Derrick Rose Posterizes Joel Anthony - 2011 Eastern Conference Finals Game 4

The Chicago Bulls are now only one game away from being eliminated by the Miami Heat as they fell last night by the score of 101-93.

However for Bulls fans, Derrick Rose had an impressive highlight as Miami Joel Anthony was the victim on a Rose poster dunk:



(Courtesy of The Basketball Jones)

2010-11 NBA MVP Has Been Kissed By A Rose

When looking back on this season in professional basketball, the exemplary play of one special individual stands out from all his other cohorts. The theme that best defines what he has done this year can be best explained through a lyric from the R&B artist Seal.

“Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the gray.”

While LeBron James and Dwight Howard are bright illuminations this season, the rose that is blooming over those two is none other than the Chicago Bulls’ own Derrick Rose. The former Memphis Tigers star is well on his way to winning his first MVP at the young age of 22.

With his team in cruise control on their way to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, Rose is the driving force at getting them there. The trip upwards has been no easy drive for the point guard and his team. Other opponents were regarded as the favorites at the start of the 2010-11 season.

The defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics have one of the deepest lineups in the league and a roster filled with former (and current) All-Stars and MVP winners. There’s the Miami Heat, who were delegated as the team of the future and favorites in the East this year after the off season. The Orlando Magic have a plethora of shooters surrounding the most dominant big man in the game, who causes havoc in the paint on both ends of the court.

Despite all that stood before them, it is the Bulls that are now the toast of the league and Rose deserves to reap the benefits of their 2010-11 success with the highest personal honor in the NBA: the Most Valuable Player award.

What the young point guard has done this season can be classified as incredible, even possibly unheard of given what he has to work with. Although the Bulls were able to nab one of the top free agents during the off season in Carlos Boozer (who, by the way, is having his worst output statistically since 2005-06), this team didn’t have a huge makeover with their player personnel. Aside from a few minor changes with their role players, this is essentially the same team that was the final seed of the Eastern conference with a 41-41 record a year ago.

Now, they are twenty wins better this season and will go into the playoffs with the best record in the East. Those improvements can be attributed to Rose, who has increased his performance and abilities immensely.

Even though the third year player entered the league as a cornerstone that any general manager can build his team around, his skills were still limited and constricted depending upon his point of attack on the court. A ball of fire that can get to any spot on the court with his deceptive quickness and impressive body control, the book on Rose was to keep him on the perimeter because of his inability to hit from three-point range.

In just this season alone, he has made four times as many treys as he has scored in the first two years combined. Such a vast improvement has allowed his game to expand because defenders must now take his range seriously, which creates more space for him to attack the rim.

Although his shooting from behind the arc is the biggest eye-opener this year, it isn’t the only reason why he is such a better player this season. Aside from field goal percentage, Rose’s statistics are up in every major category (assists, steals, blocks, points, free throw percentage). These increases illustrate his willingness to become a better player and leader for his team, which is evident given what he and his team have achieved in 2010-11.

Those achievements should pay off with the point guard hoisting the MVP award, which would be even more amazing due to the history of past winners at his position. Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, and Steve Nash are the only point guards to ever win this award. With basketball being a pre-dominantly big man sport, it’s mind-boggling to see a player with such a small stature take control of the NBA as Rose has this year.

In the end, seeing anyone other than Rose win the MVP would be a slap in the face to him. The idea that someone else can contend with him for the award is laughable and every ballot will most likely have first place next to his name.

Rose has been blossoming all year long, but he’ll be in full bloom when the lights of the United Center shine down on him and he’s hoisting the MVP trophy in front of his fans.

This Day in Black Sports History: February 21, 2003

Although in the twilight of his career, with nothing left to prove, Michael Jeffrey Jordan continued his assault on the National Basketball Association’s record books.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Wilmington, N.C., Jordan was motivated to prove his worth since he failed to make his high school’s varsity basketball team as a sophomore.

So upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, it should come as no surprise that Jordan tallied approximately 20 points per game over his final two seasons of play, including averaging a triple-double—29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 10.1 assists—during his senior season.

After accepting a scholarship offer to play at the University of North Carolina, Jordan went on to average 17.7 points and five rebounds per game over the course of three seasons. In the process, Jordan was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year and won the Naismith and Wooden College Player of the Year Awards for his junior season exploits.

Jordan gave up his final year of eligibility to enter the 1984 NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the third overall pick after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers).

For the 15 seasons he played in the NBA, Jordan would prove that the Rockets and Trail Blazers missed the mark with each All-Star Game he made (14), each Most Valuable Player Award he won (five) and each Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy he brought back to the Windy City (six).

From 1991 to 1998, the Bulls would win the NBA title every season that Jordan was playing. The only two years Chicago didn’t lay claim to the championship (1994, 1995), was when Jordan temporarily retired to pursue a career in baseball.

Jordan would walk away from the game a second time after leading the Bulls to their second three-peat in eight years, further affirming his status as the greatest player in league history.

Two years later, Jordan returned to the NBA as part-owner and President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards, which would only stoke the competitive flames that still burned within.

As a result, Jordan returned to play for the Wizards the following season, in which he led the team in scoring (22.9 ppg), assists (5.2 apg) and steals (1.42 spg).

