“It was fun to see him,” Chicago Bulls Head Coach Fred Hoiberg said of Derrick Rose and his play versus Memphis this past week.
“You could see the explosiveness. He was getting into the paint, he was finishing, had a couple of others he would love to have finished and I’m sure he’ll finish later. But he set the tone for our team with his aggressive drives to the basket.”
Rose followed up that effort on Wednesday by scoring a season high 34 points in 54 minutes during the four overtime loss to Detroit on Friday. He took 34 shots to reach those 34 points.
“A lot of people always have things to say about him, today he showed his value,” added Joakim Noah after Rose scored 19 points on 19 shots against the Grizzlies. So when at his best, Derrick Rose is scoring, but not with the utmost of efficiency. Many thought that Rose had really turned a corner again, and shown us another level with two solid back-to-back games.
Then he went 3-10 for 6 points for the Knicks on Saturday. That matched his 6 point output versus the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. He only had 9 versus New Orleans on Saturday night.
In other words, those who believe Derrick Rose had an out of this world couple of games are actually wrong.
Here’s video of his meeting with the media after the Memphis game:
Since the preseason, and through most of the regular season thus far (we’re past a quarter of the way in now), the narrative has been that this is Jimmy Butler’s team now. It’s no longer Rose’s team.
A couple decent games has not changed that. Even with the 19 points in 19 shots and 34 points on the 14-34 shooting in 54 minutes games, he’s still averaging 37% FG, 21% 3-PT and 13.7 ppg. The numbers speak for themselves.
So then what is D. Rose’s role?
“My game is mid range; I shoot a lot of floaters,” Derrick Rose said.
“I’m going to play my game; my game is whatever they give me. I’m going the way that I know how to play; not the way people want me to play.”
“That comes with finding our identity, figuring out situations during the game, up eight, down, the substitutions coach is making,” said Rose. “We’re all trying to figure that out and we’re able to win some games along the way.
“We have a long way to go. We’ve won some games and we’re happy we won those games, but were still have a long ways to go.”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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