Rose Returns With Team USA, For Chi-Town

Even the biggest Bulls fans have to admit it was a little unusual seeing the United Center packed for basketball in the middle of August.  Nevertheless, there everyone was to see Team USA take on Brazil in the first exhibition before the FIBA World Cup.  Any ticket that promises fans a chance to see some of the basketball players two countries have to offer will practically always draw great interest, but given the nature of those involved in this case, there was a little extra incentive added.

Derrick Rose has become a centerpiece for Team USA, which is exciting enough.  However, this was his first time setting foot on that famed West Side court since tearing his meniscus last November.  There was no way an empty seat would see this one and very little chance of anybody in the house turning his/her back on Rose.  Tweets from the game confirmed Rose got a big cheer during warmups and PA announcer Tommy Edwards was drowned out while introducing the former MVP.  It merely confirmed that there hasn't been a Bull this beloved by the fan base since Michael Jordan.  We know how to treat our stars right.

In the 95-78 U.S. victory, Rose scored just seven points in 24 minutes.  What little impact he had though was memorable.  There was the two-handed slam you see in the above photo and also the coast-to-coast layup off the backboard at the first-half buzzer.  Everybody who was there, including my friend Justin Zipser, will tell you that was gravy on a night that was all about Rose's return to game action in Chicago.

Sure, we could have all that talk about how his performance was minimal at best or question whether he should even be playing right now, especially in the wake of Paul George's devastating injury.  However, this was a night to forget all those negative vibes and just enjoy the native son playing basketball.  While none of us can say whether he'll be back to his old self as everyone says he is or even avoid a third serious injury, we know he's playing in real games right now and this is about as good as a rehabilitation as one can get.  We all know this is really just his tuneup for the NBA season.  Hopefully, U.S. assistant Tom Thibodeau realizes that enough to know how much his star point guard needs to be pushed right now.  To have one more dreadful Rose occurrence on his hands would be a nightmare for him.

As Team USA continues its journey to the world championship, let us continue to pray the Rose we've seen and heard about will be the one on the floor when the NBA reopens its regular schedule in late October.  They say if something seems too good to be true, it often is.  I don't know what we'd do with ourselves if this turned out to be the case.  Stay healthy, Derrick.

Guest Post: Grading the Bulls' Offseason Through the Risk-Reward Prism

In case the following doesn't sound like my usual style, it's because I've deferred this post to my Tribune co-worker Luis Medina.  He had some thoughts on the Bulls' offseason, so I allowed him the opportunity to spill them.  Be sure to follow him on Twitter @lcm1986 as he's one of the most active users I personally know, especially about baseball.

First, my thoughts and prayers go out to Paul George as he recovers from last night's devastating leg injury.  Nobody should have to go through that.  I'll take any help for the Bulls in the Central, but I would prefer that it not happen in this fashion.  And now, here's Luis:

With the rights to anyone who could’ve been used in a Kevin Love trade secured for the three weeks or so, now might be the safest time to dig into the Bulls’ offseason happenings.

 

It would be easy to give the Bulls a non-passing grade for their offseason action. They didn’t get the create-your-own shot playmaker on the wing, nor did they get an in-their-prime frontcourt presence with the ability to score on the block and at the charity stripe at crunch time.

 

What the Bulls did do is attempt to mimic the formula put forth by the San Antonio Spurs during their recent run of success.

 

I write that sentence through gritted teeth.

 

I hate the Spurs comp some have dropped on the Bulls because it seems lazy.

 

I don’t think those who freely use that comp account for the Spurs having three Hall of Fame players in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

 

I don’t think those who use that comp note the sacrifices Gregg Popovich has made as a coach whose calling card was primarily defense before evolving into a coach who does everything right from managing player minutes to offensive floor balance and game pace.

 

I don’t think those who use the Spurs comp understand that what is built in San Antonio wasn’t built in recent years, but done over time.  The Spurs went six years without a title, losing in the first round twice, conference finals twice, the conference semifinals once and the NBA Finals once. There was trial and error. There was mixing and matching. There were a lot of behind the scenes things that didn’t work in six seasons between titles.

 

And yet, those who throw out the Spurs comp don’t seem to note that it’s not an exact science.

 

So, based on their additions, what do we know about the Bulls moving forward?

