The Official Site of Derrick Rose

Thu, Jan 28th 2010, 16:09

D Rose selected to Eastern Conference All-Star Team

Bulls guard and Chicago native Derrick Rose has been named as a reserve on the Eastern Conference All-Star team, which will play in the 59th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010.

Rose becomes the first Bulls player to attain All-Star status since Michael Jordan in 1998.

With averages of 19.8 points, 5.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game on the season, the second-year point guard’s slow start due to an ankle injury is a distant memory. Over his last four games—road wins against the Suns, Rockets, Spurs and Thunder—Rose has posted averages of 26.3 points, 5.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.

“We, as an organization, are absolutely thrilled for Derrick,” said Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “He is truly deserving of being an All-Star, and I couldn’t be happier that all of his hard work and dedication have paid off in getting to this point, as a player in only his second season. Perhaps more importantly, it speaks volumes about Derrick as a person and the family that he comes from. We know we can count on Derrick to represent the Bulls and the city of Chicago with a great deal of dignity and pride.”

The All-Star Game will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages. It will be played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, before an expected crowd of more than 80,000—the largest group ever to witness a live basketball game.

For Rose, it will be a busy weekend, as he will also defend his Taco Bell Skills Challenge title on Saturday, Feb. 13, 8:30 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Rose of the opportunity. “Last year, it was a great experience being there with my family. Just having the opportunity to be around the All-Stars; I can’t lie, it was fun. I appreciated that opportunity because it was so unbelievable.”

While Rose acknowledged winning the Skills Challenge is high on his list of accomplishments, he said it wouldn’t compare to making the All-Star team.

“It would mean a lot, knowing that my hard work paid off to the point I get the chance to play in that game with some of the greatest players in the world,” said Rose. “If it does happen in only my second year, I just hope I don’t get spoiled by it.”

On Wednesday, Rose was among 18 players selected for the 2010 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be held on Friday, Feb. 12 in Dallas during NBA All-Star 2010. Bulls forward Taj Gibson was named to the Rookie team. The participants in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot.

It has not yet been announced whether or not Rose will still compete in the Rookie Challenge.

In selecting the All-Star reserves, the 30 NBA head coaches voted for seven players within their conference, including two guards, two forwards, a center and two players regardless of position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their team. If a reserve selected by the coaches is unable to participate in the All-Star Game, NBA commissioner David Stern will select a replacement.

The East and West All-Star coaches and coaching staffs will be determined by the best record in each conference through the games of Jan. 31. Last year’s East and West coaches—Cleveland’s Mike Brown and the L.A. Lakers’ Phil Jackson—are not eligible to coach this year’s All-Star Game.

Article courtesy of Adam Fluck, Bulls.com