Tuesday, October 25th, 2011 at 12:20 pm  |  543 responses

Top 50: Derrick Rose, no. 4

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Bryan Crawford / @_BryanCrawford

The last time I saw Derrick Rose, he was fresh off addressing reporters after the Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls in stunning fashion in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the United Center.

After making his post-game statements, DRose walked away from the lectern in the makeshift press room underneath the UC and a few writers, myself included, congratulated him on what really was a successful season and just showed our respect and appreciation for the amount of basketball enjoyment he provided throughout the year.

Derrick thanked us and let us know that he appreciated it, but as hard as he tried to mask it, he just couldn’t hide what was on his face. We all saw it.

After being named a starter in the ASG for the first time in his career, leading his squad to a +21 in the win column from the previous two seasons, and finishing with the best record in the NBA, taking home the MVP and leading the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals where they faced off against the team that everybody loves to hate, Chicago wins the first game by 21 points and after that? Curtains.

Five-game series loss. Gone fishin’…

I’ll holla!!

All things considered, I’m sure our gesture wasn’t lost on him, but in that specific moment in time. DRose wasn’t trying to hear it. His season and championship dreams just crashed and burned. Not only was he disappointed, he was PO’d, major.

But you know what? That’s exactly what you want from a guy who is the face of the franchise, the unquestioned leader of his team and the only one carrying the weight of an entire city stuck in a 13-year (and counting) Championship drought, on his back.

That last line might sound like a heavy burden to most, but DRose has already surpassed most, if not all, expectations as a player to this point, and he never shrinks in the moment nor backs down from a challenge. Like his signature drives to the rim, he attacks ferociously.

This, combined with his off-court demeanor, makes him without question one of the most unique NBA superstars any of us has ever seen. And while I’m aware those words tend to get tossed around a lot in basketball discussions these days, it really does apply here.

Derrick Rose is a hyper-competitive athlete, yet he humbly deflects any individual attention and praise that he receives and attributes his success to the contributions and help from his teammates. It’s never “I” with him, always “we.”

Strong and powerful on the court—sometimes even vociferous—once the game is over, DRose is quietly unassuming to the point you forget he’s even in the room. He never commands attention of his own volition. That’s very atypical of an NBA superstar.

And if you need any more evidence as to his uniqueness, look no further than his history on SLAMonline’s Top 50:

Going into the NBA as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and coming off a sensational single season at Memphis where he was coached by John Calipari, Rose took the Tigers all the way to the National Championship game against the Kansas Jayhawks and damn near won it… allegedly. But in spite of all that, he didn’t even make the cut on the Top 50 as a rookie.

(*Side Note* When John Wall—another Coach Cal disciple and former No. 1 pick—came into the League as a rookie fresh off a freshman campaign at Kentucky where he led the Wildcats to within a game of the Final Four in 2010, he somehow managed to check in at No. 47 on the Top 50 ahead of Jesus Shuttlesworth, Gilbert “I Bring Guns To” Arenas and Lamar Kardashian. Go figure.)

In 2009, riding high off a ROY campaign and his play in that epic first-round Playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Rose went from unranked to No. 18 on the Top 50 despite many objections from SLAMonline’s passionate (and highly opinionated) readership.

A year later in 2010, Rose jumped six spots to No. 12 and now, after a year that nobody saw coming, Rose jumps eight spots and stands—in our collective opinions—as a top-five player in the League, checking in at No. 4 on SLAMonline’s Top 50, entering just his fourth season as a pro.

Look, we don’t pretend to be experts on this stuff, but to go from unranked to 18th to 12th and now fourth is pretty special. That kind of thing doesn’t happen. And it’s not like we decided to just give him the spot, he did actually earn it. He played his way in and last season was certainly no fluke.

Keep in mind what the Bulls accomplished while missing Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer for good portions of the year. The ship could’ve easily sank, and despite basketball being a team game, DRose kept everything afloat. This is not debatable. So whenever the season does start, Chicago is going to be there (read: have a legitimate shot at a title) and Rose’s individual performance and contributions will be the primary reason why.

