Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

Before the season began, Derrick Rose wondered why he couldn’t be the NBA MVP. Most scoffed at the idea and went right back to discussing names like LeBron James and Dwight Howard. But early on, it was clear that Rose’s question, which came across as arrogant to some, was a perfectly valid one.

Derrick Rose didn’t have a summer. After the Bulls were knocked out of last year’s playoffs, Rose went to work preparing to represent Team USA at the FIBA World Championships in Turkey. Rose may not have been the breakout start of the tournament (that was Kevin Durant), but he saw big minutes on the USA squad that cruised to the gold medal.

Literally the day the team returned from Turkey, Rose was back in the gym. Jetlag and all, Rose returned to begin working out and watching film with newly hired Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.

It didn’t take long before Rose’s hard work turned into success on the statsheet, but more importantly, wins for the Bulls. Rose septn the tnrie regular season providing us with incredible body-twisting layups and highlight reel dunks not seen in Chicago since You-Know-Who.

All of Rose’s stats saw a jump in 2010-11. His PPG average jumped from 20 to well over 25 points per. His assists per game swelled to nearly eight a game and he also grabbed four boards per. Those numbers, those highlights, and those 62 Bulls wins culminated in Derrick Rose being named MVP of the league, beating out names like LeBron, Durant, and Dirk Nowitzki.

Rose began to show signs of wear in the postseason, but still proved to the world why he was named MVP. He will the Bulls through their first round series, with some spectacular fourth quarter performances. It was more of the same against Atlanta in the second round, before Rose ultimately succumbed to a top notch defensive team in the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

What we can really chalk Derrick Rose’s performance in the Eastern Conference Finals up, along with great defense, is a lack of help. Though Rose’s body was beaten up by May, it’s unlikely even a healthy Rose would have been able to best that Miami defense by himself. Sure, he probably forced up too many bad shots, but no one else looked to be stepping up consistently as a second option.

Despite the incredible year that Rose had, the 22-year-old still has plenty of doubters. Many question the choice of Rose being named MVP and criticized his shot selection at the point guard spot. It’s definitely true that Rose still has growing up to do as a basketball player. It’s an over-used term, but he can only get better. With a work ethic like his and a coach, how could he not? If the Bulls land a second option on offense for Rose this summer, watch out MVP.

And as for those who said Rose was undeserving of such an honor, yes there were other guys that were worthy. It was almost a crap shoot this year for who could have been MVP. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a guy who willed his team to as many victories and provided the consistent, all-around game that Rose did this year, and will continue to build upon in the future.

Many have compared him to Allen Iverson after this season, claiming that he won the MVP out of shock and awe, rather than success. But with a better work ethic, better character, and a better base behind him, this is a kid who is going to be up for the award annually, just like the Chicago Bulls are now going to be considered a perennial championship contender.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

You don’t need to be an NBA expert to know that Carlos Boozer‘s first season as a Bull can be labeled as a disappointment. The Bulls had hoped he would bring a strong scoring presence to the paint for Chicago when they signed him to a 5-year, $80 million deal last summer.

That never really happened. Boozer struggled to find offensive consistency and couldn’t maintain chemistry with his battery mate in the paint, Joakim Noah. His inconsistency really burned the Bulls in the postseason, when he disappeared on both ends of the court, and had many questioning whether or not Boozer was a good choice for the franchise.

Those questions weren’t new, though. When the Bulls signed Boozer, after missing out on the likes of free agent big men Amar’e Stoudemire and Chris Bosh, the questions about Boozer’s health and consistency were instantaneous. And he would prove both of those concerns to be valid over the course of his first season in the Windy City.

It’s because of those struggles in his one season that have left many wondering whether or not Boozer will be a Bull in the 2011-12 season (if there is a season). Despite the woes Boozer experienced this year, he did do some good things, which has left a rumored interest in him from some teams.

