Rose's wrist sore from all that shooting
Derrick Rose walked across the gym at the Advocate Center wearing an ice bag on his right wrist. Asked what happened, Rose said it was because he has been doing a lot of shooting.
Rose probably meant he's getting plenty of shooting practice, but it also fits into his game performance.
Since coming back from the left-hamstring strain that caused him to miss four games, Rose has tossed up a higher frequency of 3-point shots.
Here's the breakdown: In the five games since he sat out the second half at Denver on Nov. 25, Rose has averaged 7.6 attempts per game from 3-point range, while shooting 29 percent.
In his first five games, before the hamstring injury, Rose averaged 4.6 long-range attempts and also shot 29 percent.
"Yeah, I'm taking a lot, but I feel like that's an easy shot, a set shot," Rose said Monday. "I've said I know I'll have a game where I'll string four or five of them, and it's just going to help my confidence.
"So I can't stop taking those shots that I normally take in practice. My teammates know that they're great shots for me. It's just that I haven't hit four or five in a game yet. I'm hitting two."
It's easy to conclude that Rose has been reluctant to drive to the basket since the hamstring injury or he's not feeling well enough. Coach Tom Thibodeau brushed off those concerns.
"I think we just have to be patient," Thibodeau said. "You can't lose sight of him being out for as along as he's been out. He's stringing some games together now, which I think is critical.
"He was great today in practice, which I think is important. I know when he practices well, he always plays well."
Other stars follow Rose:
A Derrick Rose fashion trend began to spread across the NBA on Monday. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams and others wore "I can't breathe" shirts before the Cavaliers-Nets game in Brooklyn.
Rose said Monday he's glad he hadn't heard anything from the league. Commissioner Adam Silver addressed to topic later in the day.
"I respect Derrick Rose and all of our players for voicing their personal views on important issues," Silver told yahoo.com, "but my preference would be for players to abide by our on-court attire rules."
Five games healthy:
Five games and counting. That's reason to celebrate in the Bulls' world, that Derrick Rose has made it through five full games without any injury issues.
"My confidence hasn't gone anywhere, especially with the way I've been working," Rose said. "I've put in consistent work.
"All the other things are out of my hands, out of my control. That's the only thing I can do is get my recovery on and off the court.
"When I'm at home, making sure I'm taking care of my body, hydrating my body, eating well, making sure I'm stretching so that whenever I get on the floor I'm prepared to perform."