Rose was selected with the first overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Chicago Bulls.[1][58] He was selected to the U.S. Select Team to scrimmage against and prepare the National Team for the Olympics in Beijing.In mid-July, he played two games in the Orlando Pro Summer League until forced out by tendinitis in his right knee, ending his summer,but returned in October to play all eight preseason games.
Rose became the first Bulls draftee to score 10 points or more in his first 10 games since Michael Jordan,[and earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for November and December.During the All-Star Weekend, Rose played in the Rookie Challenge,and won the Skills Challenge, where he beat out several All-Stars to become the first rookie to claim the trophy.Overcoming a January and February slump, Rose returned to form and won monthly rookie honors in March. Meanwhile, the Bulls, re-energized by the trade deadline acquisitions of John Salmons and Brad Miller, finished the regular season on a 12–4 spurt to qualify as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Rose won Rookie of the Year, joining Michael Jordan (1985) and Elton Brand (2000) as the only Bulls to do so.[69] He was also the first number-one draft pick since LeBron James to win the award. He averaged 16.8 points on 47.5% field goal shooting, 6.3 assists (leading all rookies) and 3.9 rebounds per game and was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
In his playoff debut against the defending champion Boston Celtics, Rose recorded 36 points (tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record for points scored by a rookie in his playoff debut, set in 1970), 11 assists, and 4 rebounds as the Bulls prevailed in a 105–103 overtime win on the road.Rose became the second player in NBA history to record 35 points and 10 assists in his playoff debut, after Chris Paul. Rose averaged 19.7 points on 47.5% shooting, 6.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game in his first playoff series, as the Bulls were defeated by the Celtics in seven games.
2009–11: All-Star season and MVP campaign
Rose's sophomore season started off with an ankle injury in his first preseason game. Rose would go on to miss the rest of the preseason. Rose started the Bulls' season opener against the San Antonio Spurs but played limited minutes. Rose's ankle bothered him for most of November, but as his ankle healed, his game improved. On January 28, 2010, Rose was elected to his first career All-Star Game as a reserve for the Eastern Conference, making him the first Bulls player to be selected since Michael Jordan in 1998.[MRose ended up with eight points, four assists and three steals in the game. On April 13, 2010, Rose scored 39 points against the Celtics, making 15–22 field goals and 9–10 free throws. The Bulls once again made the playoffs in the 2009–10 season, finishing with a 41–41 record. In the playoffs Rose averaged 26.8 points and 7.2 assists, but the Bulls lost in five games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