And if for some reason you’re still upset with the ranking, know this: Whether or not you feel a guy is deserving, an MVP winner in any professional league—from basketball to checkers—should automatically get a top-five spot in any subjective player ranking just off GP. Furthermore, said player should be given a chance to play his way out of the position because if he isn’t deserving or if his performance was an anomaly then it’ll show. Everything comes out in the wash. This is common sense.

So debate amongst yourselves and/or question the credibility of this list if you must. But know that at SLAMonline, game recognize game ’round here.

SLAMonline Top 50 Players 2011
Rank Player Team Position Pos. Rank
50 Luol Deng Bulls SF 8
49 Andrew Bogut Bucks C 7
48 Ray Allen Celtics SG 9
47 Marc Gasol Grizzlies C 6
46 David West Hornets PF 15
45 Kevin Martin Rockets SG 8
44 Andrew Bynum Lakers C 5
43 Brandon Jennings Bucks PG 11
42 Lamar Odom Lakers PF 14
41 Gerald Wallace Blazers SF 7
40 Brook Lopez Nets C 4
39 Joakim Noah Bulls C 3
38 Carlos Boozer Bulls PF 13
37 Kevin Garnett Celtics PF 12
36 Eric Gordon Clippers SG 7
35 Tony Parker Spurs PG 10
34 Andre Iguodala 76ers SG 6
33 Al Jefferson Jazz PF 11
32 Al Horford Hawks C 2
31 Stephen Curry Warriors PG 9
30 Tim Duncan Spurs PF 10
29 Josh Smith Hawks PF 9
28 Manu Ginobili Spurs SG 5
27 Tyreke Evans Kings PG 8
26 Rudy Gay Grizzlies SF 6
25 John Wall Wizards PG 7
24 Danny Granger Pacers SF 5
23 Monta Ellis Warriors SG 4
22 Joe Johnson Hawks SG 3
21 Paul Pierce Celtics SF 4
20 Steve Nash Suns PG 6
19 Zach Randolph Grizzlies PF 8
18 LaMarcus Aldridge Blazers PF 7
17 Chris Bosh Heat PF 6
16 Kevin Love TWolves PF 5
15 Rajon Rondo Celtics PG 5
14 Blake Griffin Clippers PF 4
13 Pau Gasol Lakers PF 3
12 Russell Westbrook Thunder PG 4
11 Amar’e Stoudemire Knicks PF 2
10 Deron Williams Nets PG 3
9 Carmelo Anthony Knicks SF 3
8 Chris Paul Hornets PG 2
7 Dirk Nowitzki Mavs PF 1
6 Dwight Howard Magic C 1
5 Dwyane Wade Heat SG 2
4 Derrick Rose Bulls PG 1

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’11-12 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Maurice Bobb, Shannon Booher, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Jon Jaques, Eldon Khorshidi, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Quinn Peterson, Dave Schnur, Abe Schwadron, Dan Shapiro, Irv Soonachan, Todd Spehr, Tzvi Twersky, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Ben York.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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  • http://www.fiba.com Darksaber

    datkid: young at heart, mayne :-)

  • http://www.fiba.com Darksaber

    To the IllMatic himself: gotta buy the game AND (more pressing) remember my PS-Network login details cause i have not used them in ages.

  • http://Slamonline.com Caboose

    Drig, sounds like solid arguments. Your top 5 is the same as mine with Kobe/CP switched. I mean, I’d have no problem putting Kobe at 4 though. It’s interesting that you bring up the fact that Kobe loses some chances posting up because of Pau/Bynum. I think that’s true to an extent, but if he really wanted to post up say, Monta Ellis, he could get his team to clear out. That said, I think that lack of post opportunity (while small but not unheard of) should factor in to his productivity for next season. Since this list is next year’s projections and not overall skill or talent, Kobe should be dinged for missing the post. Thus, 4 or 5 would be a good spot. Not 2 or 3.

