Lindsey Hunter: Derrick Rose’s Upside Is Endless

November 24th, 2008 by Andrew Wamboldt

In an interview with Chuck Swirsky, Lindsey Hunter described Derrick Rose’s upside as being endless.

“He is one of those special talents. He posesses that ‘it’ factor, that a kid can raise his level. I think it’s been proven time and time again with him, he raises his level to the level of the competition, and not many young guys can do that. I think he has an endless upside, and that’s scary.”

Hunter, when signed by the Bulls, was expected to receive minimal playing time, with his main task being the education of rookie point guard, Derrick Rose.

Hunter has experience playing with some of the best guards of the league. He played with Sam Cassell in Milwaukee and Chauncey Billups in Detroit. Hunter played with Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars in his first year in the league, although both players were in the twilights of their career at that point.

That rookie season, where Hunter’s Pistons went 20-62, was a growing up experience for Hunter. It helped Hunter understand the business and perseverance aspect of the NBA. Rose will need perservarance to survive the Bulls’ current roster that lacks talent in the front court as a result of business decisions by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

“It was a humbling experience,” Hunter said, “Coming out of college most of the guys that make it to the league, you won your last year in college, you had a great senior year.”

Hunter also had some advice that appeared to be targeted at the Bulls other talented young guard, Ben Gordon.

“It will always be a game and I tell young kids that to this day. The business part will take care of itself and that’s off the court issues, and you try to keep it separate in your own mind, because you don’t want to tie that into each other, it affects you.”

It is important for Gordon to keep his passion for the game burning. After this season, if he gets his new contract with the Bulls, he will be expected to be the Bulls’ second star until they make a major acquisition.

“The ultimate goal of basketball is to stop the opponent from scoring and you score more than the opponent,” Hunter said, “I tell kids from grade school until you’re in the NBA, it will always be basketball, it will always be a game, and it will always be something that if you love it, you have fun doing it.”

You can listen to this interview online, exclusively at Bulls.com.