There are no excuses

A lot has been said about the lack of size on the US front line. Many reports make it seem as though that's a viable excuse in the event they lose. There is absolutely no excuse for this team to not win it all. One thing I want to make clear. It's the media that keeps making excuses for team USA, not the team itself. The coaching staff and all of the players have maintained the mindset that this is their tournament and that if they lose it's on them.

Ok, so the US media is saying, "Well they have no size, how are they supposed to rebound?"

Do you know what every other team is saying?

"Derrick Rose AND Kevin Durant, how the hell are we supposed to stop that?!"

Other countries have TVs, they know what they're about to go up against.

The US is so much more talented than every other team they play that there is no reason why they should not win. A lot of these guys they are going up against aren't in the NBA, want to know why? It's because they're simply not talented enough. Now why should they lose to a bunch of guys who aren't even good enough to play in the same league as them. The only way I see the US losing a game is if they don't bring enough intensity. Every other country has their game with the US circled on their calender, that's their big game. It's crucial that the US match that intensity every night.

I'm not sure what other teams will do to try and slow down team USA. My guess is that they're going to play some variation of a 2-3 zone. The reason I say variation is because if it was a regular 2-3, the US would just put Kevin Love in the middle and tear it to pieces with cutters and spot up shooters, or at the very least an open jumper for a solid mid range shooter. Don't forget, the international three point line is much closer than the NBA three, don't be surprised to see guys pulling up way behind the line.

Despite its weaknesses, 2-3 seems like the way to go because they will need to make it so Rose and Rajon Rondo can't easily penetrate. Both of those lightening quick point guards will blow by pretty much anyone if they try to play them man to man. And once one of those guys gets into the paint the other team just has to pray that someone misses an open jumper.

I'm fairly certain that most teams won't press either because that's exactly what the US wants. A fast paced game plays right into their hands and if that's the case then it should be a blowout with the athletes the US has.

I know the USA Basketball program puts a lot of emphasis on, "checking your ego at the door." Before training camp starts every summer Coach K gives a long speech about how in order to win on an international stage everyone needs to sacrifice a lot. I completely agree with that philosophy in most cases because most of the time the roster is full of superstars. This year is a little bit different. There are only two players whom I would consider to be superstars and they are Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. I would tell Rose to play like he plays in Chicago and I'd tell Durant to play like he does for the Thunder. Rose's scoring on his penetration will open up the perimeter, as well as taking a ton of defensive pressure off of Durant. If you don't think so then look at the scrimmage against Spain. At the end of the game Rose started being aggressive going towards the basket and it won the game for them. That's what he's good at, in my opinion he's one of the best players in the league at going to the basket, why fight it?

I am a huge Bulls fan so yes I am 100% biased in this theory but that doesn't make me wrong.

The bottom line is this. No matter what route they take in doing it, there's no legitimate reason why the US shouldn't come out on top.

My USA 12 Man Roster

Saturday night marked the first time we've gotten to see some of our NBA's stars since the end of the regular season, almost 3 months ago. In this glorified scrimmage the team is split into two, the white team vs. the blue team. Eventually 12 of these players will end up on the same roster to travel to Turkey for the world championships.

This may come as a surprise to you as it did to me but the United States hasn't won at the world championships since 1994. Their most recent world championships memory is a disappointing one. They blew a late lead against Greece back in 2006 to drop the title. That remains the only loss in the Jerry Colangelo era's record.

The first thing I have to say is, turnovers anyone? The turnovers in this game were crazy, 34 in all. As the announcer said 7 billion times, this is really nothing but a glorified scrimmage and not much is going to come out of this as far as team play progression goes. However, as far as cutting guys to get the 12 man roster this game was essential. After taking into consideration everything said in the media in the last week as well as each player's performance in this game, I have come up with what I believe will be the 12 man roster.

PG- Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook

SG- OJ Mayo, Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala

SF- Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Danny Granger

PF-Kevin Love, Lamar Odom

C- Tyson Chandler

Sources: Derrick Rose Has A 3 Pointer Now

For the second half of last season Derrick Rose was borderline unstoppable. He was a matchup nightmare and a bleeding ulcer for all opposing defenses. Unfortunately for them the thorn in their side is only going to start digging in deeper. According to Rose, Russell Westbrook and off-season trainer Rob McClanaghan, Rose has developed a consistent three point jumper that he's comfortable shooting at any time.