  • Drig

    Yo, nbk. Thanks for hoopdata site : If you look closely, Kobe’s BETTER than Wade at shooting from EVERYWHERE except a bit less at the rim ( 1%). EVERYWHERE. But Wade at his most effective enables the team to be at its most effective. But Kobe at his most effective ( post up. 10-15 ft. He’s a beauty.)doesn’t help the team which has two post threats but zero perimter O. ( Ronny and Fish are NOT perimeter O despite what anyone thinks! I stand by this after being frustrated to no end courtesy of those two last season! )

    A long story short : Kobe can’t use his post-up game as much as Wade can use his driving game. Just calculate the FG% if you think otherwise by granting them a set number of shots from their strongest and weakest positions. Kobe’ll come out on top no sweat. Sadly, with this team, I believe Kobe’s being limited rather than being encouraged to unleash his full potential :( . Any thoughts about this?

    BTW, Kobe’s BY FAR the better shooter. BY FAR. Even when he takes more shots from the perimeter than Wade, he’s still got the better % when you split FGA into distances from the rim. And Kobe did this on a bum knee!

    @nbk – Granted Kobe takes a ton of tough shots but would you rather have Kobe take a pull-up J with a man in his grill rather than a less-contested shot by Fish or Ronny from the perimeter? I’m all ears if you opt for the latter. If you’d rather Kobe pass the ball to Pau/Bynum to convert, I’d bet my entire life that they’re FG% will plummet.

    It’s esp. for this reason that I really hope LA gets a good traditional point who can create spacing for Kobe to get off his shots. Fish is good in the clutch but over 82 games, I’d rather have a rook who can create off the dribble and break D off of penetration.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    I would like Kobe to create a higher % shot for himself. That’s why Wade and LeBron have always shot a higher % then Bryant, they create better shots for themselves. And thus the difference between their shooting %. I gotta go too sleep I’m out though, comeback tomorrow during the day, it’s Kobe day tomorrow more than likely.

  • http://Slamonline.com Caboose

    Can’t wait for tomorrow. Hopefully we won’t get insane LakeShow or emotional Maniac or random Fakers fans. Hopefully. If Durant is 3, we might crack 1000 comments.

  • Snal

    I’m Drig but my comments aren’t showing up so I’ll post here for the time being :

    1. NBK – Kobe not only needs to do that in such a way that it doesn’t make it easy to double but also in a way to ensure spacing. Easier than how Wade/LBJ has it. Also, there are a lot more intricacies involved so I’ll get into those details at a later time.

    2. Caboose – Thanks. Was worried there for a second. :D And lack of post opportunities isn’t a small issue. Kobe converts those shots ( 10-16ft ) at 50%. Wade at 38%. Just think how much the FG% skews into Kobe’s favor if he had just 2-3 more post opportunities?

    3. If Mike B DID actually take in Kobe’s input for the new O, I believe Kobe will get a lot more post shots.

  • Armando

    Ok, so they are projected rankings, which means the projections have to be based on something concrete, right? And if so, it has to be how they performed most recently (relevant cometition that is, so no KD avg. 50 in glorified pick up games)… thus, post ASG performance to a certain degree and most importantly, playoff performance… I really don’t have a problem with places 1-8 here as those spots are close, but placing KD, Kobe, LeBron and Rose over Wade, Howard, Dirk, Paul could certainly be discussed… Just throwing it out, but how about:

    1. Dirk (he just got better, why will he get worse?)
    2. Wade
    3. Howard (Magic sans DH is worse than the Wolves)
    4. Rose
    5. Durant
    6. Bryant
    7. James
    8. Paul

  • http://slamonline.com everything

    who thinks joe johnson is better than tyreke evans? i don’t. i think tyreke will be on the conversation of top SGs in the league soon enough.

