With Rose, Bulls have a big-time player they can build team around

Anyone remember 1984?

That was when Vinny Del Negro hair was in style, the U.S. rolled over weak competition at the Los Angeles Olympics, people considered "Purple Rain" a groundbreaking film, and Lionel Richie unleashed a new era of easy listening music.

In Chicago, the Cubs finally made the playoffs, a perfect storm was brewing at Halas Hall, and a kid named Michael Jordan walked into the Bulls locker room for the first time.

From the moment Jordan played his initial game, there was an unmistakable feeling that something special was in store for the Bulls.

What exactly, no one knew at the time. Clearly, though, the gloomy years of playing in a half-full Chicago Stadium were about to end.

One of the few current Bulls employees who remembers the scene in 1984 is equipment manager John Ligmanowski.

"When Michael came, there was excitement," he said. "I remember Mark Pfeil, our old athletic trainer, started calling everybody up and saying, 'Hey, you better come out to practice. You better come and see this guy.' It didn't really turn around, though, until we really started winning."

Inside the Berto Center this month, it has felt a little like 1984. Anyone who watched Derrick Rose in preseason would agree that the future of the Bulls has brightened considerably. Once again, something special appears to be in store, but only time will reveal the true story line.

That's not to say Rose is the next Jordan. There may never be another Jordan.

But is Rose the Bulls' best player since Jordan left in 1998? If he isn't now, he will be soon.

Here's a quick scouting report for anyone who missed preseason: Rose is a very talented point guard who should be able to do many of the same things as rising stars Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

But at 6-feet-2, Rose is taller than either of them and has Dwyane Wade-style athleticism. There has probably never been anyone quite like Rose in the NBA.

Beyond that, Rose is a humble, hard-working 20-year-old who often drives an hour to visit his mom in his free time. He was the last player to leave the Bulls' practice court each of the last two days. His only entourage has been overzealous autograph seekers.

Perhaps best of all, Rose seems comfortable with his impending stardom. On Monday at the Berto Center, he acted as though he always expected to be right where he is now. He just didn't know he'd be playing in his hometown.

"I'd like to be the star of the team, I won't shy away from it," Rose said. "But without my teammates, I wouldn't be in that position. That's what you want coming up as a kid. I'm not surprised to be in the position I'm in now."

No one should expect Rose to turn things around immediately. It took Jordan four years to win a playoff series and seven years to win the first of six championships. There will be plenty of ups and downs along the way.

But that preseason game in Dallas last week, when Rose scored 30 points, hit 13 of 18 shots and was unstoppable whether the Mavericks had their starters or subs on the floor - that's a good example of why there is sort of a controlled elation among Bulls supporters.

"He's got the respect of the players already," said longtime Bulls broadcaster Johnny "Red" Kerr. "He's big, strong, fast. I think we're in for another era of excitement of a great player."

Added Ligmanowski: "I know for me personally, Derrick, after the Dallas game I was like (nods head). Then when he does it the next game and he was doing it the game after that (before leaving with a minor injury). It was a pretty good positive feeling."

First-year head coach Vinny Del Negro was a college scout for the Phoenix Suns last season, so he watched Rose play at Memphis several times and claimed not to be surprised by the preseason performance. Del Negro recently voiced a solid understanding of his best early-season strategy.

"With young kids, young point guards especially, sometimes just get out of their way and don't try to overcoach it," Del Negro said.

The veteran Bulls haven't held back praise for their younger teammate. A spot in Rose's supporting cast should be nice work if they can hang onto it.

"His potential is out of this world," Drew Gooden said. "He's explosive, he's quick, he knows the game and he's getting better knowing the pro game. He's going to have a great career."

"I'm expecting a lot of open shots when he's out there on the floor," Ben Gordon added. "I think we'll complement each other very well."

When the Bulls open the 2008-09 season at home tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks, many will see it as an ordinary game pitting two struggling teams. Years from now, though, this date may be fondly recalled as the start of something unforgettable.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=245921">Patience will be needed <span class="date">[10/28/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>