Chicago's Homegrown Superstar
In his three seasons playing for the Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose has taken his hometown, and the entire NBA, by storm. While many fans know him well on the court, it can be hard to get a true read on him off the court.
"I think that a lot of people assume that these superstars want to be coddled by their coaches," Lee Jenkins, of Sports Illustrated, said on the Boers and Bernstein Show. "And the thing I've found with most of them, is that that's really never the case. They really want to be challenged. They want their teams to be challenged. It's what they respect in people because it's what they possess in themselves. And I think with Derrick, he played with John Calipari, he played for Vinny Del Negro, and I don't want to dismiss what those guys did for him, I actually think Del Negro made a positive impact early in Rose's career when he was kind of learning the point guard position.
"But there's something about the tactical knowledge that [Tom] Thibodeau is giving Rose that he respects more than anything else. And I think he respects the demand for defense. He's a guy that's completely self-deprecating. I told him when I first saw him, I said 'Hey, you're playing great.' He said, 'I wish.' And he has this weird self-deprecating way about him. He doesn't mind when people get on him and people get in his face. He kind of likes it. And I think he likes that he was told, essentially, 'you're not a good enough defensive player, with you're quickness you should be much better.' And he's responded and I also think he just appreciates and respects the way Thibodeau takes them through the paces, every day before every game, showing them everything other teams run, that pain-staking approach to basketball is really his personal approach to basketball."
LISTEN: Lee Jenkins On The Boers And Bernstein Show
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