Rose came into the league as someone who could get to the basket whenever he wanted. Then defenses started giving him a cushion, it was at that point when Rose started hitting them with his midrange game. If Rose really is able to step behind the three point line and hit with regularity then he will be 100% unstoppable.

In my opinion, the gap between Rose and Dwyane Wade is closing fast. I'm making the prediction right now that by the end of next season Rose will be regarded as the better player. Especially because Wade's production will go down significantly now that he needs to share the ball with Chris Bosh and LeBron James.

Best Five Point Guards Of The 2009-2010 Season

Point Guards

1. Deron Williams

This year Deron Williams distanced himself from the rest of the pack, posting 18.7 PPG and 10.5 APG Williams carried his Jazz to a 53-29 record. Coming into this season the general consensus was that Williams and Chris Paul were the two best point guards in the league. It is possible that if Paul didn't have an injury plagued season he would be sitting atop this chart, but for now Williams holds the title. The game that really sold me was his performance against the Bulls on March 9th. 28 points (11-15 fg) 17 assists and 1 turnover?! That's just not fair. He had a 19 assist game later that month but that game was against the Warriors. Big numbers mean much more when they come against a good team. Williams is one of those players whose stats don't tell the full story. Despite the great statistical season that Carlos Boozer is having, it's Williams who's the heart and soul of that team. Numbers don't make a good player great and Williams is a perfect example of that. Last year I would have said Chris Paul was the best PG in the league because he took a pretty bad team to the playoffs. Last year Williams' numbers were better than they were this year. The difference is that this year Williams is playing more like a Chauncey Billups, only better. Williams now realizes that being the floor general is better for the team than trying to do everything alone. That's something all young point guards eventually need to learn.

2. Derrick Rose

If you're a basketball fan pay attention to the Chicago Bulls. Since Rose's early season ankle injury recovered the second year guard out of Memphis emerged as a legitimate superstar in this league. Rose, almost singlehandedly, took his Bulls to the playoffs as major components of the team were constantly coming in and out of the lineup due to injury. I felt that Rose was in the conversation for the second best point guard in the league for a long time. People finally started accepting it around the all star break when he became the first Bulls all star since Michael Jordan in 1998. The icing on the cake was when Rose promised that the Bulls would defy the odds and beat out the Raptors for the eighth and final playoff spot. That run was highlighted by a 39 point masterpiece against Rajon Rondo and the Celtics in the second to last game of the season. As Rose continued to show his dominance in the second half of the season the Rose vs. Rondo debates were starting to come to a close. Once Rose absolutely torched Rondo on national television, the verdict was in.

3. Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo's emergence as a premier point guard started in the 2008 playoffs. In the big 3's first season together the question was whether or not the Celtics could win a championship with Rondo running the team. Rondo's defensive superiority started to surface in the 2008 finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. On the world's biggest stage Rondo hounded the Lakers' bigs nonstop. In the deciding game 6 Rondo had 4 steals in the Celtics' 131-92 rout. That was two seasons ago and Rondo has matured into a great point guard. The main reason why he's third on the list is his inability to be a prolific scorer as well as his inability to take over late in games. Both Rose and Williams can take over in the last 5 minutes, Rondo not so much.

4. Steve Nash

At 36 years old Steve Nash is still running up and down with the best of them. Nash guided his Suns back to the playoffs this season in the midst of all kinds of trade rumors involving nearly everyone on his team. Nash is no longer the most valuable player in this league but he's still by far the best passer. This guy throws passes that make your head spin in disbelief and he's been doing it for over a decade. Leading his Suns all the way to the Western Conference Finals is a commendable achievement. It is unknown what the future holds for Nash but it's safe to say he's had a legendary career, the only thing missing is a ring.

