You Hear That Lebron? Derrick Rose Says He's The Best Player In The NBA! - rose better than LeBron?
So, yes: When asked to name the best player in the NBA, Derrick Rose said, "Derrick Rose." He didn't stutter, and he repeated it. You got a problem with that?
I mean, obviously, this is not true. Even if he hadn't been sidelined for the past 15 months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, LeBron James exists, and as noted by Angela Sun in the Yahoo! Sports Minute, the Miami Heat superstar has won two league MVPs, two NBA Finals MVPs, two NBA championships and an Olympic gold medal since the last time Rose suited up. Pretty strong argument for "I'm the best," there.
Beyond that, James has significantly sharpened his all-around game while Rose has been on the shelf, embracing the low block, becoming a 40 percent 3-point shooter, increasing his rebounding and assist rates while turning the ball over less often, and evolving into arguably the best defensive player in the NBA. Perhaps Rose's rehab work has smoothed out some of the rough edges in his own game — we've often heard about how the restrictions of ACL rehab mean you can really only work on improving your jumper for a while, which could serve Rose (who's shot a solid but not elite 42.8 percent on midrange shots during his career and hit just 31 percent of his 3s in four NBA seasons) in good stead. Even so, he'd have to take a quantum leap forward to get into the LeBron conversation — and the Kevin Durant conversation, and the Chris Paul conversation, and so on. Rose's road back to rejoining the NBA's elite isn't over just because he says it is.