Derrick Rose's aerial exploits might propel him to the NBA MVP award. Courtesy of operationsports.com
The Chicago Bulls’ 9-1 streak in the last 10 games has earned them the Eastern Conferences’ top seed, boasting a 59-20 record. There’s no way the Bulls could have achieved as much as they did, however, without top tier point guard Derrick Rose — this is why he deserves to be this year’s Most Valuable Player.
With 24.9 points per game, Rose may not lead the league in scoring, but he’s not far off the mark. He scored 42 points twice this season — the first of these coming against the imposing San Antonio Spurs.
But it’s the way Rose scores that matters. By executing dunks and lay-ups that are usually seen only during All-Star weekend, Rose provides his team with a morale boost. Rose’s three point percentage, meanwhile, has increased from .267 last year to .332 this year. With two double-doubles during the Bulls’ latest winning streak — including 36 points and 10 assists against Toronto — Rose is a true stat sheet stuffer. He has also done a superb job this year on defense, with 1.1 steals per game. An extremely valuable player by all regards, Rose has been out-scored by a rival point guard only twice this season.
In the eyes of many, other players are more deserving of being MVP. I believe that the popular choice in this case would be Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant, who for the second straight year has led the league in points per game.
Miami Heat forward LeBron James seems to be a distant third-place choice because, though he has amazing statistics and did score 51 of his team’s 104 points in their Feb. 3 victory over the Orlando Magic, he has not had to carry his team this year as Rose has.
Lakers’ guard Kobe Bryant deserves fourth due to his impressive comebacks and clutch shots, while Dwight Howard of the Magic — with 2.4 blocks, 23.1 points and 14.1 rebounds per game — takes fifth. Despite his strengths, Howard’s 3.55 turnovers per game, technical foul trouble and worsening field goal percentage make him unsuitable for MVP.
Derrick Rose, on the other hand, fits the description of MVP better than any other player. Hopefully the public and press will recognize this, and he will be presented with this year’s award.
Ondo is a member of
the class of 2014.