5. Chris Paul

The primary reason why Paul isn't higher up on this list is because of his injury plagued season. He had some games where he played like the CP3 we all now and love but there were many games where Paul just didn't seem like himself. I don't know if the emergence of Darren Collison made him question his job security (I doubt it) or not but something was definitely wrong with him both mentally physically. In all likelihood it was probably that Paul was scared to death of being re-injured as that is the common mindset of a player coming back from injury. This list is not of the best point guards of the 2009-2010 season, it's a list of the best point guards in the league as of right now. And as of now Chris Paul is the fifth best point guard.

Does He Want The Big Numbers Or The Big Diamonds?

Right now it looks as if the Bulls are the frontrunners to sign the biggest free agent of the summer, LeBron James. In Cleveland James gets to do whatever he wants, he can decide who the front office goes after, he can dance during the games, and he can basically say that he owns the team regardless of who signs the checks. Well it's become very clear to him that he won't have such freedom in Chicago.

Longtime tyrant owner Jerry Reinsdorf has already laid down rules for James. The Bulls have notified James' agent that he must sign on July 7th, 8th, or 9th. If he doesn't then the Bulls aren't going to spend anymore time going after him in fear that they would miss out on all the other free agents. Also, GM Gar Forman said that no player will decide who fills the Bulls current coaching vacancy. Not even LeBron.

If James does sign in Chicago he will be treated this way for the duration of his tenure. Michael Jordan, the greatest player to ever step on the floor was treated the same as every other player. Jordan tried to get Jerry Krause (former Bulls GM) fired for years but Reinsdorf would never do it. If Jordan can't get his way then LeBron doesn't have a prayer. As great of a player as LeBron is, he's still not even in the same universe as Jordan.

This is good for James. Going to Chicago would give him the best teammates he's ever had and more likely than not he will be getting another premier free agent to go with him. Having Derrick Rose at the helm is a wonderful gift as long as the team plays unselfishly. Mark my words, LeBron will never win a championship until he changes his style of play. I don't mean passing more because he does that already. I mean that he would have to let Rose run the team and James would just play SF. In Cleveland, Mo Williams would bring the ball up the floor, give it to James, and the rest of the team would wait at the three point line. If he plays with someone like Rose that simply can't happen.

The fact that the Bulls are already putting the hammer down on him (compared to Cleveland) is a good sign. It's never a good idea to give any one player too much influence in the front office. Just like I said that LeBron won't win a championship if he plays like he has been, let me also say this. If LeBron goes to Chicago and just plays like a regular SF and lets Rose run the team, he will get his ring next season. If Bosh goes with him then we're going to see the NBA's next great dynasty.

It all depends on what's more important to him. Does he want the big numbers or does he want the big diamonds?

Chris Bosh Free Agency Update

According to a recent report by the Chicago Tribune, Chris Bosh is going to try to follow LeBron James wherever he goes. As reported by his agent, Chris Bosh's five team wish list consists of the Lakers, Bulls, Knicks, Heat, and Raptors. Sense LeBron is almost definitely not going to the Lakers, Raptors, or Heat that means Bosh could be heading the Chicago or New York.

I don't know where Bosh is going but I do know this. If Bosh and LeBron team up with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in Chicago it's all over. That team will destroy anything in its path as long as it plays unselfishly. That scenario seems like it has the best chance of materializing because both Bosh and James want to play for a winner, with that in mind it would be flat out insane to go to the Knicks. Why? So they can watch Spike Lee on the sidelines 41 times a year? I don't think so.

I'm sure there's going to be plenty more reports like this in the next few weeks. Some will be legitimate, others will be complete speculation. I'm bracing myself for a free agency frenzy as we all should be. Right now it looks as if Chicago has a great chance of landing both Bosh and James, but that could change any day. No one really knows until the ink is on the paper.

A Rose Budding Before Our Eyes

Bulls' guard Derrick Rose showed his NBA potential last season when he won rookie of the year, led his team to the playoffs, and almost knocked off the defending champions in the most thrilling playoff series ever. Right now we're starting to see what Derrick Rose is going to become.

As of now his numbers are 18.6 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 3.5 RPG.

It's important to know how deceiving those numbers are.

