Chicago Bulls Blog

A Rose by any other Name would Smell as Sweet

I was afraid this would happen. Derrick Rose is beginning to make me feel like writing a sonnet.

How do I love thee? Derrick.

I love you when you aren't supposed to be able to shoot, but you pull up for consecutive three pointers after the Indiana Pacers pulled within one point late in the third quarter. You score a dozen points in the quarter on the way to a game high 23 as the Bulls win 104-91.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height and, geez, the kid is, what, 6-3, 6-3, and in the fourth quarter after the Pacers shaved an eight-point deficit to 85-83 with Rose on the bench, Rose came back in and—Boom!—the Bulls too off.

Rose drives and is fouled, making two as the Bulls hit 25 of 27 from the line, then Andres Nocioni, with 20 points and 11 rebounds and nine of 13 shooting, finds his spot and hits a three for a 94-86 Bulls lead with six minutes left.

"It is really easy for me," Nocioni says later. "He has great ability to attack the basket. Teams double him, so I need to work to my space and find a spot to shoot. I know my man will go after him when he drives to the basket. I know I need to pop out and shoot."

Then it's Larry Hughes, with 12 points and playing the entire fourth quarter and doing a good job on Danny Granger in a small Bulls lineup late, leaking out as Granger shoots, Rose rebounding and throwing full court for a Hughes layup, and then another Granger jumper and this time Rose having picked him up on a switch leaking out and taking a full court pass from Ben Gordon for the layup.

I love thee freely... I love thee purely... I love thee with a passion…

What! That's been used? Who's this Barrett Browning? Who'd he play for? She?

Yes, I think we're going to be composing poetry about this wonderful point guard the way Rose is going after still another brilliant performance Saturday in the Bulls win to go to 5-5. Rose had 23 points, eight assists, four rebounds, three steals, a block and only one turnover in almost 41 minutes.

I think I saw him delivering popcorn and sodas courtside and doing a flip in the Benny the Bull outfit, also.

"The minutes? No, no, no, I never imagined anything like this," said Rose, averaging a team high 38.6. "Things happen. Kirk (Hinrich) is out. I've got to suck it up. I'm not used to scoring like that. I'm looking for my teammates. Coach tells me to score. I continue to be aggressive. I'd be a fool not to shoot. If I don't shoot, my teammates will yell at me or tell the coach to get me out of the game. I'm just taking what they give me now. They can criticize me about whatever, but I know I can shoot."

"An All-Star in the making," marveled Pacers coach Jim O'Brien. "He is a rookie who is going to blossom sooner than many think. He's knocking down threes already."

Forget the comparisons. There are no other Jordans in the pipeline, but Rose now had scored double figures in every game this season, the first Bulls rookie to do so since Jordan in 1984.

OK, you want comparisons.

Rose is now averaging 18.9 points, 5.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds.

Here are the only players in NBA history, according to Elias Sports, to average at least 18, 5 and 5 in their rookie seasons.

Player	Year	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Oscar Robertson	1960	30.5	10.1	9.7
Michael Jordan	1984	28.2	6.5	5.9
LeBron James	2003	20.9	5.5	5.9
Grant Hill	1994	19.9	6.4	5.0
Alvan Adams	1975	19.0	9.1	5.6
Derrick Rose	2008	18.9	5.0	5.6
Steve Francis	1999	18.0	5.3	6.6
Magic Johnson	1979	18.0	7.7	7.3

Not bad company. Not bad at all. Remarkable, really.

"He's still very young," said Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, who eschews heaping too much individual praise on one player. "But Derrick has a calmness about him. He has the right demeanor. He just keeps coming at you. And he works. He's one of those guys who figures it out. You have to throw him out of the gym."

Rose helped run the Pacers out of the United Center on a night when the Bulls were handled on the boards by the bigger Pacers, who out-rebounded them 59-48 and had eight more inside points, many on second opportunities with 17 offensive rebounds. Though he got 10 rebounds, seven after halftime, it's clear Drew Gooden is still bothered by his ankle injury. Gooden conceded he doesn't have the explosion yet he had earlier in the season when he fought valiantly against Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire.