While many will hope one of those teams is Orlando, the Magic are reportedly interested in Boozer to pair with Dwight Howard, not to swap the two. But Orlando isn’t the only name that has popped up in these early-summer, and questionable, trade rumors. The Golden State Warriors are looking for a big man, and their biggest scoring threat just might be available.

While Warriors’ brass has shot down the rumors already, Monta Ellis‘ name has come up several times already this offseason, since the NBA finals ended just over a week ago. His name has come up in a possible deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, which would send Andre Iguodala to the Golden State.

But as ESPN’s Chris Broussard has already stated, the Bulls and Warriors have had talks about a possible deal at some point this summer. While that doesn’t mean much, given the fact that the Bulls may have simply inquired as to Ellis’ availability, it shows that the Bulls are serious about upgrading their lineup at the two-guard.

It’s pretty clear that the Bulls need a second scoring threat to pair with Derrick Rose. Boozer was a let down and Luol Deng isn’t a strong scoring presence. If the Bulls do upgrade their roster and find that scoring threat, it’s most likely going to be at shooting guard.

The 2010-11 season was the first season in which Ellis played 80 or more games, after playing just 89 combined the previous two seasons. He finished the season with just a touch over 24 points per game, to go along with the almost six dimes per.

Now if the Bulls are somehow able to pull off a deal for the 6′ 3″ shooting guard, it wouldn’t likely be a one-for-one swap with Boozer, as nice as that would be for the Bulls. Picks and role players could be involved in such a deal as well.

If the Bulls do deal for Ellis, the lineup would include he and Rose in the backcourt, Deng and Noah in their regular starting roles, and Taj Gibson likely moving into Boozer’s role, provided none of them get dealt as well.

At the end of the day, how likely is this trade to actually happen? Not very. The Warriors have been pretty adamant about not trading Ellis, and while honesty in regard to something like that is something rare in today’s sports world, the Bulls would likely have to give up a lot more than Boozer to get Ellis, and that’s something that Gar Forman and co. seem unlikely to do.

This Bulls squad isn’t in need of a facelift, it simply needs some tweaks. If they are able to unload Boozer for a two-guard anywhere near Ellis’ caliber, which would move Gibson in the starting role he has appeared to earn, then it would be the right deal. But until the right deal comes along for both sides, which would require the Bulls to move the minimum amount of players on their current roster, while also upgrading at the two, I doubt that make a Ellis-caliber splash.

Chicago Tribune Photo (Nuccio DiNuzzo)

In the somewhat mass exodus that took place out of Salt Lake City last summer, the Bulls wound up with three former members of the Utah Jazz’s roster. While the biggest name to come out of the three was Carlos Boozer, the Bulls’ signing of Kyle Korver was also a noteworthy one.

Korver was brought in for one purpose: to shoot the basketball. His career with both the Jazz, and the Philadelphia 76ers prior to his Utah days, demonstrated that Korver was an exceptional guy to have hanging out behind the three point line, whenever someone needed to hand it off.

Coming in with a career shooting percentage that hovered around the 40′s, Korver brought that same accuracy to the Bulls, even if it wasn’t always so obvious.

He did struggle a bit, just as Ronnie Brewer did, to not only fit with this Bulls team, but actually make his shots as well and demonstrate consistency. While the 42% he shot from beyond the arc this year is about on par with his career totals, it doesn’t quite match up with the 54% he dropped with Utah the previous season.

Korver did prove to be a key player for the Bulls, at times. He wasn’t a completely integral part of their offense all the time, but Korver proved to be a big part of the Bulls’ runs over the course of the 62 games they won, dropping the big shots from deep to put the proverbial dagger in the opposition.

He proved to be big time in the first round of the postseason, against the Indiana Pacers. Korver didn’t light up the scoreboard by any means, but he hit big shots in the fourth quarter throughout the five games of that series, as the Bulls never actually put away the Pacers in a convincing manner.

But after those shots against Indy, Korver was more of a negative aspect of Chicago’s series in the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.