If you take out Rose's bad start which was caused by a nagging right ankle injury his numbers are: 20.8 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 3.6 RPG. With those numbers I'm taking out Rose's first ten games. He continued playing limited minutes for a couple more weeks after that. Despite his previously impressive numbers, it's his latest work that's turning heads.

Since December 17th Rose has been starting to put up big time numbers. 24.3 PPG, and 6.5 APG. I fully expect his production to keep rising.

After last season many predicted that Rose had superstar potential, however his slow start this year scared some people off. Many sportswriters went as far as to retract their statements about Rose and several felt as though he may have already reached his potential. Well right now they're eating their words as Rose has carried his Bulls from the bottom of the Eastern Conference back to the playoff picture. It's not just his numbers rising that makes me think he's going to become a superstar. It's his fourth quarter production that is really impressing me.

In the last month Rose has been dominating in the fourth quarter. Even when the Bulls lose Rose still keeps them or gets them in the game. With about 7:00 minutes left defenses start to key in on him, yet he still scores at will. That's what a superstar does. He's making his teammates better and he's beginning to deliver in the clutch as well. He hasn't hit the big buzzer beater yet but he makes game winning or game clinching shots a lot. Sometimes people don't understand that a game winner doesn't necessarily come in the last 4 seconds. Sometimes a game winner is made on the defensive side. Take game 6 of last year's Bulls vs. Celtics playoff series for example. In triple overtime Rose stuffed Rondo's fallaway jumper to force a game seven. That's just as good if not better than a game winning three.

We haven't even reached the halfway point of Rose's sophomore season and he's already in the argument for the top 3 point guards in the league. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are the obvious top two, but who comes next is a heavily debated topic. Those in the conversation are Celtics' point guard Rajon Rondo, Nuggets' point guard Chauncey Billups, Suns' point guard Steve Nash, and of course Bulls' point guard Derrick Rose.

Rondo gets a ton of credit he doesn't deserve. He plays with the best team in the league and some of the league's best shooters. It's a lot easier to get an assist when you're kicking it out to Ray Allen or Eddie House than to John Salmons who's currently shooting 39% from the floor and 35% from the three point line. It's not Rondo's fault that he has such dangerous weapons, it just makes the game much easier for him. When Rose crosses half court he is usually met by a double team. Rondo barely even gets defended. Teams are so concerned with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and whichever sharpshooter is off the bench at that time that Rondo gets open looks all game. That's where his point come from, not from superior scoring ability. If Rondo faced the pressure or had the teammates that Rose has, his numbers would be nowhere near as high as they are.

Chauncey Billups is a great point guard, but he's no longer a player who's going to single handedly carry a team. He's the smartest point guard in the NBA and he ties his Nuggets together. But take away his good teammates and put him on the Hornets and he does nothing.

Steve Nash is starting to deteriorate in heart breaking fashion. All of a sudden he can't run and push the tempo of the game like he used to. For that reason he's not quite at the level of the very top point guards anymore. Don't misunderstand, Nash is still a fantastic point guard, he's just not the best of the best anymore.

Right now the top point guards in the NBA today are as follows.

1. Chris Paul
2. Deron Williams
3. Derrick Rose
4. Rajon Rondo
5. Chauncey Billups
6. Steve Nash
7. Devin Harris/Russell Westbrook

As time goes on Rose is just going to further cement his right to be mentioned with the top tier point guards of the NBA.

Unfortunately we live in a world where Allen Iverson is still voted into the All-Star game so I have completely disregarded the All-Star game as the definition for having an All-Star status. An All-Star is someone who can go toe to toe with anyone else of his position in the league and either hold his own or win. Rose fits that criteria.

I have mentioned numbers a lot, I'm well aware that numbers don't tell the full story and that someone can be a great player without huge numbers. The only reason they're here is to help prove my point of how much and how fast Rose is improving.

I'm sure there will be a few more bumps in the road for Rose on his way to becoming a dominant player but this last month and a half let me see that it's definitely going to happen. Before I was thinking it could happen, now I know it will. Barring some tragic injury I think Rose will be the best point guard in the NBA by his fourth season.

If you disagree with me that Rose is one of the best three point guards in the league then ask yourself this question. At this point in time, what point guard would you rather have?

