Chicago Bulls Blog – Page 36 – NBA Blog

Tom Thibodeau thinks Derrick Rose is a stronger leader now

The Bulls and NBA are better with Derrick Rose healthy, active, leaping over defenders and dunking on people’s heads. But coming back from major injury always produces questions. Well, here are some possible answers, via Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.

Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau believes after sitting out almost a year and a half, Derrick Rose is a better all-around player than he was before he injured his knee.

Thibodeau can see Rose has taken the next step in his development on and off the court.

“I think he’s gotten much stronger as a leader,” Thibodeau said before Rose scored 26 points in a preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. “And I’ve never worried about Derrick in terms of himself … but I think in setting the tone for the team, not tolerating others not doing their job. I think that’s probably his biggest growth.”

Derrick Rose shooting great from 3-point range in NBA preseason

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is back. And while he does look rusty for stretches, his athletic ability appears as good as could be hoped, and even more interestingly, his outside shooting in preseason has opened eyes. Here’s K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:

As far as coach Tom Thibodeau is concerned, there’s no secret why Derrick Rose is suddenly a candidate for the 3-point shootout at All-Star weekend.

And if that possibility sounds ridiculous, well, so are Rose’s numbers, which Wednesday featured him scoring 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter of a 104-95 exhibition victory over the Thunder at Intrust Bank Arena.

On the night backcourt mate Jimmy Butler returned from injury, Rose struggled with his shot early. But he sank 4 of 8 from beyond the arc, including three in the final period. And he’s now 12-for-23 from 3-point range during the Bulls’ 7-0 preseason.

“You can’t imagine how much shooting this guy has done,” Thibodeau said. “Last year, he wasn’t playing in the games but he was shooting. He shot every day before practice, then in practice, then after practice. Then he’d go to the game and shoot some more.

Derrick Rose says the only true Bulls rival is the Heat

Derrick Rose believes the Bulls have only one main rival — and it’s the Miami Heat, not the Indiana Pacers.

Rose made his feelings known before Friday night’s preseason contest against the Pacers.

While being respectful regarding Indiana’s recent success, Rose acknowledged that he believed any rivalry with the Pacers is a thing of the past.

“People say that it’s a rivalry, but I don’t really see it,” Rose said before scoring 32 points in the team’s 103-98 win against the Pacers. “I say the team that is more like a rivalry is when Darren Collison was on the team. That one was more like a rivalry, but this team is a great team. They’ve already proven themselves last year by making it to the Eastern Conference finals.”

Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago

Bulls shut down Joakim Noah for a week

Bulls shut down Joakim Noah for at least week

Joakim Noah will be held out of basketball-related activities for a week because of lingering soreness in his groin, according to team officials. The All-Star center will be re-evaluated at that time.

Given that Noah won’t resume practicing until Oct. 25 at the earliest, the development puts Noah’s availability for the Bulls’ Oct. 29 regular-season opener in Miami in serious jeopardy.

Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Chris Duhon injured during hit-and-run

Former Bulls guard Chris Duhon was injured during a hit-and-run incident Saturday at a downtown Orlando parking garage, according to an Orlando police report.

Duhon and his brother-in-law, Julio Hernandez, were walking through the Plaza parking garage when an unidentified man driving a black Lexus honked at them to get out of the way of his vehicle. Hernandez told police Duhon and the driver shouted at each other, then the driver pointed his Lexus toward the men. Hernandez told officers he jumped out of the way, but Duhon was hit and slammed his head against the windshield. The driver of the Lexus left the scene.

Duhon was taken to an Orlando hospital for treatment and told officers he could not recall the incident.

Reported by Iliana Limon Romero of the Orlando Sentinel

Derrick Rose enjoys successful return for Bulls in preseason

Now do you believe him? Now that you’ve seen Derrick Rose challenge 7-2 Roy Hibbert at the rim, get knocked down and bounce up to shoot his free throws in Saturday’s 82-76 Bulls win over the Indiana Pacers.

Now that you’ve seen him crossover George Hill, leaving Hill reaching and the entire Pacers’ defense coming at Rose and Rose pounded at the rim. Now that you’ve seen him go full court and dunk, though two handed? Nothing fancy yet, Rose said. And now that you’ve seen him run the wing with Kirk Hinrich and finish, double pump on a drive and put in the layup and a finger roll, score 13 points in just over 20 minutes and complain to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau he didn’t want to leave the game.

Now will you believe Derrick Rose when he says he’s back? And maybe even, as incredulous as it may seem, as good or better than he was some 18 months ago before he suffered the ugliest of basketball injuries, a torn anterior cruciate ligament?

“He got mad at me,” Thibodeau said about removing Rose from the game for good with 7:07 remaining in the third quarter and the Bulls ahead 50-49. “That’s when I knew we were good. Now I know things are normal.