  • Jono

    DRose was (is?) the MVP only because of last season’s freakshow. LeBron and Wade were the victims of immense hatred that effectively meant that they had no shot of winning the award. Kobe had a weird year where despite his stats being great as usual, slumpped badly at certain points in the reason. For some reason, the Durant was completely over looked despite having better stats, 55-win season and withstanding a signifcant mid-season trade. Maybe the media were too caught-up in by his humblee-ness or whatever. This guy is a top 10 player, but top 5?! If he was in the top 3, I’ll….never mind. Overrated like no other, period.

  • dan

    well… a point guard in the top 5 who cant pass properly out of a drive? or bad decision making when it counted the most? (how many times did he drive against two or more defenders for bad shots instead of passing to the open man?) i think the bulls winning record has more to do with his coachs defensive system. hes a great player though but nothing near the top 5. in this point slam just joined the hype. and yes, durant wouldve been a better choice for the mvp. or, even though i hate em, james or wade.

  • Elliot

    wow…slam you really gonna put KD and Kobe as the top 3??!! This is ment to be on how good are they now, not their legacy, not in 5 years time, its about right now!
    Im sorry was I the only one that saw how the lakers were pretty average all season and tehn when they got to the playoffs managed to crash and burn in spectacular style?? I aint no Kobe hater but this was honesty a terrible season on the back of a back to back championship runs.
    Now for KD, your telling me that wade, nowitzki, howard are worse than this guy?! Yes I get it he is young and he’s still got loads of potential etc. but we are talking right now! He aint a leader, thats shared between him and Westbrook. Main reason he is rated so high is because he is the scoring champ…since when was best record in NBA and MVP worth less than the best scoring record. My question is KD, wheres the D? its too average to call yourself a top 3 player

  • Jono

    I know I just put up a post less than an hour ago but still fuming over DRose being a top 5 selection. For fu(k sake, this isn’t Glee! The NBA dosen’t have to embrace everyone or pick the most popular kid, it’s about the best players. And DRose is not a top 5 player in the world right now. If I had to pick a player to lead my team for the 11-12 season, I can think of at least 5 players ahead of Rose. Guys like LeBron, Dirk, Kobe, CP3 and KD. That’s even leaving out Melo and Wade. This is such a ridiculous choice, as bad as the Kevin Love one.

  • Jono

    And I realized I left out Howard too. WTF is Rose doing up here.

  • Elliot

    @jono
    Rose and the Bulls had the best record in the NBA, you cant put the Thunder’s 55win as a highlight to say Rose is bad. Also that mid-season trade helped the Thunder so much so you cant argue that it hurt KD in anyway possible. Im not a hater if thats what you think (cos whenever anyone talks bad about a player thats what they are branded as), I jus think that KD is being overated here making him a top 3 player, top 5 for sure but not 3. Tell me what makes him so spectacular that he deserves this spot (or mvp which some people say)apart from the amazing scoring, because if thats the case why isnt Anthony or heck even Monta Ellis in this top 3???

  • BBaller

    514!

  • Jono

    @Elliot
    I’m with you in that KD can rank anywhere between 3-6. He’s the superstar on a young and winning team and that will undoubtedly push his rankings up. Not to add in the fact that his the younger scoring champ and whatnot. Fact is he’s the best scorer in the game stats wise and plays for a darkhorse/contender. My main issue here is that DRose (seeing that this is the DRose article) does not deserve to be in the top 5. Durant should be higher than Rose regardless and in that sense, it’s fair that if Rose is 4, then Durant is in the top 3. Rose had a miraculous season that’s seen him peaked way too early. He was very fortunate and lots of events fel his way to concede the fact that he’s just an all-star player, not one who is derserving of the absurdly-awesome title of youngest ever MVP.

