In a normal circumstance, a professional athlete with flair or a borderline obnoxious amount of confidence is welcomed and appreciated because it adds to the entertainment level of sports (i.e. Deion Sanders, Dennis Rodman, Joakim Noah).
Also, as a kid on the court or field, trash talking and cocky comments made all opponents play harder because the talker wanted to defend his statement and the listener had an inner desire to shut him or her up. These components made for an almost pro level atmosphere on a definite amateur scale.
Then there are times when players need to be quiet and let their performances speak for themselves.
The Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose claimed he is the best player the NBA has to offer in a 90-second rapid fire interview with CNN last week. The question was “Who is the best player in the NBA?” and Rose quickly answered Derrick Rose.
As a huge Chicago Bulls fan who has followed every Rose take to the basket or clutch shot to close out a game in the fourth quarter, it was a good feeling to hear the Bulls’ superstar still has concrete-like confidence in his abilities after tearing his ACL in Game 1 of the first round in the 2012 playoffs.
However, as a realist, there is no reason or right (I guess there is this thing called the First Amendment) Rose has to say he is the best in the league when he hasn’t done anything to prove it. The man missed an entire year of basketball, even when Chicago could have been a real threat to the eventual champs, the Miami Heat, in the semifinals if he would have suited up. He was medically cleared, but didn’t want to play if he wasn’t at his best.
I wasn’t against his decision to not play, I actually supported it from the beginning and said a come back could interfere with the Bulls’ chemistry. The same chemistry every writer, TV personality and basketball guru praised throughout the entire season.
Supporting Rose as the best of the best seems like something a lifelong fan of the Bulls such as myself should do. At the same time, it’s simple, a person can’t miss an entire season of basketball and still think he is the best in league when it is filled with future Hall of Fame members and guys with unreleased potential.
Anyone see what Indiana’s Paul George did this season after averaging 10 points per game the season before? Yes, Danny Granger was hurt, but he was already on a minute upgrade before Granger’s injury. He put his name at the bottom of the second tier players in one season. He has no ceiling and the next George is only a great half-season away from climbing up the ranks as well.
LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tony Parker, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony had plenty of great performances in their impressive 2012-13 seasons to prove Rose’s theory wrong. Parker and Paul may have done enough to make fans think Rose isn’t even a top-two point guard in the league, let alone the best overall player in the league. Let’s not forget about what Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook did either.
When something is standing still, it will never have the same momentum or “greatness” as something moving. A car isn’t going to win a race when the driver has the foot on the brake pedal. The winner will be the one with the pedal to the metal, or in this case, the ball in his hand.
There are only a handful of players in the NBA who could honestly make the claim of being the best–LeBron is definitely the front-runner–but none of them play in Chicago, unfortunately.
Could the best in the NBA don a black and red jersey with a four-letter last name on the back, absolutely. But, he has to be an active player rather than a multimillion dollar medical liability sitting in street clothes at the end of the bench. Instead of making claims with zero justification to them, Rose should continue what he’s been doing–get in the best physical shape possible for the first game of next season. No one wants their favorite player to make flashy statements and be dull in reality.
What happens if Rose hurts his other knee, the same knee or another limb in the first couple weeks of next season? His “I’m the best” shot to others in the league looks like nothing more than gun smoke.
Personally, I don’t want to see the future of Bulls’ basketball torn apart by the media like Tim Tebow, Johnny Manziel, Anthony and James. The Bulls organization and it’s players have done well with keeping things in-house–with trades and roster moves being the only debates surrounding the team. Rose is opening the reality TV show can of worms a real basketball fan doesn’t want to see, hear or read about.
All he needs to do is shut up and play. If Rose thinks he is the best in the league–or world, which this statement truly means–like he said in the interview, then prove it by putting the plan in action on the basketball court, not by mouth on live or taped interviews.
aBrandedChance 