He shot just 7-of-22 in the series, including shooting 1-7 in Game 2. But perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Korver’s play in the postseason was the fact that Tom Thibodeau left him in in key moments to play defense on Dwyane Wade, even when Korver was failing to make shots.

However, despite his horrid performance against Miami, Korver can still be an asset to the Bulls, at least offensively. His shooting ability opens the game up for the Bulls’ no. 1 scoring threat, Derrick Rose. While his defense is nothing to write home about, he will continue to be a part of this Bulls offense, as long as he doesn’t endure the types of shooting woes he struggled with during the winter months.

Much of what Korver’s involvement with the Bulls will be in 2011-12 depends on what the Bulls do in addressing the two-guard. With Keith Bogans possibly departing as a free agent, Korver and Brewer would be the two options for the Bulls at shooting guard, meaning more minutes for Korver than last season. Of course, all signs point to them making some sort of move in regard to that spot. Stay tuned.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

Immediately after the Bulls completed their Game 5 meltdown in the final minutes against the Miami Heat, the questions began to turn from “what went wrong?” to ideas of how the Bulls can improve heading into next season, whenever that might be.

And with the Bulls being in the big market they are, those questions instantly turned to perhaps the biggest name entering the trade rumors and free agency next summer: Dwight Howard.

We all know about Dwight Howard and how good he has been for the Orlando Magic the last few years. Really the last big star to enter the draft straight out of high school, Howard finished second in the MVP voting behind Chicago’s own Derrick Rose. A beast on the boards, Howard averaged just over 14 boards a game to go along with his nearly 23 points for a Magic squad that surprisingly got bounced in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks.

Howard has been in the league since the 2004-05 season, and has played in all 82 games in all but two of those years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was injured in those other two. Howard has had multiple issues with picking up technicals, including one late this season for a free throw violation, in which he tossed the ball away from the official and picked up his 18th technical, and a one-game suspension.

That seems to be one of the only drawbacks of being able to acquire a guy like Howard, who definitely seems like a guy of good character on and off the court, despite the technicals he picks up seemingly every other day.

Trade rumors are certain to swirl around the Orlando big man this offseason, due to the fact that he’s set to become a free agent following the 2011-2012 season, the Magic want to make sure they are able to acquire something for him and are not left empty-handed a la Cleveland.

Los Angeles has already been mentioned as a prime destination for the big man, with Andrew Bynum being mentioned as a possible trade chip in such a deal, whether a straight trade or a sign-and-trade. However, it remains to be seen if Howard would want to play with an aging Kobe Bryant, especially after the season.

The Knicks have also been mentioned, but Amar’e Stoudemire was already rumored to like being the go-to guy too much in New York before they acquired Carmelo Anthony, so adding another big statistical presence seems like a bad idea for the Knicks.

Enter the Chicago Bulls. They have the picks, they have the young talent, all that remains is whether or not they’re willing to part with some of that to acquire Howard.

If the Bulls were to enter into such a discussion with the Magic, Taj Gibson would almost certainly be a focal point for the Magic, especially after a solid postseason from the young forward out of USC. However, if the Bulls have any ideas about dumping Carlos Boozer, Gibson becomes the starter at that forward spot.

At the end of the day, is it a possibility that the Bulls acquire Howard? Sure, anything is possible, especially in today’s NBA. But is it likely? That’s the real question. With guys like Gibson and Omer Asik showing their worth to the Bulls this season, these guys have made Chicago more weary about dealing them, even when they seemed like sure trade chips this past summer.

While a move for Dwight Howard could very easily be the move that puts the Bulls over the top, it remains unlikely that they’ll be able to acquire him this summer, unless they are able to work out a deal that the Magic like, without compromising the roster that won them 62 games this season.

A combination of Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard would be a dream for Bulls fans, and could be the perfect formula to knock off the Miami Heat, but for fans it will likely remain just that: a dream.

