As with virtually every event surrounding Derrick Rose, Wednesday's press conference announcing his five-year, 94-million maximum contract extension was a genuine moment.
"I don't even know how much I make right now, to tell you the truth," deadpanned Rose. "I just know I get paid, I watch my accounts, they're growing and I'm happy."
Despite that moment of levity -- another occurred when the facial expression of Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, alongside Rose at the podium, crinkled up when his point guard was asked about taking it easy during the shortened season -- the 23-year-old's remarks were mostly of the heart-warming variety.
Similar to the speech he made when he was presented with the league's MVP award last season, Rose involved his family -- his mother, Brenda, and three brothers, Reggie, Dwayne and Allan, who were all in attendance, along with teammates Luol Deng and Brian Scalabrine, and his agent, former Bulls guard B.J. Armstrong -- when thanking a laundry list of people within his support system.
"Wow," he began. "I want to thank the city of Chicago for just sticking behind me, through the good and the bad...I know this: I'm tremendously blessed and I don't take anything for granted, and I appreciate everyone.
"I think I can finally say this now," Rose continued. "Mom, we finally made it."
Some would argue that he made it before receiving the extension, the product of the "Derrick Rose rule," a provision in the new collective bargaining agreement that allows players on their rookie-scale contracts to be paid more based on reaching certain incentives, such as being named the youngest MVP in the history of the NBA.
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"I put my goals very high. It might sound crazy sometimes, when I say the things that I say or the goals that I have, but it's just for me to push myself. As a player, you never want to go out there and not give it your all, and that's what I try to do almost every night, just go hard and try to excite people," he explained. "Money, I don't think it's going to change me. If anything, it would have changed me by now, I think. Right now, with the salary that I'm getting, I'm able to get whatever I want. I don't spend that much, I'm humble, I take care of others and it has a lot to do with my mom, making sure that I'm talking to her all the time -- my brothers all the time -- and they're always talking to me, telling me to stay level-headed and just make sure that I provide for other people."
Bulls general manager Gar Forman testified to Rose's humility.
"Probably the greatest asset about Derrick Rose is his loyalty, and Derrick has been very committed to his teammates, to this organization and his hometown of Chicago," he said. "I really can't think of anyone who's more deserving of this than Derrick Rose...we are so proud of everything that he's accomplished and we're just thrilled that we'll be able to watch Derrick play in a Chicago Bulls uniform for many years to come, as he and his teammates continue to grow and he leads us to what eventually we hope will be our ultimate goal of bringing a NBA championship back to Chicago."
Added Thibodeau: "Well, I don't think you can measure him now; you have to wait until his career is over, but what we've seen thus far is he embodies all the characteristics that you look for in a championship player and it's a lot more than just the talent. The talent is the obvious part. Then, when you look at his will to win, his basketball I.Q., unselfishness, his humility, I think hose are the things you can build a championship-caliber team around and the way he works each and every day sets the tone for our team.
"I wish it was a 10-year contract."
Rose himself said he doesn't feel more pressure because of the contract. In fact, it appears that he's only further motivated.
"When we're practicing, I know my teammates hear me saying things like, 'Championship,' and just trying to push us, yelling it, and that's just because I really want one. I think that with the guys that we have, we really have a chance to go out there and play for it," the two-time All-Star said. "Of course, everybody's goal, if you're trying to play this game, you want to win a championship, but who's going to put forth the effort? Who's going to go into the gym every day and work, even if you're tired? All those little things add up, especially for your team."
It seems so storybook, the local product playing for his hometown team, with a real shot at bringing home a title. One precocious MVP has already eschewed the burden of doing that, while other superstars are opting to leave the teams they were drafted by for so-called greener pastures by the day. Rose, however, is steadfast in his commitment to his team. And city.
"I don't think I'll leave Chicago, unless they trade me or something," he said, again eliciting laughter from the media, team employees and well-wishers on hand. "I would want to finish my career here."
"Everybody's different. To each his own, so they handled it their own way. I don't have a say-so about it," the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft added about what stars such as Dwight Howard are experiencing. "I'm just happy that we got things done over here and I'm happy to be a Bull."
Chimed in Forman: "Most of these players of Derrick's stature that are signing contracts, in most cases, there's either a player option or an ETO (early-termination option) or something within those, and Derrick absolutely didn't want that. He wanted a full commitment with the Chicago Bulls and to stay here in Chicago, and to us, that's really special."
At the end of the press conference, Rose expressed what fans, Chicagoans and certainly the Bulls organization have felt about the first four years of his professional career.
"It's been perfect," he concluded, managing to do, as he has a knack for on the court, the right thing at the right time. "I couldn't ask for anything better."