Not unlike that Henry Rowengartner kid

How much for a ZJ?

Well, since Keggers took the baseball analysis, it looks like I've got the REAL scoop from yesterday - Derrick Rose, Rookie of the Year.

Come on, say it with me: ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. It just rolls off the tongue, right? It's been a while since the Bulls have had a RoY (Previous Winner: Elton Brand. Remember how he only played two seasons for us before spending a decade with the Clippers? Yeah...), let alone since CHICAGO had a RoY (Most Recent Winner: Urlacher in 2000).

Derrick Rose embodies all the things that should get you excited about a young star. He's got speed, he has insane talent, he puts up a shitload of points, he wants the ball (winners always want the ball), he makes his team better, and his teammates can count on him in the clutch. All are excellent traits.

But what about the intangibles? Behind every great player is some weird story. Kobe has his "proving-I-didn't-rape-her" diamond ring, Jordan had his gambling habits, and Tony Kukoc once killed a hobo just to say that he could*.

Derrick Rose brings his A-game here too, as he has the infamous "stabbed yourself in bed" story. Sure, it's been beaten to death, and it's not nearly as good as "I shot myself trying to hide a gun" or "my wife beat me up," but damnit, it's our very own. There's a very fine line between "intriguing" and "batshit crazy" and right now Rose is riding that line like Jack Haley's ass rode the bench.

Much love to Mr. Rose in all of his future accomplishments, and keep your eye on the playoff prize - if we don't win today, I have to buy booze for the office. And I sure as hell don't want to pay for a legion of drunks.

* Not at all true. Much love, Tony.

Bulls looking good!

Derrick Rose is going to be nasty...

The Bulls are 3-4 this preseason, with a lot of big injuries (Hughes, Gordon, Thomas, Ruffin). Blah blah blah... everyone knows preseason scores are meaningless. The only important thing to keep track of is development of the young guys and for the Bulls, things are looking really good.

First of all, Derrick Rose looks fucking awesome. It's one thing for a rookie to make a few highlight-reel plays and score a few points but Rose is dropping a LOT of points (30 last game) and the whole team turns to him in the clutch - and he delivers. He's taken his college game to the next level, using ridiculous speed to blow by defenders and he's able to finish the most incredible shots... high glass, dunk, floaters... the guy is unstoppable.

Tyrus Thomas looked strong in the first few games before he rolled his ankle, Hinrich seems to be comfortable with his reduced role and BoGo is as streaky as ever. This team is going to have a lot of energy with Noah and Thomas and a crapload of talent on the court. If Thomas can learn a few offensive moves (instead of just logging 2-3 awesome dunks and a few ferocious blocks every game) we might be in business.

Oh, and I can't get enough of this photo:

He kinda looks like a cross between Kurt Rambis and an angry gorilla.

Ponder that.

-KEG