I did that when I was a little bit younger.“His game is his game. I know how good he is as an athlete. Just body-wise, he gained more weight, got stronger and you can tell he’s trying to play in the post more.”Anthony Davis and Derrick Rose on the other’s priorities, K.C. Johnson, ChicagoTribune.com, 09/10/2014"

While one star is beginning to flourish, the other is trying to fight back from three years of turmoil to become what he once was.

Davis is taking the NBA by storm with his high-flying dunks, his ridiculous blocks and his array of talent on both ends of the floor.

Here’s just a small example of how insane Anthony Davis is:

The 21-year-old(!) forward is having a MVP-type season with New Orleans, averaging 24.5 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game and a league-leading 2.9 blocks per game.

As for Rose, the 26-year-old point guard from the rough-and-tough Englewood area of Chicago, is really starting to find his groove after just playing in 68 regular season games in the last four seasons.

Although Rose has missed 10 of the first 29 games for the Bulls due some minor injury issues and a recent illness, he’s returning back to the old “D-Rose”, by averaging 18.1 points per game and five assists per game.

(And yeah, Rose has his fair share of “Did he really just do that?” plays too.)

Saturday night in Chicago will be a special night for both Chicago-born stars. The only time both Rose and Davis were on the floor together in the Windy City, they were participating in Team USA’s exhibition against Brazil in August.

And of course, they both put on a show in Team USA’s 95-78 victory.

First, Derrick Rose drops a deadly left-to-right crossover, then finishes with the left hand that ignites the United Center crowd for the loudest roar of the night (outside of Rose’s pre-game introduction).

Then, Anthony Davis dunked on the entire country of Brazil.

The entire nation — and more specifically — the city of Chicago, was able to see two of the city’s brightest stars ball out with some of the game’s up-and-coming stars like Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry and Houston Rockets slasher James Harden.

Fast-forward four months later to Rose’s surging Bulls taking on Davis’ Pelicans in the same building.

Personally, I’ve already began the “Come home, AD” campaign — a la LeBron James — for Davis coming back to Chicago to play for his hometown team in 2016.

More from Da Windy City

Davis has become a must-see attraction every time he takes the floor, similar to how Rose was before the ACL tear during the 2012 postseason.

The odds of “The Brow” ending up with Chicago in 2016 are probably the same as Scottie Pippen coming back to the NBA and making one of the All-Defensive teams, but the “coming home” topic has become a popular subject in today’s NBA since LeBron’s homecoming this past summer.

The thought of Derrick Rose and Anthony Davis on the same team would make any coach’s head explode, which helps show how great these two are at such a young age.

Rose has been through two major knee surgeries in his first six seasons, but outside of an injury-plagued rookie season, Davis has avoided a major bite from the injury bug early on.

So, when you’re watching Saturday night’s Bulls-Pelicans game, remember that you’re watching not just two of the game’s most exciting players … you’re watching the opening chapter to another piece of Chicago basketball’s magnificent history.

Next: Bulls Game No. 29: Gasol leads the way on Christmas over the Kobe-less Lakers

Home/Chicago Bulls