"None of them dudes wanted no smoke with Derrick Rose" - Rip Hamilton says superstars were scared of a prime Derrick Rose

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Detroit Pistons legend Rip Hamilton is absolutely certain that none of the great guards we see in the NBA today wanted to go toe-to-toe with Derrick Rose in his prime.

Hamilton made an appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson and was adamant that no one wanted a piece of Rose at the peak of his powers.

“There’s a lot of great players in our game right now when you’re talking about the point guard position. Russell Westbrook. You know, you talk about Steph, CP, Kyrie. Listen, none of them dudes wanted no smoke with Derrick Rose in the Derrick Rose era. I’m tellin’ you right now. None of them wanted no smoke with D-Rose during that time,” he said.

Prime D-Rose was different

Hamilton had a decorated career, most notably with the Detroit Pistons, but on the back end of his playing days, he had the opportunity to mentor a young and rising Chicago Bulls team led by Rose.

Rip was used to playing alongside star talent over a 14-year career, but to his astonishment, Rose topped them all when it came down to sheer God-given ability.

“This dude was ridiculous, and I see what he was doing and practice night in and night out. And he had a great work ethic and he’s very similar to KD. I always say Derrick Rose, him and KD are the most humble I ever seen in my life. I played with a lot of great players. Derrick Rose, during that time, was probably the most talented player I ever played with,” he added.

Truth to his words

Hamilton’s comments relating to stars not wanting to match up with Rose seem to ring true among NBA circles. Gilbert Arenas and John Lucas III stated they knew players who had intentionally faked injuries to avoid the matchup, and even so, it took a committee to stop Rose’s explosive forays to the rim during his athletic peak.

To this day, the injury history that struck down D-Rose in his prime fuels one of the bigger “what if” fantasies in league history, given he was unable to grow into his full potential and showcase his ceiling as the years went on.

Still, there was a brief moment in time when he set the world on fire, became the youngest MVP in NBA history, and struck unrivaled fear into elite guards at his position.