I’ll write it: Derrick Rose has improved—vastly.
He can shoot, and yes, it was a game when he was feeling confident in his shot but this has been part of an ongoing trend on the West coast trip as defenders opt to slip under the screen, Rose is punishing them with a quick jumper.
While he’s been streaky this year, many times he was unable to connect because he shoots with too low of an arc. That, as they say, is not a shooter’s touch. But on Monday, we saw a softer release with a much higher arc on the ball.
At one point with the 24-second shot clock running out, Rose stepped into a three-pointer and drained it over George Hill, who was closing on him. And despite fighting the flu, Rose was brilliant. Which is why it was all the more puzzling when Vinny DelNegro took him out in the second when every ball was going in.
Sure, you have to protect your players, but you have to know when someone has the hot hand, and Rose did. Ride them out until they can’t shoot no more.
It looked like it was going to be one of those games when Rose was about to go off for 40 points. He ended up with 27 points, six assists and a couple of rebounds. He also drained a critical shot with less than 50 seconds left in the game and then beat a double team to have a layup roll off the basket that led to a putback by Joakim Noah.
Noah, also battling plantar fasciatis, sunk the final five points for the Bulls Monday, giving them their third consecutive victory in one of the stranger road trips I can remember. First they lose to the Golden State Warriors who field a team of four or five D-Leaguers and then they follow that up with a loss to a disinterested L.A. Clippers.
Now, they've beaten three quality teams in a row, ending up just a game under .500 (21-22).
But when the shots are falling, you’re going to win some games that you probably shouldn’t. The shots were falling on Monday as Kirk Hinrich joined the party as well. Hinrich, as we’ve seen, is a critical part of the Bulls’ success since the team doesn’t shoot nor defend on the perimeter very well without him.
He hasn’t exactly played up to par so far, but the last three games he has been more than capable. And unlike John Salmons, Hinrich likes to move the ball and can shoot off curls.
But this game was about Rose who is competing for a roster spot on the Eastern All-Star team, a squad that is fielding Allen Iverson as its starter. And yes, you’ve heard me bitch before—and who hasn’t?—about a voting system that should charge voters for every vote (forward the donations to a charity) if they still want a say in who starts in the game. But Derrick Rose is clearly a star in this league, and we need to consider that the offense goes entirely through him. He’s the focal point and doesn’t have as many shooters (Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett) as Rajon Rondo would have at his disposal.
And if coaches appoint the surly Vince Carter as a backup in the game, then we can all do the collective head-slap. It means they don’t watch much TV because he’s been disappointing at best.
Sure, it’s always been a popularity contest, but it shouldn’t be when it comes to the backups, and the coaches should know better. Anyone who has watched Rose this year has seen a player fight off injuries to carrying an offense, to carrying a team in key situations. If you were to define a star in this league, would those descriptions fit? Doesn’t Rose epitomize what teams want in their star?
While Rose isn’t getting to the foul line like I’ve hoped, he’s realizing how to attack defenses and still involve his teammates. Not an easy chore.
Why would Rose making the all-star team matter in the big picture, you ask? To me, it’s easier to make the first round of the playoffs in the NBA then find legitimate front-line talent that you can trust and build your franchise around. Free agents are going to have their choice as to which team they want to play for. Rose and Noah would be a start.
But just in case they need a reference, I submit this bit of evidence for resume purposes.
Contact Mike Mitchell at michaelkennethmitchell@gmail.comhttp://www.
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