NBA Power Rankings: 30 Greatest Point Guards of All-Time

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Oct 24, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Scottrade Center. The Timberwolves won 113-112. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

30. Derrick Rose

2008 – present

Franchises: Chicago Bulls

Career totals: 6,107 points, 1,981 assists, 1,117 rebounds, 253 steals, 867 turnovers (and counting)

Career averages: 20.8 points, 6.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 2.9 turnovers

Shooting: 46.0 percent field goals, 31.1 percent 3-pointers, 81.6 percent free throws

Accolades: NBA MVP, 3x All-Star, All-NBA First Team, Rookie of the Year

Believe it or not, Derrick Rose has already performed to the ability of a top 30 point guard in NBA history.

That is, when he actually has sneakers on and not those lavish dress shoes.

Despite how many games he’s missed since April 2012, Rose has grown into the city of Chicago’s savior since Michael Jordan departed in 1998. When he was out on the court for a reliable season, there was nobody more explosive, more lionhearted than Rose. He grew up in Chicago, learned how to be disciplined the hard way through the streets, and made it his goal to play for his city. He didn’t just want to be a high school hero at Simeon Career Academy, he wanted to suit up in the red and black at the next level.

Winning the 2011 Most Valuable Player award was the greatest thing that could’ve happened to Rose. It was also the greatest turnout for the Chicago fans, who haven’t been accustomed to incredible talent since their championship days in the 1990’s. The early 2000’s were atrocious, and it started to pick up with Luol Deng and Ben Gordon, but it never got to the level of Rose.

If he hadn’t fallen short and disappeared in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals vs. LeBron and the Heat, Chicago would’ve hosted their first NBA Finals since 1998. The franchise is a perfect 6-0 in the Finals thanks to one man, and perhaps Rose could’ve made it a flawless 7-0 with a win over the Mavericks. But, there shouldn’t be any “Ifs” in sports. Dirk Nowitzki was on another planet that postseason, and it wouldn’t have mattered who his opponent was in the Finals.

Nevertheless, Rose still had a magnificent playoff run in 2011 before losing, and it was the best of his career. His 27.1 points and 7.7 assists per game led the Bulls the whole way, and he was their only dosage of scoring outside of the shooting from Kyle Korver. Still, he shot only 39.6 percent in those playoffs, and it was the last real run he had at a title.

In the 2012 postseason, we know he only played one game.

Had Tom Thibodeau pulled his starters with under two minutes left in a blowout vs. Philadelphia, Rose may have been even higher on this list. You can’t put the blame on the coach, but that single moment — the ACL tear in Game 1 of the 2012 playoffs — ruined part of Rose’s career.

Since that injury, there have been 243 games the Chicago Bulls have played in the regular season. Rose has only appeared in 54 of them. That’s less than 23 percent of the time he’s available for them, since the start of the 2012-13 season.

We all better hope and pray he gets back on track and can slap away the injuries, because it could be the most wasted potential we’ve seen.

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