A Case for Rose

From the same column, Simmons' case for Derrick Rose expands on what I posted earlier this year about why I like Rose:

......a heated MVP race led by Derrick Rose, who I will choose to remember this season as someone who …


A. Worked his butt off to get better last summer

B. Bought into everything his new coach was selling, led by example and never undermined his coach publicly or privately

C. Was a phenomenal teammate who kept a fringe contender afloat for two months when they were crushed by injuries, then kept them humming as they evolved into a semi-juggernaut

D. Played harder from night to night than anyone else

E. Was the only elite player on a good team who had to make every offensive decision in crunch time because his team didn't have another perimeter player who could create a shot, but hey, let's not factor that into anything

F. Was a legitimate athletic freak who needed to be seen in person to be truly appreciated

and not …

G. The guy whose MVP candidacy got crapped on by the entire blogosphere because his plus/minus and true shooting percentage weren't quite good enough.


S