Injured Rose chooses faith over face mask
Derrick Rose's absence from Wednesday's game came as a surprise. There was no mention of right hamstring tendinitis when Rose spoke after the morning shootaround or during coach Fred Hoiberg's pregame talk.
The Bulls sent out a release about an hour before tipoff with the news Rose wouldn't play. Before this, he'd missed two games this season with a left ankle sprain.
At shootaround, Rose was asked about how his field-goal percentage has improved since he stopped wearing a protective face mask on Dec. 10.
"I love the mask, but I just felt like with the mask I got too much faith to be hiding behind something," Rose told reporters. "So I just took it off and if I was to get hit again, of course I wouldn't want to, but if I was to get hit again it's out of my hands. It's not in my control anymore so I just took it off and put it in God's hands.
"But as far as playing with it off I really can't tell a difference. The game's still been the same. It's just that I'm getting my legs under me a little bit more."
Since December 10, Rose is shooting 43.4 percent while averaging 15.7 points. With the mask, he shot 35.9 points and averaged 13.6 points. Rose suffered an orbital bone fracture below his left eye on the first day of training camp.
"When I had it on, I felt all right about having it on," Rose said. "I didn't complain about having it on or putting it back on. I really don't read into that. All I know is, it was all right when I had it."
Vogel compares Roses:
Indiana coach Frank Vogel was relatively new on the job when his Pacers faced the Bulls in the first round of the 2011 playoffs.
Before Wednesday's game, he was asked if there was a difference in how his team prepares for Derrick Rose now, compared to his MVP year.
"We still have to prepare the same way because he shows it in flashes, you know, the way he played a couple years ago," Vogel said. "And I think this team, in fairness to Derrick, this team has more balance than those teams back then. It was really everything was built around him.
"You didn't have Jimmy Butler out there, didn't have Pau Gasol inside, and some of these other weapons that they have. He's playing more of a team approach type of game. Not that he was playing selfishly back then, but the opportunities are less now because of the talent around him. We still have to prepare for Derrick Rose to go for 30 every night. He still has that ability."
Bull horns:
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said rookie forward Cristiano Felicio would be going on a D-League assignment Thursday, but the coach wasn't sure which team Felicio will join. … Derrick Rose on his blurred vision problems: "Still the same, but I think me just putting in my deposit every day, getting the most out of every day, is going to continue to pay off."