Rookie of the Year?!?!!

The chicago tribune reports.....

Poll of voters indicates Rose likely to join Michael Jordan, Elton Brand as Bulls' only winners
Many league observers from Vinny Del Negro, who's obviously biased, to Mike D'Antoni, who's not, have said it: Derrick Rose is the NBA Rookie of the Year.Kevin Durant, last year's winner, joined the chorus in the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine.But those voices, while obviously informed, don't decide who wins the award from an extremely deep rookie class. Writers and broadcasters do.So the Tribune sought out voters to gauge what they are thinking. And while nothing is official, Rose's chances to win the award appear extremely strong based on feedback from roughly one-third of the 123 voters across the United States and Canada.

In fact, of the 42 people who revealed their balloting decision to the Tribune, all planned to vote Rose first. That's 210 points right there in a scale that awards five points for a first-place vote, three points for second and one point for third."As much as this class is unsung, I don't understand how there's any debate," said Ric Bucher, who covers the league for ESPN and is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine."Without Rose carrying the Bulls through the first half of the season, they wouldn't have been in position to make a playoff run. Then he seamlessly keeps everything rolling despite the introduction of Brad Miller and John Salmons. And does Tyrus Thomas become a factor without Rose as his point guard?

"This may be the best rookie debut from a basketball IQ standpoint that we've seen since Magic [Johnson."That's high praise, but Bucher wasn't alone in offering it."This will be a no-brainer, right?" said Chris McCoskey, Pistons beat writer for the Detroit News."Rose not only put up incredible numbers, helped his team survive a first-year coach and several roster and rotation alterations and got his team into the playoffs, he did it at the hardest position for a rookie to master. He's the guy."Brian Windhorst knows a little about greatness covering LeBron James and the Cavaliers for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

He's voting for Rose from a deep class that includes O.J. Mayo, Brook Lopez, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Eric Gordon, Marc Gasol, Greg Oden, Michael Beasley and others."From almost Day One he looked comfortable, which is rare for such a young rookie playing point guard," Windhorst said. "His speed with the ball and his size instantly reminded me of Deron Williams and Jason Kidd"When I vote, I don't just consider what he did this season but what he'll become. Watching him, he has the tools and talent to be an All-Star.

"Marc Berman, who covers the Knicks for the New York Post, offered some humor while supporting Rose's candidacy: "Rose is the more valuable player now than Mayo and for years to come. And Rose is still a bigger deal in Memphis."Indeed, Mayo seemed Rose's strongest competition as he came to Rose's college town and averaged 23.1 points per game for the Grizzlies in November. But while Mayo still leads all rookies at 18.3 ppg, he tailed off to 14.7 points in March.

That's when Rose won his third Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award, averaging 16.9 ppg. Overall, Rose ranks second in scoring and minutes to Mayo (16.6 and 36.9), first in assists (6.2), first in assists-to-turnovers (2.47) and has seven double-doubles.Plus, he's playing the most prominent role of any rookie on a playoff team."I remember when the last Bull to win the award put up some very good numbers in 2000," the New York Daily News' Mitch Lawrence said of Elton Brand.

"But the Bulls won all of 17 games, a mere four-game improvement, so what exactly did Brand do?"To me, the great rookies make their biggest impact on their team's record. Rose has done that, befitting a No. 1 overall pick."The Bulls already have won six more games than last season. Do the math.Any way you crunch the numbers, Rose appears poised to join Brand and Michael Jordan as the only Bulls to win Rookie of the Year.

I am pulling for you young blood!!!