 

Adding Pau Gasol should give the Bulls the kind of offensive variety it sorely lacked in the postseason, even if it isn’t in the form of a slash-and-score wing.

 

There are two grand hopes for this addition.

 

The first hope here is that having two big men with elite passing and distribution abilities can help make up for not having a second wing player who can create his own shot. The Joakim Noah point-center project worked until playoff time, when the Wizards did everything to shut it down, leaving the Bulls with insufficient secondary scoring options.

 

This is where Gasol is supposed to really pay dividends.

 

In moments when Noah as the point-center is being taken away, having Gasol on the offensive end should help keep defenses honest – especially if Gasol reverts to his pre-D’Antoni performance.

 

During his last All-Star season – 2010 – 72 percent of Gasol’s shot attempts came from 10-feet and in, but that dropped significantly in Mike D’Antoni’s offensive scheme. D’Antoni went away from Gasol’s strengths and the shot chart shows it. In his last two seasons, only 59 percent of Gasol’s attempts came from within 10 feet. Meanwhile, his attempts from 16-feet and out have nearly doubled from 15.6 percent in 2010-11 to 27 percent the last two seasons.

 

In one of the many “ifs” that could make or break the Bulls’ season, “if” Gasol can stay healthy and recapture the magic he had four years ago, the team’s offense will have improved significantly.

 

Nikola Mirotic is a wild-card for two reasons. Mirotic hasn’t played state-side, so getting acclimated to this style of play might be a challenge. The good news for Mirotic is that with the NBA adopting more of an open-floor style of game, which is reminiscent of European style ball, Mirotic could be a quick study.

 

Unfortunately, the other reason Mirotic is a wild-card is because Thibodeau hasn’t been wary of playing rookies heavy minutes. Sure, Tony Snell played more minutes than Jimmy Butler did as a rookie. But Snell saw a significant decrease in minutes after the deal that sent Luol Deng to Cleveland should have opened up some additional minutes.

 

Doug McDermott impressed everyone in the Las Vegas Summer League. His stroke looks pure and his basketball IQ is through the roof. It is up to the coaching staff to find playing time for McDermott, who admittedly isn’t a plus-defender, but is a decent enough rebounder to at least hold some kind of value on the defensive end of the floor.

 

McDermott could be a match-up problem moving forward, and that’s something that could benefit the Bulls’ second unit. It would be easy to use McDermott running off screens and curls. It would be easy to send him to a wing or corner and let him fire away after dribble-penetration causes defenses to collapse, leaving him with an open look at the bucket.

 

But McDermott, as a top scoring option for the Bulls’ second unit, has more potential than that if the coaching staff can scheme him to play against smaller guards or forwards where he can score in the post – as he did in college. The other primary option the Bulls could use McDermott in is at the high post in the same way Dallas uses Dirk Nowitzki.

 

Not to say McDermott can be Nowitzki. However, what I am saying is that McDermott showed in college the ability to knock that shot down and could probably do so against the NBA’s lesser defenders.

 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that this season hinges on Derrick Rose’s health.

 

Stop me if you’ve heard this before.

 

Rose’s role should be different in this offense from Day 1.

 

He should be asked to do less moving forward, especially as he recovers from his second knee surgery. Rose should focus on being a distributor and improving his jump shot, rather than being the guy who took over with one ISO possession after another.

 

Not to say I want to take away Rose’s aggressiveness, but the team’s No. 1 goal should be getting Rose through the year healthy. And if that means scaling back calling isolation plays for Rose, so be it.

Reporting Rose's Thorny Situation

Remember a couple days ago when I said Derrick Rose's practices for Team USA were turning the public opinion of him favorably once more?  Well, thanks to a story by Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times, much of that has been threatened.  On this first day of August, a month in which I have traditionally struggled to find something to blog about, I already have plenty of ammo.  The whole thing is filled with drama, finger-pointing and a look inside sports journalism.

Cowley's story reported there has been tension between the Bulls and Rose's camp.  Rose acknowledged this as fact, but said he was looking at a new beginning in the relationship.  However, it's hard to forget any of this happened.  Rose's brother Reggie bashed the franchise in 2013 for not constructing a better roster around the former MVP and agent B.J. Armstrong, still upset over how his relationship with the Bulls ended over a decade ago, only fanned the flames that formed around his client.  The breaking point came when Rose was not very active in the team's pursuit of Carmelo Anthony last month.  He pursued Pau Gasol more aggressively, but it didn't forgive the difference between a superstar wing player and an aging low-post man who can no longer be the alpha scorer on any team.

