Breaking Down Derrick Rose’s #NBARank
According to ESPN.com’s 2014 NBA Player Rankings, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is the 28th-best player in basketball.
If you would have told me during the 2011-2012 season that Derrick Rose is just a top-30 player, the look on my face would probably be similar to this.
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Even though Rose played in just 39 games (of a lockout-shortened 66-game season), he was coming off a season where the Bulls won 62 games and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1998.
Before that season, Rose was ranked eighth on the ESPN player rankings board, only behind Chris Paul in terms of point guards. After the ACL tear for Rose in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers in that year’s postseason, Rose actually “rose” (no pun intended) to fifth on the 2012 player rankings board after the Bulls were eliminated in six games by the Sixers.
Of course, Rose sat out the entire 2012-2013 season and quickly became one of the most polarizing figures in basketball because of the rumored reports that he was coming back at certain times during the season. The whole season was a mess in terms of the Bulls management and Rose’s return to the hardwood. Although Rose was cleared for action in the spring, the youngest MVP sat out the entire year, as the Bulls were once again eliminated by LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the playoffs.
Even though Rose, sat out the entire 2012 season, the 2013 rankings had Rose at No. 9 on the board before a torn meniscus ended Rose’s season after just 11 games.
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Now, after a chaotic two-year span of “Will he return?” to “He’ll never be the same again!”, Rose comes in at … No. 28 in the ESPN 2014 Player Rankings.
(All you need to know about Rose’s ranking is right here in the Twitter mentions of ESPN NBA’s account.)
I know some people are thinking, “Who cares?” and I would agree with those people. It’s just a silly preseason debate topic meant to get fans and critics talking.
Other people are probably thinking, “28th? That’s it? It’s Derrick Rose!” and I would tell those people, “It’s hard to place a guy who has played 49 games in three seasons on a top player board. We all know Kobe Bryant‘s not the 40th-best player in basketball.”
I would also tell those people, “But, we’re not talking about 30-year-old Kobe. Bryant is 36 and coming off two serious injuries. Father Time waits for no one.”
And that leads me to my next point:
Is the injury-plagued Rose’s ranking that criminal after three straight years of being inside the top-10? Look at the 13 players ahead of Rose at the moment on the board:
- No. 27: Suns PG Goran Dragic (last year’s Most Improved Player)
- No. 26: Hawks C Al Horford (Atlanta was 3rd in the East before he was injured last year)
- No. 25: OKC C/PF Serge Ibaka (NBA’s leading shot blocker)
- No. 24: Spurs G/F Kawhi Leonard (2014 NBA Finals MVP)
- No. 23: Cavs G Kyrie Irving (2014 All-Star Game MVP and FIBA World Cup title game MVP)
- No. 22: Hornets C Al Jefferson (A true back-to-the-basket big man with every move in the book)
- No. 21: Spurs C Tim Duncan (Five titles and a first-ballot Hall of Famer who doesn’t age)
- No. 20: Heat C/F Chris Bosh (Nine-time All-Star, two-time NBA Champ, versatile game)
- No. 19: Kings C DeMarcus Cousins (Hot-headed attitude, but all the potential to be a superstar)
- No. 18: Wizards PG John Wall (When Bradley Beal’s healthy, he and Wall are arguably the best backcourt in basketball)
- No. 17: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki (First-ballot Hall of Famer who can still score from anywhere)
- No. 16: Blazers PG Damian Lillard (Is there any point guard more lethal in crunch time right now?)
- No. 15: Spurs PG Tony Parker (I’m going to get killed for this, but the best point guard in the NBA in my opinion)
Sure, you could make the argument that Rose could be higher, but it’s not like the 2011 NBA MVP is behind a ton of no-talent players. The five point guards ahead of him all have cases to where they are on the list.
As much as Bulls fans would like to, you can’t just knock Irving down where Rose is just because of one preseason game this week. If Rose proves to the basketball world that he’s really that good, you can bet anything that he’ll be much higher in the 2015 rankings.
It’s a board for debate, folks. That’s what the crew at ESPN is trying to engage you all in to doing.
For example: Do I personally think Kyrie Irving should be higher on a “best player” board than Kawhi Leonard?
Absolutely not. Leonard’s one of the best defenders in the game and his offensive output is just scratching the surface.
That’s what this countdown to the top of the board is for, people.
And if you’d like, you can debate with me or other readers in the “Comments” section below.
(FanSided’s own PippenAintEasy.com jumped in on the Derrick Rose #NBARank debate as well with their own thoughts and views, which you can read for yourselves here.)