Rose getting ever closer to being back for Bulls
Instead of worrying about Derrick Rose's performance at the FIBA World Cup, Bulls fans should be happy the Chicago-centric Team USA staff has gift-wrapped a chance for Rose to ease back into basketball.
Heading into Tuesday's quarterfinal against Slovenia, Rose was shooting just 21.6 percent from the field while going 1-for-11 from 3-point land. He averaged 4.5 points and 2.7 assists through six games.
Slovenia was a step in the right direction. Rose scored 12 points, added 5 assists and hit 6 of 10 shots from the field as the U.S. pulled away in the second half for a 119-76 victory in Barcelona.
Next up for Team USA is a semifinal matchup with Lithuania on Thursday.
There are several reasonable explanations for Rose's slow start in Spain. The most obvious is he's rusty after missing all but 10 games during the past two NBA seasons.
Also, he's coming off the bench for a team that has barely needed to work up a sweat to win its first seven games. Sometimes, things are still competitive when Rose replaces Kyrie Irving midway through the first quarter. But at least half of Rose's minutes have been pure garbage time.
There has been no reason for Rose to assert himself offensively. He's surrounded on the court by all-stars, and it's only natural for a point guard to focus on ball distribution first.
When he plays for the Bulls and is expected to carry the load, it should be a different story. Shooting the ball every once in awhile isn't good for any player's rhythm.
Rose talked about being more aggressive against Slovenia, and he delivered on that promise. He checked in midway through the first quarter and quickly scored 4 points.
Once, he drove to the basket, missed a shot against a Slovenian big man, but followed in his own miss. About a minute later, Rose pushed the ball upcourt and scored on a driving lay-in.
In the second quarter, he finished a contested drive. This time he was heading left, which seems to be Rose's preferred direction. The earlier miss was from the right side.
In the second half Rose got into the open court, made some nice passes and added to his scoring total. By the end of this game, all signs of progress seemed positive.
As long as he stays healthy through the final two games, this experience should help Rose. It wraps up about two weeks before the start of Bulls training camp.
In theory, his state of readiness should be well ahead of where it was in 2013, when he got off to a relatively slow start in the regular season (before suffering his second knee injury).
Thank-you cards may be in order for USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski - both Chicago natives - for letting Rose ease into action at the World Cup. They could have easily kept Portland's Damien Lillard instead.
"I think this has been great for him to be out here playing and really being involved in the game," Colangelo said Monday. According to bulls.com. "This is the kind of stuff, after all the time he's been off competitively, the doctor ordered.
"I'm still waiting for a little bust-out for him. I was hopeful of that happening so far."
Not sure if Colangelo saw the Slovenia game as a breakout for Rose, but Team USA might need more from its guards in these next two games. Typically, Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried dominate the glass, helping cover for the USA's poor outside shooting and lack of ball movement.
Lithuania and presumably Spain in the gold-medal game will bring bigger front lines - Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka stand up for Spain. All the guards need to play well, including Rose.
mmcgraw@dailyherald.com