BY MIKE NORTH

H ey, Dan, the other night I'm watching Derrick Rose drive to the basket in the fading seconds of the Bulls' 99-97 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He inexplicably passes the ball to Brad Miller, who's 17 feet from the basket. Well, you know what happened next. Miller misses the shot, and the Bulls lose. But even if Miller hits the shot, Rose, who said point guards pass the ball, doesn't get it.

I love Rose's game, but he has been just slightly above average this season. He has done nothing special and was better last year.

With Kirk Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas out of action and the Bulls on the road, this was Rose's opportunity to carry the team on his shoulders.

But it hasn't happened. Hinrich is as good an all- around point guard as Rose.

If he was healthy, I could see Hinrich starting and Rose coming off the bench. You know that wasn't supposed to be the plan.

Rose's ankle can't be a problem when he's playing 35 to 40 minutes a game.

But the question is, will Rose be a superstar or just a very good NBA point guard who might go to five or six All-Star Games? Maybe he'll never go at all.

Superstars make it happen on a nightly basis, not every so often. That's why Rose has to improve defensively, become a better ballhandler and keep his turnovers down.

Basically, he has to work at his whole game. I don't know about Rose's work ethic. I have no idea. I hear he's a hard worker, and he's still very young.

So will he become a superstar? At this point, I don't think so.

It's more like, hey, let's hope we win the title, and Derrick Rose is an All-Star. But, unfortunately, never a superstar, and I'm right.

DERRICK NEEDS A LITTLE WORK, BUT HE HAS SKILLS, DETERMINATION

BY DAN JIGGETTS

Mike, I think Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will become an NBA superstar.

He's already off to a great start after being named Rookie of the Year. His second season has started slowly, but there's still plenty of time to get things straight.

Remember, he suffered a badly sprained ankle in the preseason, and it's not unreasonable to believe it might take him a few more weeks to regain top fitness.

When Rose gets himself into NBA regular-season shape, we'll see him pick up where he left off in that wonderful rookie season.

When you look back on his first season, he was as dynamic a player as one could hope for as a 19-year-old.

There's no question he has work to do in different facets, such as becoming a top-flight outside threat by developing a shot from beyond the three-point arc.

He also has to make strides defensively, but the great thing about him is he has the ability, determination and work ethic to get all of that done.

When you compare Rose to the best in the business such as Chris Paul and Steve Nash, he has the same kind of feel for the game. He's a natural.

And the one thing that takes someone from a natural to a superstar is desire and hard work during the regular season and the offseason.

You don't come as far in a brief 19 years as Rose has from the streets of Chicago to the top rookie of the 2008-09 season without those qualities.

Rose will become a superstar in the NBA because he has the traits I outlined above. I know I'm right.

WHO'S RIGHT?

Jiggetts or North? Who's right on this issue? What do you think? Vote and comment at www.suntimes.com/sports.