Vinny Del Negro Will Be Fired By the Season's End

The Bulls fell to 6-9 tonight in Milwaukee. The Bulls are currently on a 5 game losing streak to end their road trip. Although Vinny Del Negro's coaching performances have been unbelievably bad, the biggest problem lies in the actual offensive system.

The Bulls currently run the same offense which they ran in the Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, and Andres Nocioni era (2004-2008). At that point in time it was effective because it freed up the Bulls' many shooters and created catch and shoot opportunities for Gordon. Now that Gordon is in Detroit, John Salmons has filled in his slot in the offense.

Every single possession the Bulls run the same exact play. John Salmons runs off a double screen at the top of the key and spots up for what is supposed to be a jumper, unfortunately he turns it into an isolation. The Bulls also run a play where Salmons comes from the baseline or Derrick Rose comes from the sideline, in both cases they run their man into two picks. The average basketball fan wouldn't notice this but it's the SAME EXACT PLAY, it's just turned on its side. At this point teams know that it's coming so clearly that they just jump the play causing disarray in the Bulls offense.

For some reason Del Negro can't seem to notice this and I just don't understand why not, the majority of the plays Rose can be found in the corner without a prayer of re-entering the play. That's just unacceptable.

The system needs to be changed to fit Rose better. All season I have been screaming for Del Negro to isolate Rose more because he's flat out unstoppable in an isolation. I can confidently say that because every time they do it Rose scores at will. Tonight Rose had 8 points in the first three quarters because the Bulls ran their regular, predictable offense. But, when Rose was able to create for himself and others in the fourth, he scored 11 points and got the Bulls the lead which was their first lead since being up 2-0.

It's no secret that Rose is the Bulls franchise player, so why not give him complete control of his team?

Rose ate Brandon Jennings alive tonight in all phases of the game. Rose's ankle appears to be back to normal as his lightening quickness has returned. This situation is very simple, if Del Negro doesn't change the offensive system very soon he will out of a job. But judging by Del Negro's demeanor that won't matter. When the game is on the line he seems more concerned about whether or not to put pepperoni's on his pizza than who's going to take the last shot.

Don't get the wrong idea, aside from his horrid offense I think Del Negro is a great coach. His players like him, and he calls great plays out of timeouts as can be seen throughout the Bulls vs Celtics playoff series. This is what makes this situation so hard to understand. Del Negro is clearly a very intelligent basketball mind and has exemplified that all the way back to his playing days. My guess as to why he's not changing the offense is that in the pre-season he thought Salmons would be able to fit in Gordon's slot seamlessly. But now, after realizing that he can't, it's too late to learn a whole new system. Without a doubt trying to institute a new offense on the fly would be much more difficult. But when your team is putting up 92 points a night it's necessary. Del Negro has the offensive weapons at his disposal, if he doesn't use them effectively, someone else will.

How Come Rose is Not the Focus of the Bulls' Offense?

The Bulls looked like two different teams in their first two games of the season. In the home opener they came out unselfishly and took down a title contender in impressive fashion. The next night they went into Boston and each player tried to be the hero...except the guy who should be the hero. In 23 minutes Derrick Rose only took 8 shots and 3 free throws. That's flat out unacceptable, he's their best player and scorer and should be taking anywhere from 10-15 shots a game. If he did then he would probably be scoring around 25 PPG.

None of this is his fault.

The Bulls still run the same offense which they ran for Gordon except now they run it for Salmons. I hated it then because it cut Rose out of the play too much but Gordon was good enough to justify it, Salmons isn't.

Rose can score on anyone in this league in an isolation and that's what Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro should run. How come everyone in the United States knows that Rose is borderline unstoppable when isolated other than his coach?

I understand that Rose has a bad right ankle and that it's greatly hindering his quickness, but he worked on his jumper all summer for a reason. In tonight's blow out loss to the Celtics, Rose should have been taking as many good jumpers as he could get up. As Salmons missed shot after shot they kept running the same predictable play. Salmons comes off a double screen at the top of the key and spots up for a three. They ran it so much in the playoffs last year that the Celtics just kept jumping the play because they knew that it was run to the same spot every time. Coach Del Negro should have recognized that and let Rose create for himself and others. Maybe things would have changed if Rose played more minutes, he's playing limited minutes because the Bulls' entire future depends upon his health and they're being annoyingly careful with his right ankle.

