Derrick Rose for MVP
Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is the most prized individual possession in the league. When the season started the usual suspects for this prestigious award were
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard - a trio that has thoroughly dominated NBA for the last five years. Kevin Durant was perhaps the outside bet. Yet here we are, early in the post season and we find ourselves bedazzled and bewitched by a third year
point guard, who has taken over the league this season.
Derrick Rose (D- Rose), the man from the windy city, has not only become the downright favourite for MVP this year, but has also fired the ambition of a championship
ring, one that has deserted the Chicago Bulls since 1998.
Standing at 1.91 meters, Rose has established himself as the best point guard in the league. Not only is Rose leading the team in scoring and assists this season,
he has made a habit of taking over games with his terrific speed and guile. Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls coach, has coached him into a mean, resilient defender who does not concede an inch to the opposition.
But this is not why he should be the MVP. Dwight Howard also carries his team’s defense and offence on his broad shoulders very regularly. Kobe Bryant is prolific
and effective in equal measure; LeBron James is sensational as ever while Kevin Durant is on his way to winning the league’s scoring title for the 2nd year running.
The word Valuable in MVP is a curious one. Who is most valuable? How do we define “most valuable”? Is the most valuable player the one who’s had the best season personally?
Or the one without whom his team would suffer the most?
It is perhaps the one who’s been the most effective in deciding games in his team’s favour, a clutch performer.
And that is where Derrick Rose beats the competition. Bryant’s Lakers are the reigning champions. It’s hard to improve on that. The ‘Black Mamba’ hasn’t had to drag
his team from obscurity or mediocrity. LeBron James had star sidekicks in the form of Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade this season. Wade himself is MVP material. Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant just haven’t made their teams into formidable championship worthy sides.
Guess who ticks all the above mentioned boxes?
D- Rose.
Rose has galvanized a team, which finished 8th in the Eastern Conference and 17th in the league overall last year, into an Eastern Conference
power house. His personal game has improved by leaps and bounds. The 22 year old constantly tears apart opposing teams, getting to the rim pretty much whenever he wants and also poses a significant threat as an outside shooter.
The lack of offensive power on the Bulls roster means that a lot of the scoring and creating burden falls on him, but he hasn’t shied away at all. Rose has sparked
the Chicago offense all season long. Add to this, his ability to close games, something James has struggled with all season. Then there is his prowess from the charity stripe, a facet with which Howard constantly finds himself struggling.
Derrick has an x-factor over his competition. One way or another, he has the advantage over all of his competitors for the MVP prize. He is tenacious in defense and
ferocious in attack. He is the leader of his team and has a huge impact on the team’s success. To add to that, Rose has a knack of closing down games tight games, which showcases his undying hunger to succeed. In short, he has all the signs of a real winner.
Derrick Rose is the frontrunner for the season MVP and he will surely be a worthy winner. Chicago has long waited for a saviour, they have finally got one.
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