When the Detroit/Cleveland trade fell through, the Bulls lost their chance at signing Hamilton and instead had to go with Keith Bogans in their starting lineup for the rest of the year. However, it now appears that Hamilton could once again be on the Bulls’ radar.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the first and fourth overall picks on this year’s draft, but have their sights set on acquiring the top two picks. It appears they are working on a three-way trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons to make that happen.

While elements of the trade still have to be discussed between the teams, but it appears the Cavs would be acquiring the Pistons’ eighth overall pick and Hamilton, while sending that pick and their fourth overall pick to the Timberwolves to gain the top two picks, who they would most likely use on Duke’s Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams, out of the University of Arizona.

Who the Pistons would acquire in such a deal is still unknown, but with the extra money the Cavs have from the trade exception they received from Miami for LeBron James, they would take Hamilton’s contract on and eventually buy out the remaining two years he has.

How much Hamilton could help the Bulls remains to be seen. While at 33, he isn’t terribly old, his body has shown signs of wear, playing in just 67, 46, and 55 games, respectively, over the past three years for the Pistons. His point per game total in the 2009-10 season was the lowest since his rookie season in 1999.

However, Hamilton would definitely bring some help to the Bulls at the two-guard, which consisted of Bogans and Ronnie Brewer, along with those spells of Kyle Korver. He would certainly be an upgrade over Bogans, who is unlikely to return and would probably come on the cheap side given his age and statistical decline over the past couple seasons.

If the Bulls were to sign Hamilton if he eventually finds his way out of Detroit, it would be an improvement for the Bulls, but it’s not a move that would put them over the top. They might be better served to try and acquire O.J. Mayo from Memphis, but it’s not known who or what they’d have to part with the acquire him.

For now, this Pistons-Cavs-T’Wolves trade remains just a rumor. As the NBA finals come to an end, we’ll know more and more about deals that are likely to happen, but there’s also that looming lockout, which will surely impact any transactions that are discussed or take place.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

Feast your eyes on this gem by Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo! Sports. By the way, he describes Wednesday’s Game 2 between the Bulls and the Miami Heat, you’d think the series was over, LeBron James is Michael Jordan, and Pat Riley got his revenge on the Bulls for the 1990s.

Wait, what? This is a seven game series, correct? And it is tied 1-1, right? In fact, the Bulls are off to a much better start than they were against Atlanta, in which they lost Game 1 in Chicago, but went on to win the series in six games.

Woj went on to spend a good chunk of his article praising LeBron James for his performance in Game 2, and rightfully so. James killed the Bulls, especially in the latter half of the fourth quarter, when the Bulls could hit nothing, and he couldn’t miss. It was a clutch as we have ever seen him in the postseason.

But Michael Jordan he is not, as Woj went on to mention No. 23 several times. One solid performance in the clutch when you’ve been around as long as LeBron James has doesn’t earn you a comparison to the greatest basketball player the world has ever seen.

Sure, the way he performed late was similar to Jordan. But for a guy who has never had that MJ killer instinct, it’s just stepping up at the right time. Not to take anything away from James or his play in Game 2, but any Jordan comparisons went out the window when he decided to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

But that’s not even my real bone to pick with Woj’s, who I’ve always admired as a columnist, article. The real issue here is the idea of Pat Riley getting ‘revenge’ on the Bulls, not only for the way Jordan killed his teams in the 90s, but the fact that Riley was forced to share NBA Executive of the Year with Bulls general manager, Gar Forman.

First of all, winning one game to even a best-of-seven series doesn’t classify any sort of revenge for or on the Bulls. Second, how exactly is Riley so much more deserving of Exec of the Year than Gar?

Sure, Riley brought together three of the top, and the two best, free agents from this summer, but how much did he actually do in bringing in his Big Three, aside from maybe crunching some numbers? We know Wade did the recruiting, and it’s pretty easy to decide to live in Miami over Cleveland if you just look at the setting itself, and not at the ‘sports town’ aspect of it. Beyond the Big Three, who do the Heat have? Mike Bibby, who left his prime in Sacramento years ago?