On Sunday the Bulls make the trip down to Miami where Rose will face off against fellow Chicago native Dwyane Wade. Hopefully Rose will be playing his regular 38 minutes. The biggest thing is that for the Bulls to be successful long term he has to be part of the offense more. After he passes it to Salmons he goes in the corner and doesn't see the ball again that possession. As the team's best scorer that just can't happen.

I'm not saying that Vinny is a bad coach by any means, he's actually a very good coach and I agree with almost everything he does, except this.

The entire offensive game plan needs to be changed very soon. Some nights Salmons and Hinrich are going to shoot well and it will look effective. But most nights its going to have to be Rose that carries the scoring load, especially now with Ben Gordon in Detroit. In games where Rose takes 10 shots or more he averaged 18.8 PPG last year including the playoffs.

With a year's experience under his belt and a better jumpshot that number will rise to the 23-25 range. I cannot think of one legitimate reason not to change the offense to better fit Rose other than the fact that the season already started and it will be harder to do on the fly.

If the Bulls want to be any kind of legitimate threat in the east they're going to have to adapt their offense to Rose's strengths which are attacking the basket and opening things up on the perimeter, as well as going one on one with someone and scoring on either a dunk, floater, or jumper.

If coach Del Negro refuses to do this then it's going to be a very disappointing year in Chicago. The Bulls will still make the playoffs but they will probably lose 5-10 games that they could and should have won. Those 5-10 games is the difference between the 4th seed and the 8th.

It's odd that games this early in the season have such major playoff implications. There's a chance that the Bulls and Heat will end up tied at the end of the season for the fourth seed. In that event whoever won the head to head games during the season gets the playoff spot. Therefore the Bulls' next game is big. Let's see which Bulls team shows up.

Rose to Start Home Opener vs Spurs

A right ankle injury has held reigning rookie of the year Derrick Rose out of action since October 2nd. Recently there have been reports saying that Rose's injury was more serious than the Bulls were letting on and that he could be out for an extended period of time.

Through the past few weeks the Bulls training staff has been very careful with their franchise player. They have been holding him off the court much more than Rose feels is necessary.

"They're worried about me coming back too soon," said the frustrated Rose. "They tell me to take my time. They're not listening to me. If it was up to me, I'd tape it up and be on the court. They said they want it to be healed totally before the season starts."

It doesn't help his ankle that in his first two games this season Rose will be matching up with Tony Parker and Rajon Rondo on back to back nights.

Last season Rose struggled against San Antonio only scoring 11 PPG, while shooting a rough 34% from the field.

Top 5 Fantasy Point Guards

The fantasy basketball season is right around the corner and there are a few hazards to be weary of. For instance, make sure you're picking players who will bring in big numbers, not necessarily win games. I will give you my top 5 point guards to take in this year's fantasy games. When reading this post keep in mind that the fantasy game that I'm guiding you through is the Sportingnews Ultimate Salary Cap Challenge. In this particular fantasy game you are given a 35 million dollar salary cap. You need 2 guards, 2 forwards, a center, and a sixth man.

1. Chris Paul (NO)

Estimated cost: 11.6 Million $

CP3 will likely cost you a decent chunk of your salary so be prepared to bargain hunt for the rest of your draft. That being said, Paul is the most productive point guard in the league. Last season Paul led all point guards in both points (22.8 PPG) and in assists (11 APG). More likely than not Paul's numbers will increase this season as they have for the past 3 years. With the addition of center Emeka Okafor (in exchange for Tyson Chandler), Paul will most likely tally at least 1 or 2 more assists per game.

2. Derrick Rose (CHI)

Estimated cost: 9.8 million $

It will be very interesting to see what Rose is priced at this season, it will either be very high based on his potential, or very low based on his numbers last season. It will probably be somewhere in the middle. If it is below 10 million get him. Expect Rose to far surpass his rookie numbers of 16.8 PPG and 6.3 APG. My prediction is that Rose and Paul will be the top two in PPG and APG for point guards. Be very careful with Rose, with him turnovers seem to come in bunches. If you see that he had a 5 turnover game, sell him, and buy him back 2-3 games later.

