Quick adjustments, extra scorer making games easy for Rose
The Bulls are on pace to have two 20-point scorers this season for the first time since 1996-97, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did it.
Asked the advantages of having another reliable scorer (Carlos Boozer) on the floor, Derrick Rose offered an interesting insight into the team in general.
“If anything, it makes everything a little bit easier,” Rose said. “I remember last year, we used to go into games where we'd say, ‘How are we going to win this game?' Or be like, ‘Man, what are we going to do?'
“Now we're going into games where we know what to do. If we're messing up in a certain area, we can hurry up and change it right when we're playing. We don't have to look at film tomorrow or say, ‘That's why we lost.' We can change it right there. That's been the difference between this year and last year.”
Rose still running third:
The second NBA all-star voting returns were released Thursday. Derrick Rose continues to rank third among East guards, behind Miami's Dwyane Wade and Boston's Rajon Rondo.
Wade has a big lead, but Rose trails Rondo by about 55,000 votes, so he still has a chance at being an all-star starter.
“It would be great, but just get me on the team,” Rose said. “Let me be the water boy or something like that, I'll be good. Towel boy. Let me run the clock or something, I'll be good.”
As it stands now, the East all-star starters would be Wade, Rondo, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard.
The West voting leaders are Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Yao Ming, who is out for the year with a foot injury. The Lakers' Andrew Bynum is second at center, while Pau Gasol is right behind Anthony in the forward voting.
Bulls do tennis training:
Bulls big men often practice catching tennis balls shot at them from a machine at the Berto Center. Taj Gibson gave it a try Thursday and Omer Asik has done it often.
Asked if that's his innovation, coach Tom Thibodeau only chuckled.
“Takes care of the bobbles, I guess,” he said.
Bull horns:
Bulls forward Carlos Boozer missed practice Thursday because of personal reasons. He will play against New Jersey. ... Nets shooting guard Anthony Morrow has missed the last seven games with a hamstring injury, while ex-Lakers guard Jordan Farmar is expected to be out Friday because of a knee injury. … Kyle Korver is hosting a coat drive at Saturday's game against Cleveland. Coats can be dropped off at the doors of the United Center.