Joakim Noah started and had eight rebounds and a block. He was active and impressive early in the game, knocking balls loose, picking up a pair of steals, and keeping balls alive. But he faded after halftime and played just six minutes in the second half.

The Bulls didn't shoot well, just 39.8 percent as Luol Deng and Ben Gordon combined for 10 and 35 shooting, and it's remarkable to win a game when that happens.

But the Bulls defended the Pacers aggressively and kept Indiana curiously shooting mostly on the perimeter with their high scorer Granger four of 15 and kept on the outside by Deng and Hughes.

"Luol played him tough and Larry was right on him," said Del Negro. "Danny was a big part of our game plan. We wanted to control him. We did a nice job with our transition defense (finally)."

That last emphasis was mine, though Del Negro is leaning more and more on smaller lineups for quickness with the Bulls inside players wildly inconsistent. Tyrus Thomas drew a quick hook after trailing on a fast break and pulling up for a jumper and played just six minutes.

It also was clear as the fourth quarter dawned with Gordon handling the ball, the Bulls suffered. Lindsey Hunter finally got in the game with a minute left, but it's obvious Del Negro has come to rely on Rose as they do in Phoenix with Steve Nash, in New Orleans with Chris Paul and in Cleveland with LeBron James.

"We tend to pound the ball too much (when Rose is out)," agreed Del Negro. Derrick helps us move the ball and I don't like Ben Gordon handling the ball too much. When Derrick gets penetration he can find Ben."

Rose is now a credible 36 percent shooting threes, and says the players' daily shooting games help.

"We have them every day," said Rose. "Today I lost, but we'll win next time."

"We let you win last week," joked Gordon from two cubicles away.

You get the feeling you don't have to give Derrick Rose much. He's taking the NBA by storm after just a few weeks.

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or their Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors.

Bulletin just in: Rose is good... really good!

Audio recap from tonight's game against Indiana:

It's ten straight double figure scoring games and counting for star Derrick Rose as Rose led the Bulls past the Pacers Saturday night at the United Center.

No, it wasn't a must win situation for the Bulls but with a seven game road trip staring them in the face beginning Tuesday in LA, a .500 mark is a lot better than two games under .500.

Before the game USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo sang the praises of Rose.  It would be sweet to see Rose on the Olympic team in 2012 and four years later wear the red, white and blue at the United Center if (hope) the Olympics come to Chicago.

NBA news and notes:

Anthony Morrow... Anthony Morrow...  Anthony Morrow.  A 6-5 guard out of Georgia Tech, Morrow playing for the Warriors scored 37 points giving him the highest point total by an un-drafted rookie in the common draft era in the NBA.  Golden State beat BD and the Clippers. Got to love the NBA. Stories like this NEVER get old. NEVER!

Too much Pierce and Allen as the Celtics beat the Bucks in OT in Milwaukee.  The two teams combined for 62 fouls and 9 techs. The game lasted five hours... OK I'm kidding about the length of the game. Just making sure you're still reading my blog.

I'm here to announce Chris Paul is just like one of us... he's human! 2-10 from the floor tonight as the Hornets fell to the Rockets.

Greg Oden with a 13 point, 8 rebound, 3 block performance as Portland won on the road against the 1-7 T-Wolves. Is the clock running on Randy Wittman's employment?

Ho hum... LeBron with 38 as the Cavs beat the Jazz. Cleveland has won seven straight.

If you read my Saturday blog you know I am a big time Thaddeus Young fan. The kid is taking no prisoners.  He scored  23 points as the 76ers ripped the 1-9 Thunder. OKC is 0-5 on the road.

After winning their first six games the Hawks have now lost three straight including a back-to-back with the Nets.  Devin Harris is off the charts. He pumped in 33 points.

Check back on Sunday for more up-to-date NBA news.

Thanks for reading. Always a pleasure!

Can Larry create another legend?

Saturday will be a tough night for me because I admit it: I root for Larry Bird.

