NBA Draft: Re-drafting the 2008 NBA Draft’s first round

#3 Pick – Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Rose (Originally: O.J. Mayo)

Derrick Rose is far from a bust. He very well could have been looked at as the best player in this draft if his career had progressed differently in regards to injuries.

Rose became the NBA’s youngest MVP ever in 2011, and the Chicago Bulls looked to have found their savior since the departure of Michael Jordan in the late ’90s.

Rose has still played out a solid career and ironically revived his career as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He now plays for the Detroit Pistons and had a borderline All-Star season this year.

In his younger years, Rose led multiple Chicago Bulls teams to the playoffs. For a short moment, those teams were expected to knock out the Miami Heat until Rose went down with his first ACL tear.

Due to the resiliency of Rose and how strong of a player he was before the injury train, he could not fall below three. There are still a few players in this draft who have had long and consistent careers that have included All-Star appearances, but I would take the first few years of Rose, and what we’ve seen recently over that.

Rose has still yet to record a season where he averages a minimum of 20 points per game since his initial injury but has come extremely close. Including his closest, this year, with averages of 18.1 points per game.

Another reasoning for drafting Rose third is his ability to be the top option. Aside from the top three here, none of the players in this draft have had success as a consistent No. 1 option on a team. Rose used to be amazing, and is now good, and is still the third-best player in the 2008 Draft.