1. Derrick Rose
The Chicago Bulls routinely won 60 games with Michael Jordan. Since Jordan retired, they won 60 games but once. In the 2010-11 season, led by Derrick Rose, who won MVP that season.
Rose’s career stats with the Bulls aren’t all that impressive due to his career-altering injury in the 2012 playoffs. But for four years, Rose was a Super Star unlike any other Bulls player post-Jordan.
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Drafted no. 1 overall in in 2008, Rose became the face the franchise was looking for since Jordan retired 10 years before.
His 2010-11 campaign is perhaps the most impressive single season for the Bulls this century. He averaged 25 points and 7.9 assists per game as he led Chicago to a 62-20 record and the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They met the LeBron James-led Heat in the conference finals, and put up as good a fight as any team in the East against Miami’s Big Three.
In 2011-12, Rose was on the same track, again leading the Bulls to the top seed in the East. Then, on one play, it all went away. Rose has managed to carve out a career for himself in the NBA, but he’s never regained the same feverish athleticism that made him one of the league’s foremost star players.
As a result, Rose didn’t have the longevity of Hinrich, Noah or Deng. He did for a short time, however, rise to a level no Bulls player other than Jordan ever has. He won an MVP. He led a team to 60-plus wins and a conference finals.
He was not only the face of the Bulls, but of the NBA. He dazzled fans and captured hearts. His star shined brighter than any Bulls player since Jordan, and will go down as one of the best ever to lace them up in the Windy City.
Some players’ peaks last longer than others. No one peaked for as long as Jordan (except for maybe LeBron), and Rose’s peak was by comparison very short. It was, however, a peak nonetheless that was the best since that of Jordan.