Derrick Rose wears cloak of humility for All-Star weekend

The swarm descended upon Derrick Rose. Microphones and recorders poked in from all angles. Cameras zoomed and focused.

Then questions rained like a monsoon.

It wasn’t like this at last year’s NBA All-Star game in Dallas. There were only 15 to 20 media types who talked to him then during the typical All-Star media session.

“Now,” he said Friday as the hoard at hand for the All-Star game Sunday night all but enveloped him, “it’s crazy.”

Three times he was asked about being the NBA’s leading MVP candidate, and three times Rose lowered his head and uttered, softly, “I wish I was.”

He added he owed everything to his teammates, who “cover up all my mistakes.”

Reverse psychology? Blissful ignorance? Does he somehow miss the growing “MVP” chants?

Or, perhaps, Rose truly believes he’s lower-shelf material, that a player by any other name is just as good.

But, if so, he’s alone in that category.

“He’s a different monster this year,” said fellow All-Star, Jazz point guard Deron Williams.

Rose played frightfully well in his last game before the break, torching the Spurs, the team with the NBA’s best record, for a career-high 42 points Thursday on national television.

And as the Bulls’ third-year guard headed to Los Angeles, carrying averages of 24.9 points and 8.2 assists, the Bulls had 38 victories after earning 41 all of last season. What’s his highlight so far this season?

“This season,” he said. “It has been great. I’m back on a winning team.”

Rose seems disinterested with the spotlight, even when it’s on others.

“I never really watched a whole (All-Star game) live,” he said, adding he would play outside and catch highlights later.

Mention comparisons with other elite point guards from Chicago, such as Isiah Thomas or Maurice Cheeks, who was announced Friday as finalist for the 2011 class of the Basketball Hall of Fame, and watch as Rose blushes.

He does the same when reminded he’s the first Bulls player to start in an All-Star game since Michael Jordan in 1998.

Rose said he looks up to the other elite point guards, but Hornets All-Star Chris Paul said Rose is on as high a level as anyone.

“He’s right up there, right up there with the best of them,” Paul said. “To see his transformation from last year and the year before that, he’s unbelievable. He’s having an outstanding year.”

Rose doesn’t seem to notice or care, at least when quizzed about it publicly.

“That’s part of who he is, a humble guy, as he should be,” Paul said. “But everything he’s doing in the league doesn’t go unnoticed. Guys know how he’s playing and he’s playing at a real high level.”

Rose talked about how not that long ago he could walk around in relative anonymity.

“Now, I can’t do anything,” Rose said. “I can get on an elevator and someone will tweet that I’m on an elevator. It’s crazy.”

How does he deal with it?

“I just try to stay positive and stay on the right track,” he said, “and don’t take these things for granted because there are going to be days when people (are not) going to care who I am anymore.”

Challenge game: Taj Gibson was the only Bull to play in Friday night’s rookie-sophomore game, a 40-minute version of can-you-top-this H-O-R-S-E. Gibson peaked early by beating Clippers sensation Blake Griffin on the opening tip. After that he seemed content to run up and down the court watching as pass after pass floated above the rim waiting to be slammed through the hoop.

The former USC power forward, playing before a largely papered Los Angeles crowd, finished with eight points on four of seven shooting, including one miss of a 3-pointer. He grabbed two rebounds with no assists. His eight points was tied for the low on the nine-player sophomore team, along with the Bucks’ Brandon Jennings. His 18 minutes was also low on the team. The rookies won the defenseless game 148-140.

The Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins was the high scorer for the freshman with 33 points. James Harden scored 30 points to lead the sophomore team.

Tribune newspapers reporter John Cherwa contributed.

bholmes@tribune.com