The 2002-03 season would be Jordan’s last, as advancing age and nagging injuries finally caught up with “greatest basketball player of all-time,” but he would depart with a flourish.

Playing in his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game, Jordan scored 20 points to become the all-time leading scorer in All-Star Game history.

For an encore, on Feb. 21, 2003, Jordan became the oldest player to score 40 points or more in a game, when he lit up the New Jersey Nets for 43 points in an 89-86 Wizards victory.

In a testament to his love of the game, Jordan was the only Washington player to play all 82 games that season, averaging 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per contest.

After tributes were paid to him throughout the league, Jordan played his final game on April 16, 2003 in Philadelphia.

Jordan went to the bench in the third quarter after scoring only 13 points and with the Wizards trailing the Philadelphia 76ers, 75–56.

The fourth quarter would see Jordan re-enter the game for a 50-second stint to sink the final free throws of his career. Subsequently, when he returned to the bench, Jordan would receive a three-minute standing ovation from his teammates, the Sixers team, the officials and the capacity crowd at the First Union Center.

His legacy secured, the ultimate form of acknowledgment would come from one of Jordan’s legendary peers who once said:

"There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us." – Earvin 'Magic’ Johnson

Click here to read the original article at Examiner.com.

The 12 Days of Christmas, Chicago Bulls Style

During the holidays, many professional sports teams like to spread their holiday cheer through some singing video that makes fools of the athletes.

Thankfully, the Chicago Bulls decided to do one this year, Enjoy!:



(Courtesy of That NBA Lottery Pick)

Summer of LeBron James Results in Box Office Success for NBA

As the summer of 2010 gradually becomes a distant memory, Commissioner David Stern and the National Basketball Association can reflect upon it with tremendous pride due to the record numbers produced at the gate in its wake.

And the teams whose coffers saw the largest boons were the ones who were able to land the biggest fish in the most talent-laden free agent pool in NBA history.

According to Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal, the NBA will begin the 2010-11 season later this month with more than $100 million in new full-season-ticket revenue, a record amount for the league, as well as new full-season ticket sales surpassing the tally for all of 2009.

The five teams with the highest number of new sales through the end of September were the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic; the majority of whom were prominent players in the LeBron James sweepstakes and made huge splashes in free agency.

The acquisition of Carlos Boozer by the Bulls, LeBron James & Chris Bosh by the Heat, and Amar’e Stoudemire by the Knicks significantly contributed to the major storylines in the off-season that will continue to play themselves out during the regular season.

Will the formidable triumvirate of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh shatter the NBA record for wins in a season on the way to the first of multiple championships?

Can the Chi-Town trio of Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah become an Eastern Conference power to rival ‘Miami Thrice’?

Did the resurgence of the New York Knicks, one of the marquee franchises in the league, truly begin with the arrival of Amar’e Stoudemire in the Big Apple?

Easily numbering in the thousands, fans of these respective teams sincerely believe the answer to the aforementioned questions is a resounding ‘yes’; and that firm belief has manifested itself in increased new ticket sales and will do so in the form of higher television ratings during the regular season as well.

So for all the criticism heaped upon LeBron James for the manner in which he announced his ‘Decision’, all he really did was serve as the backbone of the most intriguing off-season in league history, leading to a series of difference-making maneuvers by several franchises in preparation for his potential arrival or eventual snub.

And in all likelihood, the summer of 2010 will be viewed as a box office and television ratings bonanza for the NBA, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since Michael Jordan was at the apex of his legendary career; which is a winning combination for the owners, the players and, more importantly, the league fan base.

The hope for teams like the New York Knicks is that this also translates to on-court success; especially after the past three years where they have averaged a dismal 28 wins per season.

Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special video presentation.

Bulls Sign J.J. Redick to 3-year, $20 Million Offer Sheet

While the Miami Heat have dominated the headlines for the past couple of days, the Chicago Bulls have quietly made moves that should have the Eastern Conference and the rest of the NBA taking notice as well.

In addition to signing former Utah Jazz teammates Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver to give them a significant inside presence and dynamic outside shooting respectively, the Bulls have set their sights on stealing away a key member of the other prominent basketball team in Florida.

According to ESPNChicago.com, Chicago has signed Orlando Magic restricted free agent J.J. Redick to a three-year, $20 million offer sheet. The Magic have seven days to match the contract.

The 26-year-old Redick, the 11th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, enjoyed his best season with the Magic last season by putting up 9.6 points per game in an average of 22.0 minutes off the bench.

Redick’s hard-nosed defense, hustle and three-point shooting would be a welcome addition to the Bulls as they continually attempt to match the Miami Heat’s tremendous quality signings with a solid mixture of quality and quantity signings of their own.

The trio of James, Wade and Bosh will assuredly be the talk of the town from now until the start of the 2010-11 NBA season, but if the Bulls can sign Redick they will have quietly filled out a roster that should give ‘Hollywood East’ all they can handle.

And in the long run, it’s quite possible that the Bulls and the other former suitors for LeBron James might look back on his rejection as a blessing in disguise.

Click here to read more about 2010 NBA free agency on Examiner.com.