“Like we’ve been seeing in practice,” said Thibodeau. “Hit the floor, aggressive. That’s the way he played before the injury and he’s back playing like that. For him, that’s his game, the speed, the quickness, but the power to go along with it. That’s what makes him so special and unique. There’s no one like him.”

Reported by Sam Smith of the Bulls.com Blog

Derrick Rose finally set to return for Bulls

In the pantheon of greatly anticipated exhibition games, oxymoron that it is, Saturday’s in the Indianapolis basketball temple ranks among the most significant, a great welcome back for one of the NBA’s basketball gods.

Or at least most everyone still hopes.

“I’m just playing the same way I normally do,” Derrick Rose promised after Bulls practice Friday, displaying the sort of self assurance we were accustomed to watching in him when he’d attempt a game winning shot. “There’s no point holding back. I think we go as I go, and me being aggressive gets people open. And that’s how I’m going to play.”

But this bit of sangfroid at this time perhaps defines Rose best as the basketball world wonders just what they’ll see in Rose after the longest injury absence ever for a former league Most Valuable Player.

Rose has not played against NBA competition in a game, even an exhibition, since his catastrophic knee injury in the opening playoff game to conclude the 2011-12 season. He missed all of last season amidst doubt among some in the community of his motives and readiness. But he remained stoic and committed. And now he says he’s ready.

Reported by Sam Smith of the Bulls.com Blog

Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah held out of Bulls practice again

For a second consecutive day, both Kirk Hinrich and Joakim Noah were held out of action during an afternoon where playing time was cut short because of a slippery court.

Coach Tom Thibodeau said Wednesday that Hinrich and Noah were dealing with “general soreness” that cropped up from the first few workouts of camp, and he did not expand on that Thursday. He did sound optimistic, though.

“Yeah, they’re both better,” Thibodeau said. “We just want to make sure they’re completely healed.”

Thobodeau did not say if either would be available for the preseason opener Saturday at Indiana, and didn’t sound worried about it whether they could play.

Reported by Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago

Derrick Rose looks strong in first Chicago Bulls practice

Derrick Rose comes out attacking in first Bulls practice

After a season of breathlessness over the status of Derrick Rose’s left knee, it might be time to shift the focus to Gar Forman’s heart rate or Tom Thibodeau’s salivary glands.

The Bulls’ general manager and coach could be forgiven for being overly enthusiastic on Saturday following not only Derrick Rose’s aggressive first practice of training camp but Rose’s boldness afterward.

“I got confidence in my (surgically repaired left) knee,” Rose said. “There’s no testing anymore. It’s going out there and playing hard and attacking.”

By all accounts, that’s what the former league most valuable player did in the first session Saturday morning. Thibodeau is devoting the evening sessions on both Saturday and Sunday to film work, shooting and walk-through points of emphasis. Rose said he plans to not miss a practice.

Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Patrick Christopher, Mike James, Dahntay Jones, Kalin Lucas, Dexter Pittman and D.J. White in Bulls training camp

The Chicago Bulls announced today the signing of free agents Patrick Christopher, Mike James, Dahntay Jones, Kalin Lucas, Dexter Pittman and D.J. White to round out their 2013-14 training camp roster.

Christopher (6-5, 220) spent last season with Besiktas of the Turkish Basketball League. In 26 games, he averaged 11.0 ppg and 2.8 rpg. During the 2011-12 season, he posted 12.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 26 games with Cholet Basket of the French Basketball League.

James (6-2, 188), an 11-year NBA veteran, appeared in 45 games (23 starts) for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2012-13 season. With the Mavericks, he posted averages of 6.1 ppg, 3.1 apg and 1.6 rpg in 19.2 mpg. In 584 career games, he has averaged 10.0 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.3 rpg, 0.80 spg and 24.5 mpg.

Jones (6-6, 225), a 10-year veteran of the NBA, has previously played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks. In 589 career games, he has averaged 5.6 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 16.3 mpg. Jones split last year with Dallas and Atlanta. In 78 games, he recorded 3.4 ppg and 1.3 rpg in 13.0 mpg.

Lucas (6-1, 195) spent last season with Banvit of the Turkish Basketball League. In 39 games, he averaged 9.0 ppg, 2.5 apg and 1.5 spg. During the 2011-12 campaign, he appeared in 11 games with Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League and averaged 8.0 ppg and 2.5 apg.

Pittman (6-11, 285) split last year with the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies. In four games with the Heat last season, he averaged 1.5 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 3.0 mpg. While with the Grizzlies, he averaged 0.7 rpg and 2.9 mpg in seven games.

White (6-9, 250) split the 2012-13 season with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association and the Boston Celtics. He appeared in 29 games for the Sharks and averaged 21.6 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 1.30 bpg in 33.0 mpg. While with the Celtics, he averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.1 rpg in 7.2 mpg in 12 games.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 18.