 

It's an important game for the Bulls because it's a chance to get to 5-5 before leaving for two weeks and eight of the next nine games on the road through Dec. 5. There's one home game, against the 76ers Dec. 2. The Bulls can leave for the West at .500 or better for the third time since Michael Jordan retired. The Bulls were 3-2 going west in 2005-06 and then were 3-3 in 2006-07 before going 1-6 and finishing with a win in New York in the infamous Ben Wallace "I'm-wearing-my-headband-take-that-Scott Skiles game."

 

The Pacers are coming off an historic meltdown, blowing a 26-point lead to lose at home to the 76ers Friday. The Pacers have been something of a surprise this season because I thought they'd be awful—I guess a surprise to me. T.J. Ford has been terrific and Danny Granger has become an impressive scorer with all games of at least 20 before Friday. He's played some power forward, and he hasn't scored as well from there as from small forward.

 

There is an interesting lineup decision for the Bulls, who were very good against the Mavs Thursday using a small lineup of Rose, Gordon, Thomas, Gooden and Deng. The Pacers start hulking Rasho Nesterovic, which would suggest using Aaron Gray. But my abiding philosophy is if Rasho Nesterovic beats you, you deserve to lose and probably should forfeit the season.

 

The Pacers were dominating Friday when the 76ers tried to match them big. When the 76ers went small, which is when they had success last season and why they've struggled some this season trying to work Elton Brand in and clogging the middle, they took over the game against the Pacers. I'd stay that way and go fast against a relatively unathletic Pacers team.

 

It's a team that's undergone one of the most dramatic turnovers in the NBA, breaking up a 60-plus win team with Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley from the horrors of the brawl in Detroit. There have been multiple incidents with police since then as one of the most respected organizations in the NBA became anathema in its own community.

 

Donnie Walsh left for New York and Bird finally took over.

 

As Larry told me in the summer, "Now I have my chance, so let's see what I can do. Donnie had his for a lot of years. He was a great basketball man, a great man, period. I admired him and I learned a lot from him. Now I get my opportunity to do what I want to do with the team."

 

Bird hasn't known much failure, and, really, he had to defer to Walsh. To regain the faith and confidence of the community, the Pacers had to dump players like David Harrison, Shawne Williams, Artest, O'Neal and Jackson for relatively little. They banished Tinsley. Can Bird rebuild it? He says he will.

 

As I said, I root for him. Despite his superstar status, he's one of the most humble unaffected people I've ever met.

 

Here's my favorite NBA story:

 

This is almost 25 years ago when I was relatively new to the NBA. I contacted the Celtics about setting up an interview with Bird when he was in Chicago. I was told it was all set, and, of course, no one told Bird. I arrived at the Deerfield Multiplex where the Bulls used to practice and waited for the Celtics to finish and walked up to Bird, who didn't know me and explained about the interview. Bird said he knew nothing about it and the team bus was leaving. He said he always came to the arena three or four hours in advance to shoot and to see him then. I said I'd hoped for a one-on-one and other reporters might be there. I had gotten over my shyness working in Washington, D.C. a decade before covering Congress and the White House. So I told Bird I'd drive him to the team hotel. "Sure," Bird said.

 

Even then, it was relatively unheard of, though I didn't realize it at the time.

 

I put on my tape recorder and shot questions at Bird for 30 minutes and then ran into trouble. First of all, my car then was a Toyota Celica. Not very big. Bird folded himself in without complaint. The Celtics were staying at the O'Hare Marriott and anyone who knows the O'Hare area knows it's not exactly a highway cloverleaf area. Streets cut in on diagonals. Never having stayed at hotels there, I couldn't find it. So there I am driving around and Bird is noticing I'm lost.

 

Remember, he's a star by then with championships and a reputation—I don't know how—as somewhat unapproachable.

 

He's not saying much but seeing the same things.

 

"You're lost, right?" Bird finally says.

 

"Uh, yeah," I admit, sheepish and embarrassed.

 

"Red's gonna kill me if I miss the game because of this," Bird says with a laugh to make me feel more comfortable.

 

I pull over and get directions and get to the hotel. As I pull up, Bird says, "Do you have enough? Want to come in?"

