HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Derrick Rose isn’t a prototypical superstar by today’s NBA standards.

He has no ego to speak of and he’s often described as one of the most humble players in the league. He’s not focused on fame or fortune and you won’t find him popping bottles at a club near you anytime soon. Rose is completely focused on basketball, and he insists that’s never going to change.

"That’s just me, man," Rose told HOOPSWORLD. "I don’t try to be something that I’m not. I’m Derrick. I’m not this movie star. I’m not this model. I’m not any of those things. I’m a hooper, if anything. I’m a basketball player and that’s the way I look at everything."

Rose realizes that superstars who have their priorities straight are a dying breed, but he’s not focused on how other players live their lives.

"I really don’t know why that is," Rose said. "I’m not worried about what everyone else is doing, but the way that I always learned to play was to go out there, play hard and focus on being a basketball player."

This mindset clashes with that of other superstars, including LeBron James, who doesn’t hide the fact that he wants to use his basketball career to become a global icon and billionaire. Much was made of Rose’s recruitment of James last summer. Some reports even suggested that he didn’t want the reigning MVP to sign with the Bulls, but Rose dismisses those rumors.

"I reached out and that’s all I could do," Rose said. "It was really up to him if he wanted to come. Nobody was stopping him. I think people were trying to figure out what was going, but it wasn’t too much. I just sent the text out and let him know that I just wanted to win. That was it. He said that he understood and that he appreciated me reaching out to him. That was it."

Now, Rose is determined to win with the roster as currently constructed. He feels that this team has enough to contend for a championship, and a look at the Eastern Conference standings suggests that Rose may be right.

Chicago finds themselves tied for second place with the Miami Heat, and just behind the Boston Celtics. The team has already tied last season’s 41 win total, and have emerged as one of the elite teams in the league. Even when the Bulls lost their All-Star center, Joakim Noah, they were still able to play dominant basketball and hold the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks back in the standings. Chicago’s huge strides have surprised many people this season, but Rose expected this type of improvement from his team.

"I’m not at all surprised," Rose said. "Not with the way that we work. We work like we’re in college or high school, which is important for an NBA team. We put a lot of work in and it’s paying off. Everybody is different, but the identity of a team comes from their best player. We’re just humble. We’re just trying to win games and play together."

Rose’s individual improvement has made him a top candidate in this season’s Most Valuable Player race. The 22-year-old has received "MVP" chants on the road several times this season, and many players predicted he would win the award when surveyed during the All-Star break. Prior to the season, Rose told reporters that he believed he could compete for the award, but he has made it clear that winning is still his priority.

"It would mean a lot, but it wouldn’t mean that much if we’re not winning. The biggest thing is winning games. I’m not worried about anything else. As long as I go out there and play hard, I think we should be fine," Rose said.

The point guard believes his biggest competition for the award is his good friend, Dwight Howard. Both players have stepped up as they adjust to playing with new teammates, either because of trades or injuries.

"He’s having a great season," Rose said. "People overlook him for other players, but he’s right up there. He can change the game and he’s playing well this year, especially offensively. He’s dominating the paint."

"We’re two people who are having decent seasons," he continued. "They’re still trying to learn how to play with each other, especially with all of the new pieces that they have. They’re a great team. We’re just trying to get guys back."

Rose has an excellent MVP résumé, and he would be the youngest player ever to win the award. But at the end of the day, he would rather hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy and feels that Chicago is making progress toward that goal.

"We’re alright. As long as we keep winning everything will take care of itself. If people want to talk about us more, it’s whatever, but we’ll continue to play the way we know how to: defense first and aggressive throughout the whole game," Rose said.

As Rose said, a team’s identity comes from their best player. That’s a very good thing for the Bulls because their best player happens to be the epitome of unselfish, humble and professional.

Douglas Enjoying New Situation: Since Chauncey Billups went down with a bruised thigh last week, Toney Douglas has stepped up and played well in his absence. In his second game as a starter this season, Douglas went off for 24 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in the New York Knicks’ win over the New Orleans Hornets.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Of all the role players in New York, few are enjoying the roster overhaul as much as Douglas. He’s able to score with the second unit and has two superstars to find when he’s playing with the starters.

"It’s great. I just have to pass right or pass left. It’s a very good thing for me," Douglas told HOOPSWORLD.

At first, Douglas was worried that he would be included in the three-team trade that yielded Carmelo Anthony. Once the trade deadline passed, he was able to relax and enjoy the situation.

"It’s been cool," he said. "I’m happy all of the trades and everything that happened is over because now we can just stay focused and win games. Nobody has to worry about trade rumors because all of the trades are done. It’s easier. I love it here and it’s a great place to play. I just want to continue getting better each and every day."

Not only does Douglas have superstars by his side to make his job easier, he has one of the best teachers playing in front of him.

There aren’t many accolades that his new mentor Billups hasn’t received. He’s won a championship and secured Finals MVP honors. He’s been on the All-Star team, All-NBA team and All-Defensive team. Douglas knows that when Billups talks, he needs to listen and take notes.

"It’s a great honor and I can learn a lot from him and the way he plays," Douglas said. "I’m a student of the game so I’m looking forward to picking his brain. I’m looking forward to keeping our relationship open and just getting better every day."

After winning just 29 games last season, Douglas is happy that the Knicks have already surpassed that total and drastically improved in his second season.

"It really does feel good," Douglas said. "Now, we just have to take it one day at a time and get everyone on the same page. Our one goal is to win games and make the playoffs. I feel like we can do that."

In order to do that, they’ll need big contributions from all of their players. Whether that means scoring 20 points each night or simply passing right and left, Douglas is ready to do what it takes to win.

HOOPSWORLD Chats: There are no chats on today’s schedule. Susan Bible, who covers the Oklahoma City Thunder and NBA for HOOPSWORLD, will return to her normal time slot next Saturday. Jason Fleming will kick off next week’s chat schedule on Monday at 8 p.m. As always you can check out our entire upcoming chat schedule.