Los Angeles  - The Chicago Bulls made Derrick Rose the first pick in the NBA Draft last June, and came up smelling like roses as the talented point guard bloomed as tops in his class.

Rose was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year, after leading the Bulls into the playoffs, the league announced on Wednesday.

"When I first came into the season my biggest thing was to get this award," Rose said. "I was telling you all that I wasn't caring about it, but when you're coming in, you really do want this award. It shows how much work you have put into it."

"There was a lot of talent out there that I had to go against," he continued. "Their seasons were good too. But I think what got me this award was playing tough, aggressive every night and playing my game."

Rose received 574 points, including 111 first-place votes from a panel of 120 sportswriters, to more than double the 246 Memphis' O. J. Mayo garnered as runner-up. New Jersey's Brook Lopez placed third with 127 points.

"I said this back in January that Derrick was hands down rookie of the year, just because I knew the type of person he was," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "The point guard position is the hardest one to master, and from day one Derrick has been like a sponge trying to learn the game.

"He's coachable, he wants to continually improve. When you have a player like that, who has the right mindset, besides all the God-gifted ability he has, the sky's the limit for Derrick."

Rose's 16.8 scoring average was second to Mayo among rookies, and his 6.3 assists led all first-year players.

The Chicago native joined Michael Jordan (1984-85) and Elton Brand (1999-200) as the only Bulls to receive the honour.

"I hope I can even scratch the surface of the way he went through to get to where he was at in the NBA," Rose said of Jordan. "It's going to take a lot of hard work."

Rose didn't let the lack of post-season experience bother him.

His 36 points last Sunday, matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for best playoff debut, and carried the Bulls to a 105-103 overtime road win over defending champion Boston in Game One of their Eastern Conference first round playoff series.

"People were saying the other night, this is going to be your first playoffs and it's different," Del Negro said. "Derrick's confidence as the season has gone on has gotten continually higher. I think as he becomes more comfortable in the NBA, his growth will be dramatic."

Meanwhile, Flip Saunders is back behind the bench, signing a reported four-year, 18-million dollar contract to turn around the fortunes of the lowly Washington Wizards.

Saunders has had successful stints, guiding Minnesota and Detroit to 11 playoff appearances in 13 seasons. However, he was fired by the Pistons last June, after losing the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual NBA Champion Boston Celtics.

The 54-year-old inherits the Wizards, who hampered by injures, matched the worst record in franchise history (19-63) and finished tied with the LA Clippers for the league's second-worst record. (dpa)