ROSE effect: BIGGER than basketball
On my way home, fresh from stepping off the Pink Line, I usually encounter the same kids playing outside. One youngster, let’s call him Tay, is usually playing a game with his friends where several of them have plastic pistols. They run around cars, backyards, back and forth across the street dodging imaginary bullets. They always stop their game to speak or just joke around with me. At one of the few they can look up to, I always tell them what I used to get told when playing on the block and that’s stay out the street. I never get a response back from none of them.
What does Derrick Rose have to do with this? Nothing.
Last Thursday, the Chicago Bulls made Rose the number 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. General manager John Paxson told the media how hard it is to find a point guard in the draft especially with Rose ability. Paxson pointed out his leadership qualities and he expects him to be a great point guard in this league for 10-15 years.
The one thing Paxson, nor Rose understand is the impact Rose will have on an entire generation of youth in the Chicago area. Monday during his press conference, Rose described his feelings of playing for his hometown, “a dream come true.” For many Chicago youths his age and younger, they have lost the freedom to dream.
The violence between youth in Chicago has reached an alarming level. Chicago Public Schools, like Rose attended (Simeon) have become memorials for kids who never got to see their dreams unfold the way Rose has.
It seems every week, there is another child killed in a senseless act of violence. Why is this? It could be from lack of parental involvement. A four person household in my community (North Lawndale) only brings in $18,000 a year. Most turn to surviving anyway they can, and that usually starts and end with drug dealing. Kids are in an age, where having both parents around is essential. There are way too many pitfalls now-a-days for a single mother or father to be trying to raise a young man or woman.
A lot of the blame always goes to gang violence, but these “gangs” are the families of the children. They feel loved, togetherness and enjoyment of those they feel they connect with. As someone who works with children through a mentoring program (Young Urban Leaders), I know that all these kids need now is that someone who can uplift them, that someone that has come from the exact same environment, knows the struggle and now is going to have all of Chicago’s eyes on him.
I hope that we get to see the hard work this young man has put into getting to this point. Not the cribs, cars, jewelry and other flashy things that devoid kids minds of what really matters. When Chicago drafted Rose, they got more than a face of the franchise, they got the savior of Chicago youth.
Derrick Rose has everything to do with that story in the beginning.
Upon coming home Monday, I was surprised to see Tay and his friends playing on a Fisher Price rim. I asked “What happened to the guns?” “That’s boring,” Tay said. “This is fun.” As I watched him speed past his friends and go in for a dunk, I asked, “Who you supposed to be?” To my surprise Tay answered Derrick Rose. I smiled and proceeded to make my way home, but not before sharing these words of wisdom, “Better work on that left hand.” Tay shouted back to me, “I sure will.”
Possible Bulls Trades
Here are some of the possible trades that the Bulls should look at during the offseason….
1-Miami Heat Miami heat need a point guard and as we know it Bulls already picked Derrick Rose and the Heat have Beasley. Heat are pretty much stuck without a PG. Perhaps we trade a strong PG in Kirk Hinrich (whom Pat riley likes hence quoting him as one of the best defensive PG in the league) along with Tyrus Thomas or Drew Gooden and we get Shawn Marion.
2-Milwaukee Bucks Trade Hinrich and Gordon to the Bucks for Michael Redd. The Bulls could then put Redd at the 3 and move Deng to power forward. With Rose at the point that would create a dynamic offense.
3-Dallas Mavericks Package Hinrich with Sefolosha and Gordon for Josh Howard and Jason Terry (this deal doesn’t seem fair but the Mavs are about to blow that team up).
4-L.A Clippers Trade Hinrich and Gordon to the Clippers for Corey Maggette, Tim Thomas, and Brevin Knight. Thomas would be released right after the trade and is used solely to match salaries. Knight is an excellent backup point guard and would be a terrific mentor to Derrick Rose. Maggette and Deng together with Rose could turn into the foundation of the franchise.
5-L.A Clippers The Bulls can trade Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni for Elton Brand. They can finally bring this forward back to Chicago who was traded for Chandler. He gives the Bulls a nice dominant inside presence which we have been lacking for many years now.
Are the Bulls the team to beat in the East?
If you look back at the 2007 Season where they swept the Heat in the first round en route to their 2nd round loss to Detroit in 6, they pretty much had the same team in 08, except for P.J Brown and other bench players but that was it. In 2008 the contracts and trade rumors hit the Bulls hard and lost a lot of their confidence. I mean come on guys, the Chicago Bulls are the youngest team in the NBA of course they’re going to worry about their contracts so I don’t blame them. But guess what, its the start of the 2009 season and the offseason is going to be more important than ever and we can now chip off the pressure and the worriness of the Bulls players awaiting their contracts.
Kirk Hinrich is a good player, not a great player but Defensive wise, he is one of the best defensive PG in the game as quoted by Pat Riley. We have a good value in Kirk Hinrich, and there are many teams that can use Hinrich. We all know that Rose > Hinrich. Therefore we can rid of Hinrich for a quality player in a different position, perhaps for an inside scorer. Even better, we can Package Ben Gordon with Hinrich and get a great player that will improve the team tremendously (perhaps we can aim for Elton Brand), I mean we already have Larry Hughes, Rose to start and Duhon and Thabo to come off the bench, which in my opinion is great.
The offseason is just starting and cant wait to see what Paxson and Negro can make out off this offseason.
Bulls take D. Rose
I’m now excited in the direction this team is going. While I do know Kirk Hinrich is still the Bulls starting point guard, I believe Rose and him will share the backcourt along with Ben Gordon, (contract permitting) in a three guard system at times.
I been hearing Rose is being handed the key to the Bulls offense now and that simply isn’t true, he is going to take it. He will be able to get past his man on offense and get to the lane where he is strong enough to take a hit and be able to finish. His court vision is also an upgrade over anything we have ever seen with the organization.
I think John Paxson knew all along who they were selecting, but for the sake of argument and media, he had to keep us waiting, the same with the contract situation of Loul Deng and Gordon.
We were all blessed to have Michael Jordan and I believe after Rose career is done, we’ll be prasing again.