Jerry Reinsdorf took note of this story and was not pleased.  He went so far as to release a statement  and deny any existing tension between the sides.  Upon glancing at it, one can see he was upset at both Cowley and several sources who spoke with him:

"I am confounded by the irresponsible report in the Chicago Sun-Times suggesting there is anything approaching discord or confusion between the Bulls executive office, coaching staff, and Derrick Rose or any other Bulls player.  To the contrary, I can remember no time when the organization has been any more focused, optimistic, and cohesive.  I've got to assume suggestions otherwise are intended to undermine the goals and objectives, spirit, and reputation of the Chicago Bulls.  I am deeply disappointed that unnamed sources and totally inaccurate statements and assumptions can be used to foment nonexistent friction.  The report is totally without basis or fact.  It is pure malicious fiction."

I was at the Tribune Tower last night and got a good inside education on what happens when a rival newspaper breaks an exclusive that's big enough for the whole city to be talking about.  I won't leak exactly what went down in that newsroom because I don't want to know how much trouble I would get in if I did.  However, I will say that everyone slowly began to realize they couldn't just ignore this story, especially after Reinsdorf really wanted to make his feelings known to media outlets that aren't the Sun-Times.  Plus, it would look like the Tribune is more focused on its redesigned website, which just launched late last night.

I don't think I've talked much about it here, but my view on Cowley is not a very positive one and not because he works at the other paper in town.  He stirred the pot quite a bit when he was a columnist, seemingly filling the sensational tabloid journalist void left by Jay Mariotti.  It got to a point during the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals when I had to stop following him because he acted like he was a genius for picking the Heat in that series, continually using the #Heatles hashtag.  He even responded to one of my tweets in this manner, which only fueled the decision I eventually made.

These "exclusives" from Cowley were published frequently near the end of Ozzie Guillen's tenure as manager of the White Sox.  They were constantly filled with Guillen running his mouth and indications of an increasingly sour relationship between Guillen and then-general manager Kenny Williams, the duo who won the 2005 World Series.  They seemed to serve Cowley's own purpose as much as a reporting purpose. 

He lost his column and deleted his Twitter account after tweeting out sexist comments about female airline workers.  The Sun-Times put him on final notice and tried to prevent him from doing further damage by reassigning him to their Bulls beat.  So when you consider the source of this story, you have to admit some truth to it, but also realize who exactly has revealed all this.  That the Bulls and White Sox chairman worked so hard to refute it speaks volumes.

As for Rose himself, this story opens further discussion on who he is and what he should be doing.  I texted my friend Nick Shepkowski of 670 The Score shortly after this story broke and he fairly questioned why Rose was more interested in bringing Gasol to Chicago than Anthony.  The latter would be a far greater threat to Rose's position as the top scorer on the team with the most opportunities.  Perhaps that was a risk he wasn't willing to take, which makes us wonder how much his desire to win is.

The other thing Shep mentioned was that Rose, who will be 26 in October, is no longer a kid and needs to start thinking for himself.  For too long, folks like Armstrong and his brother have done the talking for him and unfortunately, that has been key in the lack of communication that has existed between his camp and his team since he tore his ACL to begin the 2012 playoffs.  It is this very thing that has contributed to the lowered public opinion of Rose, who has done very little to dispel that.  He's been sheltered his whole life, but that's no excuse for allowing this whole thing to spiral the way it has.  Although it's fine to let your game speak, you need to speak the old-fashioned way if you can't play.  We've seen more of that than we would have liked in the last two years.

If Rose is ever going to repair his image, it has to start by telling everyone involved that enough's enough.  Everything from here on out needs to be focused less on drama and personal agendas and more on winning basketball games.  We'll save all the talk on whether his decision to not recruit Anthony so hard will hurt the Bulls on the court for another day.

For now, it's time to focus on the task at hand, which is playing well for Team USA.  It won't really count until the NBA season begins, but at the very least, he should give us something to look forward to.  When the team comes to the United Center later this month, Rose will hopefully put on a show for the hometown fans.  They want to leave the building afterward having felt like they've just brushed their teeth, not eaten mud.