Derrick Rose quickly went from the NBA’s 2009 Rookie of the Year (and the Chicago Bulls’ savior) to the center of an NCAA investigation into allegations that he had someone take the SAT test for him so that he could play at Memphis.

Derrick Rose is currently at the center of NCAA investigation into his academic eligibilty at Memphis.

According to the Chicago-Sun Times, his high school grades were even altered to help him stay academically eligible.

The investigation has once again brought attention to the NBA’s age regulation rule, in which players have to be at least 19 years old in order to play professional basketball.

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports, asks: “Why the heck did he have to take [the SAT test]  in the first place?”

He makes a good point. Rose could have avoided this scandal altogether if he had simply been able to jump directly to the NBA from high school instead.

As Wetzel argues effectively:

“No one cared when Danica Patrick went pro as a race car driver at 16. No one tried to prevent Shawn Johnson from winning an Olympic gold at the same age or Miley Cyrus from making millions singing and acting with her dad even younger than that. And no one ever required them to recognize analogies before doing so. So why do we make Derrick Rose?”

Why, indeed.

Image: Zuma

The Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics put on another instant classic. On Thursday night, the Bulls defeated the Celtics in triple overtime by a final score of 128-127.

Both teams got production from a variety of different sources. John Salmons led the way for the Bulls with 35 points, six rebounds and four assists in 60 minutes. Derrick Rose chipped in with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Brad Miller and 23 points and ten rebounds off the bench.

For the Celtics, Ray Allen has 51 points in 59 minutes. He hit 18-of-32 shots from the field, 9-of-18 three-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws. Glen “Big Baby” Davis had 23 points and seven rebounds, while Paul Pierce had 22 points and nine rebounds.

With the win, the Bulls tied the series 3-3 and forced a Game 7 against the Celtics. Game 7 will take place in Boston on Saturday.

Of the six games so far in the series, four of the games have gone to overtime. The defending NBA champion Celtics are trying to survive a heated push by the young Bulls. Boston’s job is made more difficult since Kevin Garnett is likely out for the rest of the playoffs with a knee injury.

Rookie Derrick Rose is attempting to lead a Bulls upset (Image: Newscom)

For the 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year award, there wasn’t much suspense. Derrick Rose, the star rookie for the Chicago Bulls and the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, officially was named the winner on Wednesday.

In the season, Rose averaged 16.8 points and 6.3 assists in 37 minutes per game. He shot 47.5% from the field and 78.8% at the free throw line. He, also was able to stay healthy, playing in 81 of the team’s 82 games.

In the playoffs, Rose has been even better. In his first postseason game of his career, Rose scored 36 points and dished off 11 assists against the defending champion Boston Celtics. The Bulls were able to win that game by a final score of 105-103.

Currently, Rose is preparing for Game 3 of the first round series against the Celtics with the series tied 1-1.

OJ Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies finished second in the 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year voting, followed by Brook Lopez, Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon.

Derrick Rose, 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year (Image: Newscom)

Derrick Rose is the likely 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year. In the first playoff game of his career, he showed the world exactly what makes him a great prospect. The 20-year-old point guard scored 36 points, dished off 11 assists and grabbed four boards.

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls Playoff Debut (Image: Flickr)

Perhaps even more impressively, Rose was able to lead the Chicago Bulls to a overtime victory over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics. Entering the overtime period tied at 97, the Bulls were able to win by a final score of 105-103.

Rose, who hit 12-of-19 field goals and all 12 of his free throw attempts, successfully outplayed Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo led the Celtics with his 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Ben Gordon chipped in 20 points for the Bulls, while Paul Pierce poured in 23 points for Boston. Game 2 between these two teams will be on Monday at 7 PM EST.

With less than a month left in the regular season, it’s time to start focusing on the awards. For NBA Rookie of the Year there are many worth candidates. Here’s a look at the top five candidates to take home the 2008-09 NBA ROY award:

5. Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers
Once given a starting spot, Gordon took off. Although he doesn’t have great height for the shooting guard position, he’s built like a tank and his strength makes him dangerous anywhere on the court.

4. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Early on, it appeared as if Westbrook could be a bust. But he gradually got better and right now he might be playing better than any rookie in the NBA. Next to Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, Westbrook could become a star.

3. Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets
The best bigman in the 2008-09 rookie class appears to be Lopez of the Nets. He has very good nice and understands the game extremely well. Going forward, he’ll be a double-double machine.

2. OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
Scouts weren’t convinced Mayo could make a successful jump to the NBA. But after his rookie year, most scouts agree that he has star potential. Mayo can score and his defense is underrated.

1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
The number one overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft has a great chance of winning the Rookie of the Year. Despite inconsistency and struggles here and there, Rose has likely done enough to win the award.

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls - NBA Rookie of the Year (Image: Newscom)

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose started the season with a lot of exciting performances and a lot of people automatically gave him the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Since then, he’s had some bad outings and his defense has been exposed as non-existent. That said, he’ll still probably win it.

OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
In college, everyone thought OJ Mayo was a ballhogging moron. But on the NBA level, he has proven that sentiment to be wrong. He’s been a very smart scorer who doesn’t overly force the action. Playing in Memphis hurts his chances.

Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers
Greg Oden was one of the most hyped rookies of the past 20 years coming into this season. But after getting hurt early on and not doing much since getting healthy, Oden still has a lot to prove before he could win the Rookie of the Year award. That said, if he gets on a dominant streak, he still has a chance.

Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
The Heat have made sure that Michael Beasley only gets to play when he’s defending. For that reason, his minutes have been somewhat sporadic. When he plays, Beasley has been pretty darn good. He can score from many spots on the court and can also rebound better than his size would indicate.

Photo credit: Newscom