Derrick Rose’s Top 15 Poster Dunks

The Internet nearly blew up earlier this week when we posted video of Derrick Rose pulling off a recent through-the-legs dunk. Yeah, no one really cared that the hoop was like eight feet high. We were just happy to see CHI’s finest back to doing what he does best.

Rose isn’t the top player in the NBA, even if he insists that he is, but he’s going to come back this year and be one of the very best. He’s also one of the better dunking point guards. Here are 15 of the best “posterizations” he’s handed out throughout his basketball life.

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15. DERRICK ROSE Over SMU
Good job. Good effort, kid. But you had to know you weren’t catching Rose.

14. DERRICK ROSE Over SOME HIGH SCHOOL CAT
It must be fun playing with someone like this in high school. They basically mapped out this alley-oop, a defender jumped and Rose STILL caught it and finished.

13. DERRICK ROSE Over EVERYONE
I can’t quite figure out which college team this is, but it does remind me of Rose’s early games at Memphis, when he’d often be overshadowed by Chris Douglas-Roberts or even Joey Dorsey. Unlike this dunk, it took the eventually No. 1 pick a little while to rev up during his lone season in school.

12. DERRICK ROSE Over SOME HIGH SCHOOL CAT
Another one of those high school alley-oops where it seems to surprise no one, not even the kid jumping. He just can’t get up as high as a future NBA MVP.

11. DERRICK ROSE Over BARON DAVIS
Baron will probably get mad at us for putting this one on the list because Davis didn’t really get dunked on. But in my experience, I always said that if you lunge at the ball during a dunk, hey, you got yammed on. Some are a little more strict with the regulations, but in this instance, Davis both lunged at it and tried to get out of the way. He still got put on a poster.

10. DERRICK ROSE Over ZACH RANDOLPH
Everyone knows Z-Bo has old man hops. Larry Bird status. But he’s still not someone you necessarily wanna be dunking on since he’s more likely to give you a pop rather than get embarrassed. Randolph plays old school, and Rose was lucky he caught him slacking here.

9. DERRICK ROSE Over Some REDHEAD
You might not remember, but there was a time in high school when Rose wasn’t considered as good as O.J. Mayo. In fact, hit up some old Internet forums for high school recruiting and you’ll hear how D-Rose isn’t even close to Mayo, as if O.J. was on his way to superstardom while Rose would be a NBA role player. We should’ve seen this coming, just like this redhead should’ve seen this dunk coming. At least foul him or something. Don’t stand there looking like a fool, putting your arm up like it’ll do something.

8. DERRICK ROSE Over GREG ODEN
I’m betting if Oden never gets hurt and instead turns into the David Robinson/Bill Russell clone everyone expected of him, this dunk would be closer to the top. Instead, it’s Rose dunking on a bust… even if that bust is a seven-footer who was averaging 2.3 blocks through 21 games in 2009-10 before he was re-injured.

7. DERRICK ROSE Over DONTE GREENE
I see Donte Greene around my way every once in a while. We sometimes play pickup at the same Baltimore area gym during the summer. I’ve always wanted to ask him about this. Why did he jump sideways? Why didn’t he foul? Why didn’t he just get out of the way? Next time, I promise I’ll ask.

6. DERRICK ROSE Over SOME HIGH SCHOOL CAT
This sequence might be the sickest thing I’ve ever seen on a high school court. It’s a good thing I wasn’t there or I might’ve lost my mind. Rose waits for the defender to catch up and then puts him through the hoop.

5. DERRICK ROSE Over JARED JEFFRIES
Again, Rose didn’t dunk right on the Knicks. But when you jump, you’re signing over your life whether you get the block or not.

4. DERRICK ROSE Over LEANDRO BARBOSA
Back in the day, Barbosa was a very good player. Never quite a defender, but he was well known as one of the league’s best sixth men. Ironically, this isn’t even the worst inclusion for the Suns on this list. D-Rose does Phoenix dirty.

3. DERRICK ROSE Over DANILO GALLINARI
I remember the exact moment I saw this dunk… where I was watching the game, who was watching it with me, what I was doing. It’s not every day you see a point guard take off from almost outside of the lane, curl his body around a defender and then finish with a tomahawk before landing on the opposite side of the rim.

2. DERRICK ROSE Over JOEL ANTHONY
This was the best of three dunks Rose put on the Heat during Game 4 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls might’ve lost this game, and Rose might’ve committed seven turnovers while shooting 8-for-27, but no one really remembers that stuff anymore.