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See Derrick shoot, shoot Derrick shoot?

That’s been one of the questions for the Bulls in the two games on this Western Conference trip as Rose’s shooting helped the Bulls Tuesday beat the Golden State Warriors in overtime, but then Thursday in Los Angeles Rose came up short on the potential game winner in a rough seven for 26 shooting game.

It left Rose 20 for 59 the last two games and just two of two free throws in more than 85 minutes of play.

Which really is the good news that Rose has averaged almost 43 minutes per game the last two games and was set to play Friday in the second of a back to back after two overtime games.

So the question of Rose’s health? Rose got his shin hit late in Thursday’s game by Jordan Hill and left the game. But he was ready to go back in after one possession with no after effects.

Which is the best news regarding Rose.

So examining basketball deficiencies is a positive in the sense the Bulls are talking basketball again about Rose.

Asked about Rose’s shooting before Friday’s game with the Suns, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said it came down to circumstances.

“You want to look at it in totality,” said Thibodeau. “The Golden State game he was shooting a very high percentage most of the game and then he tailed off at the end (Rose was over 50 per cent through three quarters but then found teammates looking for him to make shots and seemed to tire some) . You’re scoring 113 and 118; that’s more than enough to win with. So you have to concern yourself with what are we doing defensively.

“I don’t know,” Thibodeau said about a Dunleavy return date. “It’s a bone bruise. Just has to be patient. He feels like he’s close but he can’t get over that final hump to get out there. Mike’s a good player. When you look at what he brings to our team, he’s got one of the highest plus-minus ratings on the team. He makes the team function well. Anytime you add shooting, it opens up the floor and creates space for Pau, Derrick and Jimmy to operate. But we have other guys who can step in and get the job done.

“I want Derrick to continue to be aggressive and read the game,” said Thibodeau. “Sometimes if you are forcing the defense to collapse and you are attacking, making the plays, and we’ve got to make shots. We’ve got to open the floor for him. But the important thing for him is to be aggressive and attack. The thing is he got two free throws the other night; that’s an area we can improve on.”

Rose is averaging about 3.5 free throw attempts per game compared with Jimmy Butler, the team leader, averaging about 7.5 per game. Pau Gasol is averaging about five per game. Rose clearly drives to the basket often, though he is shooting more three pointers. Rose also is averaging about 3.5 three pointers per game. There were times early in his career where Rose being so quick leaned away from contact and didn’t get foul calls. So is it a question of forcing the action more by going into the defense, like Butler often does? Or reminding the officials he is Derrick Rose?

“Part of it is again you’ve got to have the ability to make shots to open the floor for him,” said Thibodeau.

Defenses have collapsed into the lane against the Bulls, in effect, daring the Bulls to make outside shots. It hasn’t happened enough, though the Bulls are shooting 36 percent on threes and holding opponents to 34.5 percent on threes, which also suggests the defense isn’t terrible.

“If there’s a lot of people in the lane and you are trying to shoot over them, oftentimes you don’t get that call,” said Thibodeau. “But if the space is there and now there’s contact and there’s one on one you tend to get those calls. We have to shoot the ball better from the perimeter to open things up, and I think if we do that it will be better. He’s got to be aggressive in attacking the paint, he can’t settle; he has to attack.”

Thibodeau went back to Tony Snell to start Friday after starting Nikola Mirotic against the Lakers. Thibodeau said it was for matchups, but the Bulls need to get more perimeter shooting with Mike Dunleavy out.

Doug McDermott played a few seconds against the Lakers, but it didn’t sound like he was going to be playing regularly anytime soon.

“We’re going to look at everybody,” said Thibodeau when asked about McDermott. “You have to look at the matchup. He’s missed a lot of time; we’ll eventually get there.”

Dunleavy was out his 16th straight game with the ankle/bone bruise issue and it’s clear the Bulls can use his shooting and floor spacing. And everyone’s defense .

“We have to get better,” said Thibodeau. “We can’t pick and choose when we’re going to play defense. And we can’t pick and choose when we’re going to play offense. Last night’s game, they’ve had the ability to score big points all year no matter who they’ve had on the floor. When you go into a game like that, what you can’t do is ease into it and put yourself in a hole and then you’re trying to dig out the rest of the night. You have to come out from the start and play hard defensively where they don’t get their confidence early. You also have to play hard offensively where you have good timing, spacing, energy where you can execute.”