Chicago fans have been waiting for a superstar since ol' number 23 left more than a dozen years ago.

These fans wanted someone more electric than Elton Brand, someone more talented than Ben Gordon, someone with more leadership skills than Ron Artest.

They found him.

Whenever Derrick Rose steps to the free-throw line, the M-V-P chants rain down from United Center, and it's justified.

When the NBA announces who is the Most Valuable Player for the 2010-2011 regular season, the winner will be Rose. It will be a tremendous upset if someone like Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, or LeBron James wins the award.

No player has meant more to their team in the regular season than Rose.

As important as the additions of Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver have been to Chicago, they haven't been the reason for the 12-win difference from last season to this season.

The reason the Bulls went from being a good to a great team, was Rose went from being a very good point guard to a great point guard in the off-season.

The 22-year-old Chicago native averaged 20.8 points per game last season, and increased it to 25 points per game this season.

Though Rose's field goal percentage dropped, his other numbers increased over the past season. He went from six assists per game to better than seven. Rose shot 77.6 percent from the free-throw line last year, and increased it to 85.8 percent. He had dramatically raised the amount of three-point shots he'd take per game, yet still raised his percentage from 26.7 percent to 33.2 percent.

But there is more to Rose's game than statistics, which are often misleading, and make no mistake, Rose has benefited from the arrival of head coach Tom Thibodeau, as well as Boozer and Korver.

It has been Rose's mere presence, and his dedicated improvement that have spilled over to his teammates that often makes him so valuable.

Take him off the Bulls, and the team would be lost.

Rose has been the heart and soul of Chicago. He has carried the Bulls on his shoulders with his clutch shots, and electrified the United Center crowd with his athleticism and spirit. He's shown impressive pass and shot selection, and dramatically improved his passing ability from his college days.

Those are the aspects of the game that don't show up in the box score.

Fortunately for Bulls' fans, Rose shows up in the box score.

Derrick Rose, the Bulls' first superstar guard since Michael Jordan. Derrick Rose, the NBA's most valuable player.

NBA