Here we go again: Rose injures hamstring in Bulls victory
With about five minutes left in Thursday's game at Toronto, Derrick Rose delivered maybe his most impressive play of the season.
He took off down the lane, blew past Raptors forward Terrence Ross - one of the NBA's most athletic players - and soared above the rim for an uncontested lay in.
Three minutes later, Rose slipped when trying to make a cut. He stayed on the floor, walked slowly to the bench, put on his warm-up shirt, and left everyone wondering what was wrong this time.
At any rate, the Bulls used a devastating third quarter to take down Toronto 100-93 at the Air Canada Centre. It was a signature road win against the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference. But, of course, the performance was overshadowed by the pain.
After the game, Rose told reporters in the Bulls locker room he had cramps in his hamstring and doesn't think the injury is serious.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose might have an MRI on Friday, then Rose suggested it may not be necessary. In any event, this season is already shaping up as a replay of the 2011-12 lockout campaign, when one nagging injury after another sent Rose in and out of the lineup. He missed four games last week with a pair of sprained ankles.
Based on replays, it appeared at first as though Rose might have tweaked his left ankle. As he accelerated into the lane, he planted his left foot to make a cut, the foot slid and his ankle buckled slightly. Rose then stumbled through a couple of awkward steps as he fell to the ground.
After retreating to the bench, Rose received no medical attention during the final minutes of the game, which supports the theory that this injury is not a big deal.
Rose had a solid game, but nothing special. He finished with 20 points, 4 assists, 5 turnovers and hit 5 of 14 shots from the field.
Pau Gasol dominated the first three quarters, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Jimmy Butler added 21 points and Mike Dunleavy scored 14. Butler's defense helped force Toronto star DeMar DeRozan into a 3-for-17 shooting night.
The Bulls (7-2) trailed by 9 late in the first half, but dominated the third quarter to the tune of 35-14. Everything the Bulls imagined for this season came to fruition during those 12 minutes, as they clamped down defensively and dominated the paint behind Gasol and Taj Gibson.
After Rose's last bucket of the night, the Bulls led by 18 points with 5:03 remaining. He left the game in the midst of a Toronto comeback. The Raptors (7-2) pulled within 5 points on a few occasions, but never got any closer.
With Rose on the bench, the Bulls got a clutch 20-foot jumper from Butler to stretch the lead to 7 with 1:31 left and they finished things off at the foul line.
Before the game, TNT analyst Charles Barkley offered strong feelings about Rose's comments Tuesday about not wanting to limp into his son's graduation or business meetings when his basketball career is over. Some took the comments as a sign that Rose, who will make $18.9 million this season, is worried more about his future health than leading the Bulls to glory.
"That was stupid," Barkley said. "Derrick Rose is a great player, he's a great kid, love his mom. That was stupid. We're so blessed. I limp around, but I go home to a big ol' mansion. There's people who work harder than Derrick Rose who go home to a shack. There are consequences to what we do for a living. We've got the best life in the world. I'm a poor black kid from Leeds, Ala., who grew up in the projects. I don't mind limping around.
"There are pros and cons to what we do for a living. Derrick Rose is making $20 million a year. He's got a couple bad knees. That's disrespectful to maids, to people who are in the army, who go out and kill people and get killed, got no arms, no legs. As much as I like Derrick Rose, that was just flat-out stupid."
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