Air apparent steps it up
BULLS 104, PACERS 91 | Rose first Bulls rookie since Jordan to hit double figures in first 10 games
When it comes to comparisons with Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose stops the talk as soon as he hears it.
After all, the rookie appears as humble as he is talented.
(Chris Sweda/Sun-Times)
Yet, Rose did something Saturday in a 104-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers that no Bulls rookie has done since Jordan. Rose scored 23 points, putting him in double figures in his first 10 games. Jordan did the same to start the 1984-85 season.
Rose matched Jordan's feat when he sank the first of two free throws with 4:10 left in the third quarter.
''I didn't know that,'' Rose said. ''I'm not compared to him. I'm not even near him right now. Hopefully, I will be there, but I'm too far away. It's nice, but I'm worried about winning right now.''
After that notable trip to the line, Rose sparked a 12-4 run by the Bulls and finished the third quarter, after which the Bulls led 81-73, with 12 of his points.
''He's an all-star in the making,'' Indiana coach Jim O'Brien said. ''He is going to blossom sooner than many people think. Maybe as soon as the end of this year. He's knocking down threes already.''
Rose sandwiched a steal in between two three-point jumpers. The first long-range hoop gave the Bulls the lead for good at 69-67 and the second capped his personal 8-0 run.
''They're giving it to me, I'd be a fool not to shoot it,'' Rose, who is averaging 18.9 points, said. ''My teammates tell me to shoot. If I don't, they yell at me or tell the coach to get me out of the game.''
''I don't know about a security blanket, but I feel better at times when he has the ball.''
Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said he is not surprised at the play of Rose, who also had eight assists, three steals, and only one turnover.
''There's nothing he's doing I didn't expect,'' Del Negro said. ''I've seen some other great players do it.
''Derrick has a calmness about him. He has the right demeanor. He just keeps coming at you. My job with him is, just every day, let him learn one or two things and understand the game a bit better.''
The Bulls scored 22 points off the Pacers' 20 turnovers, including 15 points in the first half, after which the Bulls led 55-47.
Andres Nocioni came off the bench and notched a double-double (20 points and 11 rebounds). Ben Gordon had 19 points.
The Bulls put the game away without Tyrus Thomas, who was benched after five non-productive first-half minutes, and Joakim Noah, who sat for good with 5:48 left in the third quarter. Noah (five points, eight rebounds, two steals and assists) did have his best game of three this week after back-to-back beatings he took at the hands of Atlanta's Al Horford and Dirk Nowitzki. Thomas came back for the final 58 seconds.
''The guys that can handle [adversity], fight through it, and have long and successful careers,'' Del Negro said. ''It's never easy. You always want to be out there.''
The Bulls leave the United Center with a 5-5 record and head west for a seven-game road trip which begins Tuesday at Los Angeles against the Lakers. With Ringling Bros. taking over the UC, the so-called circus trip has been an annual albatross for the Bulls, who went 2-7 on it last season.
''I hear it's a monster,'' Rose said of the trip. ''So this game was very important. We didn't want to go there real low.''
Luol Deng struggled from the field (17 points on 4-of-16), but made 9-of-10 free throws as the Bulls were nearly perfect from the line (25-of-27). Deng helped hold Danny Granger to 15 points, almost 10 under his average, on 4-of-15 shooting.
''Luol didn't shoot it well but gave us good activity defensively on Granger,'' Del Negro said. ''I thought Larry [Hughes] came in and was right on him.
''Overall, just a nice, solid team-effort.''