Gar Forman, along with John Paxson, worked diligently to put a quality team together. Say what you want about him missing out on top tier free agents, most of their minds were made up before the free agent period even began. Aside from throwing too much money at Carlos Boozer, Gar put together a team of role players and character guys to create a defensive monster. Let’s not forget the hiring of the NBA’s Coach of the Year, Tom Thiobdeau, who led this group to 62 wins, far more than anyone expected.

Are the Bulls a better team than the Heat? Overall, from top to bottom, yes. Will they beat the Heat in these Eastern Conference finals? That remains to be seen. What we can chalk Woj’s column, and the opinion of much of the mainstream media (looking at you ESPN) is the fact that they’re simply caught up in the moment of each individual game. The media loves to get excited.

After Game 1, the Heat were doomed and the Bulls were going to go on to sweep them. After Game 2, apparently LeBron becomes Jordan and Riley gets the last laugh. Why can’t we all just sit back and enjoy the series that has been destined to go seven games since it started?

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

If you’ve read any headlines since the Miami Heat knocked off the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, then you know virtually no one else stands a chance in this postseason. Not the Dallas Mavericks, who swept the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, and surely not the Oklahoma City Thunder or Memphis Grizzlies.

Of course, the Bulls were just a stepping stone for the Heat, as well, given their troubles in getting past the Atlanta Hawks in six games. After all, the Heat beat the Celtics in five, and have been proclaimed unbeatable.

Well, there is a reason they play the games. Yes, it was impressive to see LeBron James and Dwayne Wade lighting it up together against the Celtics, but who did they really beat? A banged up, old Boston team, which had a point guard playing with one arm, in Rajon Rondo, and a frontcourt that included an aging Kevin Garnett and a should-have-retired-years-ago Shaquille O’Neal, who made less of an impact on this series than Brian Scalabrine did for the Bulls.

Not to discount the Heat, though. Obviously they’re a top tier team, given that potent backcourt. James and Wade are both all-NBA talents, which certainly showed against the C’s. Sure, they lack depth and a strong frontcourt, but they are still as deadly and explosive as any team remaining in these playoffs.

But to completely dismiss this series as over, as some have already done (looking at you Skip Bayless) could be considered nothing short of absurd. Yes, the Heat have great players, but the Bulls have proven this season that they have the all-around talent to keep up with anyone in the league.

At this point, dismissing the Bulls is irresponsible. They actually match up against the Heat much better than one might realize, even if many have already tossed the Bulls aside as an easy opponent for Miami.

In fact, the Bulls hold an advantage over the Heat, which could end up shaping this series. That advantage lies in the both the frontcourt of the Bulls, and their depth.

There is certainly no shortage of talent down low for the Bulls. After a few tough games in the playoffs, Carlos Boozer found his stride in Thursday’s Game 6 against the Hawks, along with the fact that he plays next to one of the most intense, and a top notch guy on the boards, in Joakim Noah.

Beyond those two, the hat still goes deeper. Taj Gibson has shown that he can stick with anyone in the league and is proving to be a key cog in the Bulls machine. There’s also Omer Asik, who is a beast on the boards and a solid backup for Noah, as well as the veteran big man Kurt Thomas, who is fresh after seeing little time to this point in the postseason.

What do the Heat have down low? Chris Bosh. Now Bosh has had a good postseason, but he was also playing against a Celtics frontcourt that looked very sorry in their series in the past week or so. Joel Anthony certainly isn’t in a league with Boozer or Noah, meaning whichever one Bosh does match up with, will have an extremely favorable matchup in this series.

Of course, there’s still that outlandish advantage the Heat have in the backcourt. Yes, the Bulls have the league MVP in Derrick Rose, but Miami boasts two of the game’s best players in Wade and James. Wade will most likely guard Rose, but luckily for the Bulls, Rose can keep himself fresh on the defensive side of things, with Keith Bogans expected to match up with Wade with the Bulls on D. There’s also the matter of that Luol Deng guy, who is a pretty great defender, matching up against James.

