Right to the point: Rose takes big leap

But if you've been watching the World Championship from Istanbul, then you probably noticed that Derrick Rose has likely become the best point guard in the NBA.

The first sign of his growth arrived when the rest of the NBA was recruiting LeBron James. Rose chose to sit out the process, believing he was quite an NBA player himself and that he could win with or without James.

His decision not to kiss the king's ring says a lot about Rose's ownership of the Bulls and how he views his place in the NBA.

That's all good, but what's even better is that Rose has gotten bigger, stronger and maybe even more explosive since the end of the NBA season.

He's also shooting better and - sit down for this one - he's playing solid defense off the ball in Turkey and consistently picking off passes and starting the break.

He's got a good chance to lead NBA point guards in scoring next season while being in the top three in assists, which puts him ahead of Rajon Rondo.

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But with Rose taking a huge step forward, it's no longer impossible to think that in the next few years he could lead them to the big dance.

It's far from traditional these days, as it's been 20 years since an NBA team had a superstar point guard lead his club to a title, but few believed another Chicago-born guard would do it until Isiah Thomas went back-to-back in Detroit.

So an NBA Finals appearance may not happen this season or next, but to watch Rose play this summer is to think it's now possible to dream.