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Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports and Van Coleman of Hoopmasters, who have been evaluating high school basketball talent for 30 years, know a good thing when they see it. And they agree that Derrick Rose is one of the best point guards in the history of the game.
Based on his freshman performance, Gibbons and Coleman rank the former Simeon star in a class with--are you ready for this?--Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Chris Paul and Jason Kidd. And you can toss in Allen Iverson is you want to.
"Rose has more explosive athleticism than Paul and more offensive ability than Kidd," Gibbons said. "And he is stronger physically and every bit as quick as Isiah Thomas.
"He ranks with the truly elite players at that position that I have seen since 1978. It is remarkable what he has accomplished as a freshman. There is no way that Memphis gets to the Final Four without him.
"What is unique about him is he seems to have no fear. His confidence level is high but his ego isn't. He has all the qualifications to be an outstanding floor leader for an NBA team. It speaks volumes for a kid with one year of experience in college."
Coleman said he will reserve judgment on comparisons with such Hall of Fame players as Robertson, Johnson and Thomas until Rose arrives in the NBA. "We didn't see him long enough in college," he said.
"But he lifted a team of great athletes and turned them into a great team. If he has a fault, he doesn't keep the ball in his hands long enough. But, as a freshman, he is in a class with those people, equal to or better."
Will Rose continue to improve and develop at the next level? He certainly was better as a senior at Simeon than he was as a junior. And he was even better as a freshman at Memphis. Who knows how much better he can get?
"If you're looking ahead 10 to 12 years to build around a point guard who will help your team to become an NBA championship contender, he's the guy," Coleman said. "He has an edge in quickness. When you put the whole package together, he is ahead of the others."
Cell Phone Alerts
I PREFER TO MEASURE DERRICK ROSE AGAINST MIKE CONLEY
AND SEBASTIAN TELFAIR. THE REASON BEING ALL OF THESE
YOUNG MEN ARE LEGENDS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE CITIES!
ONE DIDN'T PLAY COLLEGE BALL, AND THE OTHER ONE CONLEY
WILL BE THE MEASURING STICK FOR ROSE, WHEN HE GETS
DRAFTED. IF CONLEY WAS DRAFTED AT NUMBER 4, AND MADE
IT THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME LIKE ROSE, THERE IS NO WAY
THAT ROSE GETS DRAFTED LOWER THAN NUMBER 3.
REMEMBER BOTH MAGIC AND ISIAH WON THEIR NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES!
I MUST ADMIT THAT I DO SEE THE COMPARISON WITH DERON
WILLIAMS, ANOTHER PLAYER WHO MADE IT TO THE CHAMPION-
SHIP GAME FOR U OF I.
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR MR. ROSE, GOOD-LUCK AND
REMEMBER RONNIE FIELDS, HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONCLUDING
HIS 11TH SEASON IN THE NBA, BUT HE'S NEVER PLAYED A
SEASON!
EARTH,WIND AND FIRE SAID IT BEST: KEEP YOUR HEAD TO THE
SKY!
Measuring Rose to Conley is a waste of time and doesn't even warrant a measure. Conley played with Greg Oden his entire basketball career until being drafted and since then his developed has stalled. Rose didn't have an (Flowers & Dorsey) Oden throughout his career who commanded consistent double and triple team defenses; Rose was always the guy coaches game planned for. Conley's success depended on Oden! Rose is the ultimate shot creator & floor general for his teams!
I WASN'T MEASURING THEIR TALENT, I WAS MEASURING WHERE
DERRICK ROSE SHOULD GET DRAFTED! IT WARRANTS A MEASURE
AS FAR AS MONEY GOES. AS YOU KNOW THE HIGHER YOU GO
THE MORE MONEY YOU MAKE!
IF TELFAIR GOT A SHOE DEAL, AND DURRANT, I THINK
DERRICK ROSE SHOULD GET ONE AS WELL. I BET MICHAEL
JORDAN JUMPS ON HIM QUICK AFTER HE DECLARES FOR THE
DRAFT!
WORD FROM ESPN IS THAT ROSE MAY BE THE FIRST PICK OF
THE DRAFT!
I have to agree with cruz854 and wish everyone reads those comments