3. Deron Williams (UTA)

Estimated cost: 10.4 Million $

Deron Williams is on par with Rose and Paul. It pretty much just comes down to which player you like better, although Williams and Paul will almost definitely be more expensive than Rose. Williams' numbers were just behind Paul's last season (20.2 PPG, 10.8 APG) , those numbers will for the most part stay where they are. Keep in mind that Williams led all point guards in turnovers last season (4.2 per game). Much like Rose, monitor his assist/turnover ratio as often as possible.

4. Rajon Rondo (BOS)

Estimated cost: 9.0 Million $

Rondo's numbers have been consistently jumping throughout the first 3 years of his young and promising career, that pattern won't end anytime soon. With scoring options all around him, expect Rondo to make the jump into double digit assists this season. Last season Rondo's numbers were 11.9 PPG, and 8.2 APG, nothing special. However after the 2009 playoffs I expect Rondo to soar into the point guard spotlight. Rondo has a tendency to play to the level of his opponent. Sometimes that can be a great thing, but most of the time it holds him back. For instance in the first round of the 09' playoffs (against Derrick Rose), Rondo nearly averaged a triple double. But in the next round, when he was put up against an inferior point guard, his numbers dipped. Rondo is an excellent player to take if you're planning on breaking the bank over someone like LeBron James.

5. Tony Parker (SAS)

Estimated cost: 8.7 Million $

The Spurs had an unusual year last year as Parker, Ginobli, and Duncan all missed games due to injury. Now that all three are healthy at the same time Parker will have many weapons in his arsenal. With his veteran bench and an imported Richard Jefferson expect Parker's APG to skyrocket, somewhere in the 11-13 range. The reason why he's at number 5 is because as his APG goes up, his PPG will go down drastically. I predict his numbers this season to be: 14 PPG, 10.5 APG (ballpark numbers).

Is Rose Ready to Step Up into the NBA Elite?

Chicago Bulls' guard Derrick Rose did not disappoint in his rookie season but now, after losing Ben Gordon to the Pistons, the Bulls will be expecting Rose to be their go to guy on offense.

In his rookie season Derrick Rose scored 16.8 PPG, while dishing out 6.3 APG. This year I predict that Rose will score anywhere from 20-25 PPG and 7.5-10 APG. The main reason for this spike in numbers, along with the fact that he has a year of experience, is the loss of Ben Gordon. With Gordon out of the picture Rose will definitely be taking more shots and as a result will get to the line more often. It has been well documented this offseason that Rose is working on his jumpshot and extending his range to the three point line, which makes him that much more dangerous to other teams.

Many (including me) envision that Rose will step up into the NBA's Mt. Olympus of point guards sometime in the next 1-2 seasons, this is the elite group which includes Chris Paul, Deron Willaims, Tony Parker, and Chauncey Billups. But the question that everyone wants to know is when, when will Rose step up and make the Bulls a dangerous team again. What Rose has to work on the most if he wants that to happen is his assist to turnover ratio. In the playoffs every possession is important, he can't be turning the ball over 5 times a game like he did in last season's first round bout with the Celtics. 

Ask yourself this question, if you were the Bulls and you could trade Rose for any other point guard in the league who would it be, Chis Paul immediately comes to mind but consider this: Rose is a Chicago native and he would be more likely (than Paul) to express loyalty to the Bulls when his contract is up. I wouldn't trade him for anybody, the Chicago Bulls have a real gem in Rose, I strongly believe that Rose is going to be a top 1-2 point guard in the league by the time this season ends, whenever it ends. Rose's ability to score makes him so much more dangerous because teams are going to be forced to double team him which will give the green light to Hinrich, Deng, and Salmons to knock down some shots. 

Derrick Rose is a young player with the sky as his limit, don't be surprised to see Rose in the MVP voting at the end of the season. He is ready to take the NBA by storm.