  • Feez22

    Time to put my 2 cents in yet again… I think rose should be ranked over paul this year because paul didn’t have a great season last year. I think paul is the better player but lets not be ignorant to what paul couldn’t do in the 2nd half of games last season… now that i got that summary out of the way i believe the blatant disrespect defensive capability has on this list is pretty lewd considering this is a “basketball” list. even ESPN of all damn places put defense into their perspective on the top players. Derrick rose is truly just above average in offense and thats because he is a volume shooter. His drive and kick passing is alright, jumper has improved but his 3pt jumper is not off the wall. I think rose should have been ranked at 4 but man… I still think dwight should be ranked as a top 3 player because of his impact defensively. Rose’s defense is horrible. Sorry it just is. He can’t stay in front of his defender and is the beneficiary of the team defense played around him. His defensive potential imo is HUGE but if you compare rose’s defense to westbrook’s it isn’t even a comparison. Rose should be much farther along defensively. His offense needs efficiency which will come. Other than his volume shooting it is his defense that has really disappointed me as a fan. Regardless, i think #4 is a great place for him to be. Now… kobe has made the top 3 which is laughable to me. Kobe might take the #1 ranking in this which would take all validity from this list. We’ll see. AGAIN… for dwight to lead his defense to top 3 in the league with the amount of inept wing defenders they had was unreal to me. they have literally no wing defensive stopper yet they were #3 in defense last year. thats dwight’s effect. Thats why dwight should be top 3 here.

  • http://www.optimabbc.be Max

    Q: what should I get when I need to use inversion, and the word that I need to start my sentence with is “rarely”, and the sentence is “A politician seldom speaks that honestly”.
    ?

  • http://www.slamonline.com UNFROZEN CAVEMAN LAWYER

    HEY LOOK, AN EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION ABOUT ROSE,PAUL,WILLIAMS AND WHO IS THE BEST PG/PLAYER. THATS NEW! SO SAD I MISSED IT. DERON IS THE BEST PG AND PLAYER OUT OF ANY PG ON THE PLANET.

  • marc

    Kobe is my favorite player but like i said i would cry of so much laughter if kobe is number 1. But what if kobe isn’t even on the list?

  • Snal

    ^^^

    If that doesn’t get over 2k posts, I don’t know what will.
    LOL.

  • http://www.optimabbc.be Max

    it isn’t that far fetched, KD at 3, LBJ at 2, BS at 1?

  • http://www.optimabbc.be Max

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGFqAJAvc1A
    The assist to bayless was just the greatest play i’ve ever seen.

  • IAMORANGE4EVER

    These rankings are mental masturbation…so futile.

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    @Max, by BS I hope you mean Brian Scalabrine.

  • http://www.optimabbc.be Max

    I do, who else? Brian Skinner? :)

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    In that case, you may be right! Prepare for top 50 sans Kobe Bryant! And the end of the world! Lol

  • Jono

    Scalabrine for the win! back in 08, he stepped up to the conference table after the Celtics won the chip and literally no one asked him a question. Funniest moment ever!

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    @Jono –
    regarding your 5:08 comment, I don’t know why it became popular to blame “the evil media’s hatred of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade” on Derrick Rose winning the MVP.
    I’ve discussed this plenty of times but guess I’ll do it again.
    LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are both better players, in my opinion, but the MVP award doesn’t always go to the best player.
    Now, Derrick Rose was the best player on the best team (record-wise) last year.
    But again, the MVP doesn’t always go to the best player on the team with the best record.
    So what’s to blame for this “freakshow”, as you inexplicably put it?
    Well, for me, I don’t see why James and Wade would deserve it over Rose when they couldn’t beat the boy from Chi-town, Wade in 3 tries and Bron in 2.
    Look at the Bulls’ record against playoff teams and especially elite teams.
    Swept the Mavs, swept the Heat, 2-1 against the Celtics and Magic, 1-1 against the Lakers, Thunder, Grizzlies and Spurs.
    They never lost three games in a row.
    They didn’t lose a season series to ANY team last year.
    The Heat can’t make any of those claims.
    But you go ahead and keep thinking Rose getting the MVP award was simply the media manipulating the system because of their “intense hatred” for LeBron and Dwyane.
    I’d say your 5:52 am comment probably proves that you just suffer from a case of “intense hatred” for Derrick Rose.

