How Derrick Rose Impacts MVP Race

As I'm sitting here at 2:05 AM typing this, scrolling down my news feed I see lots of Derrick Rose memes like usual. I think its funny because people are so ignorant and forget just how great Derrick Rose is when he is healthy. Before I get into this article let me just state that this coming NBA season Derrick Rose will come off a huge ACL injury and will win the MVP award over the likes of Kevin Durant and Lebron James. I will now allow you to take this time to curse me out via twitter @TruSchoolSports and question my knowledge of basketball.

As we all know Derrick Rose missed all of last season, sitting on the bench in street clothes watching every Bulls game. Some have even called him “the highest paid fan ever”. Joke all you want about him riding the bench last year but the fact of the matter is that this guy during the 2010-2011 season became the youngest MVP in league history at the age of 22. His level of greatness during that season was so undeniable that out of 120 first place votes, 113 were awarded to Rose via the NBA sportswriters and broadcasters. That same year he was the only player in the league who ranked top 10 in scoring and assists. His return impacts every superstar in the league as far as the MVP race is concerned.

Lebron James

The guy that benefited most the Rose injury was Lebron James who captured back to back titles while he was recovering. Although he did beat Rose in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals the fact of the matter is that the Chicago Bulls and Rose are Lebrons biggest threat and many could argue that his road to finals greatness was easier because Rose wasn't healthy. Now I have heard many people here in South Florida say “Lebron should have won the MVP that year, Rose didn't deserve it”. That’s nonsense and the fact of the matter is that he didn't even finish 2^nd place in voting, he finished 3^rd behind Dwight Howard. That’s right at 643 points Howard had more then Lebron's 522 points. The return of Rose has a huge affect on Lebron so he better make sure that he leads the Miami Heat to the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference as well as winning head to head battles vs Rose.

Kevin Durant

With the exception of maybe Rose himself, I don't think any player in the league is more upset about Lebron's title success than Kevin Durant. Last season KD and the Thunder (Minus Russell Westbrook) were eliminated by the Memphis Grizzlies. This season the Thunder are expected to be in the NBA Finals once again to meet the Miami Heat. Durant's ultimate priority is to win a championship but I'm sure he would love to validate himself as the best player in the league with an individual accolade such as the NBA MVP award all while proving that OKC is the premier team in the Western Conference. It's hard enough for KD to win that award over a guy like Lebron but with Rose added to the mix its about to get even harder for Durant. He hasn't averaged 30 points per game in 3 seasons, if he can re establish himself as the premier scorer in the NBA along with dominating the west then he has an incredible chance to take home the MVP hardware this season.

Chris Paul

No current superstar in the whole league has more to prove with the return of Derrick Rose more than Chris Paul. CP3 has a newly improved roster to go along with a new contract extension that will keep him in LA over the next 5 seasons. Many consider him the best point guard and now that Rose is back he will have more motivation than ever to prove why he is the best at his position. Winning a championship for the Clippers is enough to keep CP3 motivated but with Rose returning he has to prove why he and the Clippers are the best this season.

There many other players I could list who will be in the discussion for MVP but some won't win it for many reasons. Carmelo won't win because the Knicks will not improve on their #2 seeding from last season. Tony Parker won't win because basketball “experts” think the Spurs are boring. Kobe and the Lakers won't be good enough this year to garner him enough votes for an MVP award this season.

As we can see the return of the former MVP drastically impacts the race for the award. It should push players in the conversation to up their game and be razor sharp skills wise once the season starts. October 29^th the 2011 MVP (Derrick Rose) takes on the MVP of the last 2 seasons in Lebron James as the Chicago Bulls go on the road to take on the Miami Heat who will be raising up their championship banner. Expect Rose to announce himself to the basketball world against the defending champs with a statement performance for what will be an MVP-caliber season.