DEERFIELD | Derrick Rose looks like he hasn't taken driver's ed yet. His grandma nicknamed him "Pooh" as in Winnie, because of an obsession with sweets.
Don't be fooled. He's drawn to pressure situations like a mosquito to sweat.
And with the Bulls, the 6-foot-3, 196-pound freshman guard from Memphis will face a must-do list that stretches up to Aaron Gray's eyebrows.
"I can be a leader on or off the court," Rose said during a conference call after the Bulls chose him No. 1 in Thursday night's NBA draft. "Age really doesn't matter. It's how effective you are and that will get better, along with my leadership skills."
The Chicago native led Simeon High School to a pair of Class AA state titles. He is a combined 158-14 as a prep and college player.
"Of course, there's going to be pressure. But I'm used to it," Rose said. "They've had great players here like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, B.J. Armstrong. Just knowing that I can be a part of that history is amazing.
"Playing in Chicago, boy, I just can't wait."
Memphis coach John Calipari said Rose could've averaged 30 ppg had he been turned loose and the Bulls would gladly settle for half that production from the rookie.
Chicago had the league's 18th-ranked offense last season, averaging 97 ppg and shooting a league-worst .435.
Asked what makes him so mature at 19, Rose credited his mother Brenda, a single parent.
"She always had me around older people," Rose said. "All my friends are a year or two older than me and just being around them all the time, I don't act my regular age."
Eight of the first 19 picks were freshmen, compared to eight in last year's entire draft.
Rose's journey to NBA stardom begins today at U.S. Cellular Field, where he will throw out the first pitch before the Crosstown Classic between the Cubs and White Sox.
Rose was willing to promise one thing, short of a Bulls seventh NBA title.
"Hope. Just hope. It's been a while since anybody from Chicago made it in the NBA. There's a lot of kids out there in Chicago who could if they just put in the hard work," he said.
Rose is only the third guard to be selected No. 1 overall since Magic Johnson in 1979. The other was Allen Iverson in 1996.
"In this league, point guards are really hard to find," Bulls general manager John Paxson said. "He's got a strength about him that most guards don't have in this league at that position.
"He's got a great burst and he's very fast with the ball. He's going to make other players better and he'll give us some leadership abilities we really need. For us, it was the right pick."
The Bulls later took Arkansas forward Sonny Weems with the 39th pick of the second and final round.