Say what you want about the Bulls not blowing teams out in the playoffs or not looking overly impressive. The fact is, that this team is sound from top to bottom, and has as much depth and defensive skill as any team in the league. They’re not built to blow teams out, and whether they come out on the winning or losing side of this series, each game should prove to be a close one.

On paper, you see the names of Wade and James and assume the Heat have an outstanding advantage over the Bulls in this series. But Chicago is the better overall team, with a better frontcourt and more depth, meaning this is going to be an extremely close, and nerve-racking series for Bulls fans, no matter the result.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

You knew it was just a matter of time before the Bulls’ entire team actually showed up for a post season game, and they finally did it in Chicago’s 93-73 win over the Hawks on Thursday, expelling Atlanta from any hopes of postseason glory.

The Bulls got going in this one and never really stopped, leaving little chance for an Atlanta squad that was enduring one of its worst shooting nights of the postseason.

Surprisingly, the biggest source of offense for the Bulls on Thursday came from Carlos Boozer, who dropped 23 on the Hawks in the win. Boozer has struggled throughout this postseason, both with his scoring touch and his turnovers, so Thursday was a big step in the right direction for him.

Chicago’s big free agent catch of last summer found his rhythm in this one, scoring on 10 of his 16 shots from the field, with 10 boards to add to his double-double. Seemingly every jumper that Boozer launched fell for him, and he played with more confidence than we had seen to this point in the postseason.

His scoring frenzy took some of the pressure off of Derrick Rose, who only had to play 38 minutes in the win. The MVP did make an impact though, with 19 points and 12 dimes, as well as the fact that the team was a game-high plus-24 with Rose on the court.

The Bulls’ bench also saw plenty of time again in this one, and did manage to make another impact, just as they’ve done all season. Omer Asik played the most minutes off the bench, scoring five points and grabbing five boards. Taj Gibson also had another hot shooting night, getting five of his seven shots to drop, which were good for 10 on the night.

The Hawks didn’t have such luck shooting on Thursday night. They shot just a touch over 36 percent for the game, with Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford combining to go 9-28 from the field. The fact that their two biggest scoring options, once again, let their team down due to poor shooting and a stout Chicago defense, ultimately doomed the Hawks.

The one Hawk that did have a strong game was Josh Smith, who was second on the team with 18 points. But he had an all-around solid game for Atlanta, with five rebounds, a couple of blocks, and three steals of the night.

With the win, the Bulls will now move on to face the powerhouse Miami Heat, who cruised by an old and hobbled Boston Celtics squad earlier this week. While the Heat were nearly unanimously handed the NBA title after Wednesday’s Game 5 win, there is certainly more to this series that meets the eye.

The early stages of Chicago’s Game 5 on Tuesday night had all the makings of what Game 3 was for the Bulls. They jumped out to an early lead and looked to be running away with it, but the persistent Hawks would stay in it until the late-going in this one, with the Bulls eventually grabbing the 95-83 win.

The Bulls started off hot, leading by 11 points after the first quarter. Rather than Derrick Rose taking the early shots, which he did, it was Luol Deng who had the hot hand, scoring the first seven points for the Bulls in this one. As the Bulls pulled away early, Keith Bogans scored eight consecutive points to help the Bulls jump out to their early lead.

But the Hawks would not be denied. Aided by another sound performance from the youngster Jeff Teague, as well as some solid play early from Josh Smith, the Hawks crept back into this one in the second and early third quarters. Towards the end of the third, they would eventually hold their first lead over the Bulls.

It wasn’t as if the Bulls were playing poorly, either. The Bulls shot almost 49 percent from the field and were sound defensively, but the Hawks were also solid in their shooting, finishing with about a 48 percent. Even with the Atlanta rally, though, the Bulls held a one-point lead after three.

After blowing a double digit lead that they held early, many were certainly weary of the Bulls heading into the game’s final frame. Searching for energy, the Bulls got it from the usual source, as well as one that was a bit more unexpected for some.

