Now that the reigning NBA MVP resides in Chicago instead of Cleveland the Bulls fans have been hearing at the water coolers and on the message boards about how he'll be the next hometown MVP to be leaving for greener pastures. The thought process is that the Bulls have committed so much money to Boozer/Noah/Deng that Rose will eventually want to go and play with other superstars like the Miami Trio or Carmelo/Amare/Star to Be Named Later. But Derrick Rose isn't LeBron James and even though there are some valid concerns, hopefully this will ease a mind or two on the future of the Bulls.
Unlike LeBron, I really believe that Rose has that old school superstar mentality of being the star and going to war with your own guys instead of teaming up with other stars. With Dirk and the Mavericks beating the Heat and winning the NBA title, it shows that the way of one superstar surrounded by players who can compliment that star is still a formula that can win a title. While I'm sure that the Heat will eventually win at least one title and if the Knicks add Chris Paul or Deron Williams they will probably win at least one in the next 10 years too, I fully expect the Thunder and the Bulls to both at least win a title also. Taking that and adding it to the fact it's going to be much harder to get three superstars on one team (most likely) and the point that Rose will have to find himself on a team with other transcendent players isn't valid.
Another difference in the situations is that Derrick Rose has never been shy about the fact that he is from Chicago and that is his hometown. LeBron James has always called Akron home and whenever he left for Miami he was quoted as saying that Cleveland wasn't his hometown, Akron is where he is from. I'm not faulting LeBron for that so much that I'm pointing out that Rose is from Chicago, not a nearby area. This is his team in his city and he won't ever be telling the fans that he's from Gary, Indiana.
He's also humble. Once again, while LeBron will have a bad game and tell people that we take his talent for granted Rose has repeatedly tried to take the blame for losses and pass on the credit for wins. Personally, I think the difference between the two come from the fact that LeBron was an only child and Derrick had three older brothers that looked after him. He's credited his brothers with keeping him off the streets and focused on basketball and just playing a huge role in how he turned out as an adult and I would suspect that his humbleness is rooted down in there.
Really, it comes down to the fact that Derrick Rose and LeBron James are two different people. I'm not bashing LeBron James or even his decision to take his talents to South Beach? Did I like it? Of course not. And I'm also of the opinion that if this Bulls squad won a title the way it was designed it would mean more to Rose's legacy then if LeBron wins two titles down there. But LeBron is going to be happy down there. As for Rose, I think where he is going to be happy is in his hometown. At least I really, really hope so.
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