 

By then I was sweating so badly, I just stammered, "Uh, no."

 

Years later I had gotten to know Bird well and was with him many times.

 

"Larry, I've got to ask you something," I said one day. "Why did you ever take that ride from me?"

 

Bird smiled and gave a bit of a shrug.

 

"Just a Hoosier looking for a ride, I guess," he said with a hearty laugh.

 

Let me tell you, there aren't any guys in the NBA like that anymore and rarely have been.

 

I really hope Larry gets it done. If doing things the right way and treating people well counts for anything, he will.

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or their Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors.

Bulls Aim For.500- NBA Notes

Audio preview for tonight's game against Indiana:

Quick hits around the NBA:

Pacers GM Larry Bird told an Indianapolis newspaper the team is still looking to trade guard Jamaal Tinsley who was told to stay away from the team after several off the court issues. His agent apparently wants a buy out.

A 30 point 4th quarter lifted the Nuggets past the Celtics in Boston.

Caught the Blazers-Hornets game on the dish and I can't begin to tell you how impressed I am with the depth of the Blazers.  We'll see Portland on the road next Wednesday.  James Posey  with two big threes... that's why the Hornets signed him to a four-year deal.  New Orleans hangs on to win.  All things considered Greg Oden was steady.

Another game, another loss for the Mavs. That's five straight and counting. Orlando wins on the road. Nice schedule for the Mavs. How about this one...  They played in Dallas  Tuesday-on the road in Chicago Thursday-back home for a game last night and at NY Sunday.  ESPN reports Stephon Marbury could end up playing in Dallas. Marbury is owed 21.9 million by the Knicks... 21.9 million. What a country, what a league!

The clock couldn't run fast enough for the Knicks  in a sluggish win over OKC.   I love the young players on the Thunder: Durant, Green and Westtbrook.  I hope P.J. makes it through the season.  The Knicks by the way are now 6-3.

The Wizards drop to 1-6 after getting blown out by Miami.

RJ with a 26 and 10 performance as the Bucks won in OT at Memphis.

Spurs edged the Rockets.

No Kirilenko, Okur or  Williams...no win for the Jazz. Raymond Felton scored  23 points and dished out 6 assists for the Bobcats.  Boozer with another monster game. He is putting up huge numbers: 26 and 15

After winning their first six games the Hawks have dropped two straight. Joe Johnson went bananas scoring 32 but Devin Harris is on the verge of becoming a prime time player. Back-to-back 30+ point games. NJ won that trade with  Dallas. Brook Lopez was solid in the post with 23 points 9 rebounds. Ryan Anderson, another rookie contributed with 15 points.

Excellent win for Michael Curry and the Pistons - a road win against the Lakers.

Shaq still has something left in the tank.   29 points 13 board and 6 assists and an OT win for the Suns over the Kings.

Toronto's Jose Calderon could miss Sunday's home game against Miami with a hamstring injury.

If you plan on attending tonight's Bulls-Pacers game stop by near section 108-109 at the United Center Brew Pub to catch our live radio show from 5-7 PM .

Thanks for your time.  Always a pleasure.

There's a reason why an NBA game is 48 minutes!

Audio recap for last night's Bulls vs. Mavs game:

It was 21-3 then 24-5, Dallas, early in the first quarter as Bill Wennington and I were looking at each other as if to say, "What is going on here?" The Bulls came out flat. The crowd was restless and the boos began early. Vinny Del Negro had seen enough. He called two quick timeouts. Then, Ben Gordon got going.

Gordon went on to have one of those "in the zone" nights. He torched the Mavs for 35 points. Luol Deng played his best game of the season on both ends of the floor and what more can you say about rookie phenom Derrick Rose?  The points, rebounds and assists are piling up but he had ZERO turnovers in 42 minutes.  Just a terrific come-from-behind 98-91 win. The Bulls showed me a lot last night in many different ways.

Up next, T.J. Ford and the Pacers Saturday night as the Bulls look to hit the .500 mark before leaving the United Center for a seven game road trip.