The Bulls outscored the Hawks 26-15 for the quarter, with Rose accounting for 11 of those points. Coming up with another 11 of them was Taj Gibson, who did  not score in the previous three quarters. He provided a nice spark off the bench, which was absolutely necessary on a night in which Joakim Noah and Kyle Korver combined for zero points.

Atlanta didn’t do themselves any favors on Tuesday either. Despite a solid night from Josh Smith, and another sound performance from Teague, the  Hawks’ major scoring threats, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, fell silent once again. The two combined for 17 points, and 15 of those came courtesy of Johnson.

Even though it wasn’t the prettiest win for the Bulls, this shouldn’t come as anything new to fans. This isn’t a team that’s going to blow many teams out, even if they were able to decimate Atlanta in the regular season. Expect another gritty performance when the Bulls try and close out the series in Atlanta on Thursday night.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

At the beginning of the season, Derrick Rose sat there and asked why he couldn’t win the MVP award. Most analysts, and even some fans, scoffed at the remarks by the third-year point guard. After all, with the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard vying for the award, what chance did little ol’ Rose stand?

Fast forward to May 3rd, 2011. Derrick Rose stood in front of media, teammates, and family as he accepted the MVP award for the 2010-2011 season, besting all three of the superstars mentioned above. And it wasn’t even close.

Rose took him 113 of 121 first place votes. Those three all-world talents combined for the other eight. That’s absurd. Sure, many expected Rose to take home the MVP when all was said and done, but perhaps no one could have expected that sort of landslide victory.

It’s not as if it isn’t deserved. Rose led the Bulls to a 62-20 record, tops in the entire league. And that’s having played the majority of the season without Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah playing at the same time.

A quick look at Rose’s stats would indicate he’s not the league MVP. In fact, it would probably tell you that he’s not even close to being near the most elite candidates for the award. Rose was seventh in the league in points per game, and 10th in assists per. Not mind-blowing numbers, but in the MVP discussion, it goes beyond the numbers.

Rose’s teammates and observers will be the first to tell you that it’s difficult to match his work ethic. In fact, it’s damn near impossible. During the press conference in which it was announced that Rose won the award, head coach Tom Thibodeau gave an account of how he became familiar with the tough-as-nails guard that is Derrick Rose.

Upon winning the FIBA World Championships last summer, in Turkey, Rose returned only to immediately begin working out with his teammates. The next day. For those of you that aren’t aware, Turkey is roughly seven hours ahead of the United States’ and eight ahead of Chicago. What jet lag?

But it’s what we saw during the season from Rose that has made him truly remarkable. His ability to take over a game is something unseen in the Windy City since the days of  wait for it….Michael Jordan. And while the Jordan comparisons are still completely outlandish, there’s no denying the late-game ability of Rose.

I’ve referred to him as the best closer in sports since Mariano Rivera, and with good reason. One example that immediately comes to mind goes back to March 26th, against the Bucks in Milwaukee.

In the 95-87 Bulls win, Rose dropped 30 points, as well as 17 dimes to the effort. But it was his effort in the late-going that firmly established him as one of the game’s top closers. Rose scored eight of Chicago’s last 12 points and contributed two key assists to those other four points to seal the deal against a pesky Bucks squad.

On Tuesday, in front of all the naysayers and those who had written off the Bulls as a five-seed, at best, heading into the season, Rose stood as humble as ever. Taking little credit for the award, Rose thanked his Bulls teammates, staff, coaches, fans, and, perhaps most importantly, his family. Nearly tearing up when mentioning his mother, Rose proved to the Bulls fan base that that kid who grew up on the South Side of Chicago is still as humble and as human as anyone.

As the Bulls prep to host the Atlanta Hawks for Game 2, Rose now has the hardware he coveted at the beginning of the year, but he still knows there is work to be done. Bulls fans should prep to see a rejuvenated Rose after a rough Game 1 as the Bulls look to continue onward towards their title hopes on  Wednesday night, in Chicago.