His name flashed in lights all over and outside the United Center, and the flower with which he shares a name - red petals, green stem - sat on every chair at his introductory news conference.
But when Derrick Rose begins rookie mini-camp Thursday night at the Berto Center and summer-league play next Monday in Orlando, the No. 1 pick will be another rookie trying to master the NBA game.
Vinny Del Negro will be directing him, the rare NBA head coach choosing to guide a summer-league team. Assistants typically perform that task.
"It will be good for Vinny to get on the floor with everybody and start teaching and implementing what he wants to do," general manager John Paxson said. "And Derrick's got a lot to learn.
"The NBA game is different and the point guard position is especially tough. You're not coming off screens and catching. You have to control the ball most of the time. He's going to have to learn. He'll make mistakes along the way."
So might Del Negro, although it doesn't sound as if offensive style will be one.
"We want to get the ball in Derrick's hands a lot and let him push the ball upcourt, try to make other guys effective," Del Negro said. "We'll use a lot of high and side screen-and-rolls and get guys easy baskets, make the game fun.
"We feel with his combination of size and speed plus the rules prohibiting contact on the perimeter, we can have some success with that style."
Rose rarely ran screen-and-roll sets in his one season at Memphis, but the Bulls are convinced his combination of size, speed and decision-making ability can make him - and others - effective.
Given that strong, on-court chemistry defined the Bulls' three straight playoff teams and then a lack of it derailed last season's squad, the fact that Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha showed up at Rose's introduction could bode well.
That Thomas, Joakim Noah, Aaron Gray and Demetris Nichols will join Rose and Del Negro on the summer-league team is telling as well. Third-year players like Thomas rarely play in summer leagues, but Thomas' trip to Boston to watch college teammate Glen Davis and close friend P.J. Brown win an NBA title had an impact on him.
"Just seeing that, you want to do whatever it takes to get better and win," Thomas said. "Playing a couple of summer-league games will help me get acclimated to Derrick and build more chemistry with Joakim. If that's what it takes to get to that level, that's a small sacrifice."
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