I spoke to Lindsey Hunter prior to the game. Hunter played for the Raptors when I was broadcasting in Toronto and he is a class act.  He will add a lot to the chemistry and makeup of the Bulls. He is a true professional.

Quick hits: The Cavs are hot taking care of their home court with a win over Denver. No, LeBron didn't hit the 40 point mark.  But Mo Williams has taken a lot of pressure off of James and he proved it by scoring 24 points..

Allen Iverson worked his magic as the Pistons beat the Warriors. Tonight the Pistons attempt to hand Kobe and the Lakers their first loss of the season.

In the "are you flat out kidding me?" department, I have to share this with you: Told Carmelo Anthony admits listening to Barry Manilow, Cleveland's LeBron James showed reporters his iPod, which included Manilow's "Copacabana," "I Am Your Child" and "Mandy." "I got all music," James said. "(But) I'll just decide to listen to Jay-Z now." -- Rocky Mountain News Barry Manilow music in LeBron James' I-Pod? Unbelievable.

I have got to check out the Jets-Pats game. Just hearing the buzz on sports talk radio it was a sensational contest.  Matt Cassel is mailing out his resume for big time employment in 2009.

The Cubs were more than generous with Kerry Wood throughout his career. It's a business. Nothing personal. Jim Hendry realizes Wood is going to get an inflated contract but it just won't happen with the Cubs. Wood is a veteran and knows how the game is played. He'll get a standing ovation the first time he returns to Wrigley Field and he should, but time waits for no man and the economy is influencing what teams are doing across the board. If you're going to spend big bucks the Cubs need to get Jake Peavy or a solid left handed bat. Hendry handled this extremely well.

Nick Swisher, we hardly knew you? One year and out.  The Yankees are hoping they're getting the Swisher of 2007. He's got a big ticket with three years left. Then again, it's the Yankees so no ticket is big, sorry-my bad!  I like Kenny Williams style. If you think you made a mistake or an error in judgment regarding a player, move him. Simple as that.

No one asked me but Brian Burke is one of the better hockey men in the business and whoever lands him will enhance its franchise big time

Nice move by the Blackhawks bringing back Denis Savard as a team ambassador.

Always a pleasure!

News and notes around the league

The Bulls leave for Boston this afternoon. Based on Tuesday's performance against the Bucks don't expect any lineup changes.

The Celtics got their rings before their victory over the Cavs. After the game Doc Rivers said the Celtics can put that behind them and now concentrate on basketball... that's great news for the rest of the NBA.  Can Boston repeat? Or were they a one and done team?

Game time 8PM on ESPN 1000 with Bill Wennington and myself.  Neil, Stacey with the TV call on Comcast.

Just read Greg Oden will be out 2-4 weeks with a right foot injury. Let's hope sooner or later he gets healthy. Can you say Bill Walton  all over again from early years with the Blazers. Of course Walton led Portland to an NBA title in '77 ..the Blazers will gladly take that  once Oden resumes playing.

Caught plenty of ball...

Congrats to Michael Curry as he guided the Pistons past the Pacers.  He was born to lead.

Props to Terry Porter as well in his debut with the Suns.

Chris Bosh was rock solid in the Raptors win at Philadelphia.

The Wizards just can't score as they lost to the Nets.

Should I be impressed with the Knicks or disappointed with the Heat.

Curry and Marbury were spectators.  Make your own comments.

Joe Johnson led the Hawks past Orlando.  JJ can play for me any day of the week.

Rudy Gay isn't bashful.....

All Carlos Boozer does is play and put up numbers night after night.

Tough  night at the office for BD and the Clipps--Lakers win it 117-79.

ESPN is reporting the Lakers and Andrew Bynum are close on a three year-42 million dollar contract.

CP3 with a typical CP3 game we've come to know and expect 21pts 11 assists in the Hornets win over GST

How about the Bucks? Second game in a back to back marching in to a revved up OKC crowd of 19-thousand plus and they beat the Thunder.

How much are the Pacers willing to pay Danny Granger?

Congrats to the Phillies but my interest level in the World Series was below zero.

That's the update for now.  Thank you for YOUR time.

Chuck Swirsky