  • http://slam blinda

    D Rose had a better season then Wade and CP3 so how are they better. What has CP3 done lately that Rose hasn’t. Say what you want, but Rose was better at 22 then both Wade and CP3 and will be better moving forward as he continues to climb up the ranks. For all the non Bulls fans that say he sucks at defense, he is not a rookie anymore, he started to play defense. His body broke down by the end of the season, so his defense was not the best in the playoffs. At least the Bulls made it to the Eastern Conference Finals after being the 8th seed the previous 2 years. Rose haters need to quit hating and give him some props. He could have been in college last year, instead he in torching your teams, breaking ankles, and making Lebron and Bosh cry in the locker room like the babies they are.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    @blinda – well, Wade was a rookie at 22, but are you sure Rose’s 25, 7, 4 and 1 steal per was better than Chris Paul’s 21, 11, 4 and 2.7 steals per at age 22?

  • http://slam blinda

    Enigmatic watching basketball you know stats don’t mean the entire story. It’s all about making your teammates better and the total in the wins column. Yes CP3 deserved to win the MVP that year but he did not win 62 games and take his team as far in the playoffs. CP3 is a baller there’s no denying that. He may be the best at making his teammates better in the entire league. But if the Bulls teammates could consistantly hit shots and Rose wasn’t getting double and triple teammed every play, how good would he look then. No player scored more points in the league with the game on the line then Rose in the 4th.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Slick Ric

    Haha, someone said Derrick is a above average player on offense, lol, I truly have heard it all. Jason richardson is an above average player on offense but what do I know? They soon will realize they are so mistaken.

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    The most disappointing thing about this thread was that Nash’s name only came 1-2 times…

    :|

  • http://www.slamonline.com UNFROZEN CAVEMAN LAWYER

    BLINDA, HOW EXACTLY DID ROSE MAKE BOSH AND LEBRON CRY? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?

  • http://slam blinda

    You forgot in the regular season when the Bulls beat the Heat in Miami. The Heat kept losing close games. D Rose single handedled torched Miami. Lebron was whining like a baby on the bench, yelling at his teammates. The coach Spolstra put his team on blast. Spolstra said his players were crying in the locker room after the game. Thinking it would make his team look like they cared. In reality it showed Bosh Spice and Baby Lebron’s true colors. All the nba analysts said they thought Bosh Spice was the crybaby. But Dan Lebatard thought it was the frozen one who was emotional after the game. Lebron might be the best in the league, but I would take Kobe in the playoffs anytime over Lebron.

  • quicklikeaf0x

    Why is Rose rated so highly when say him and westbrook have very similar games however westbrook just seems to be “overrated”. I’ll take the guy who can do all of the same things as Rose but actually plays D none of this he’s not that bad… with Westbrook you actually get real D. I see so many comments like “Rose will only get better and better..” well Westbrook will too

  • http://Bulls.com HarryTwatter

    Why is Rose not above KD?? Rose played at a crazy high level last year night in and night out. I cant recall how often he wasn’t the best on the floor.

  • http://slamonline 3kings

    most overated player on the planet. hes fast and can jump high. ohhh so does every other nba player. d rose suckss. if everybody didnt miss micheal jorden so dam bad rose wouldnt even be in the top five

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  • Tom

    D Rose above all, i respect eboys opinion on this one, D. Rose should atleast be ranked #2! There are two players who separated themselves from the rest, and thats Lebron and Rose, Kobe Wade Durant are like 1b while the other two are 1a. There is just no doubt in my mind.

  • http://slam joevy ann semil

    Rose, come back , . we miss you so much .

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