The similarities between the Chicago Bulls’ No. 1 draft pick Derrick Rose and former Illini and current Utah Jazz star Deron Williams are plentiful. Both Rose and Williams were first-round NBA draft picks following NCAA Championship game losses. Both players bear the weight of restoring NBA Championship-caliber teams. Both point guards defended each other Friday night.

So which one is better?

Williams, who averaged 12.5 points per game in his final year as an Illini, strapped his team on his back in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. He personified leadership and determination. That’s why the Jazz selected Williams with the third overall draft pick.

Utah’s 26-56 record placed them in the cellar of the Northwest Division the year prior to Williams’ arrival. In his first year with the Jazz, Williams helped increase his new team’s win total to 41 victories. All Williams has done in three years with Utah is propel his fellow Jazz into a perennial threat to go deep into the playoffs. The sky’s the limit for Williams, whose point production and ability to spread the ball to his teammates has done nothing but rise.

Oh, and he has an Olympic gold medal. How could you be any prouder of the former Illini?

Now for Derrick Rose’s rebuttal. Rose dropped 14 points and five assists in only 24 minutes Friday night. Most of the game, he was matched up against Williams.

“I thought he played well,” Williams said of Rose. “He came out real aggressive. He came out shooting the ball well, which has been a question mark for him. I think once he works on his shot and gets his shot, he’s going to be so tough to defend.”

I’m not ready to say Rose is a top-five point guard, which Williams has quickly evolved into, but Rose looked awfully good Friday night. The Simeon Career Academy product efficiently slashed through the lane, driving toward the basket to create offense for his new team most of the night.

Rose averaged 14.9 points and 4.7 assists per game in his one year with Memphis.

It’s hard to compare the two athletes, considering Rose doesn’t have any NBA experience. But that’s not stopping Bulls’ fans from crowning him as this year’s savior. But he has a long way to go.

Both men are quickly becoming the faces of their respective franchises. Williams has adequately handled his NBA stardom thus far. The limelight in last year’s NCAA Championship game is nothing compared to the day-in and day-out attention that will be paid to Rose this season. He’ll be forced to learn how to deal with it.

Williams received a deafening welcome back to Assembly Hall, and Rose received quite a warm welcome by the torn crowd as well.

We’ll have to wait and see how both men’s careers pan out. An MVP award or NBA Championship might point the needle in a certain direction. But right now, I’m definitely going with Deron Williams. The Jazz point guard has a gold medal around his neck and Rose did choose Memphis over Illinois. Tisk, Tisk.

Ryan Dixon is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected].