Mirotic hoping to regain lost confidence
Nikola Mirotic may have hit a low point in an inconsistent season Wednesday by going scoreless against Golden State. Mirotic has had single-digit scoring totals in four of the last six games.
At the Advocate Center on Thursday, Mirotic talked about how to rebuild his confidence.
"I had that experience a lot before and the only way to get it back is to work hard," he said. "And stay positive. I need to stay positive. I need to forget what happened yesterday, what happened last week. So (Friday) is another chance in Boston. I know I need to be strong."
Mirotic has turned in plenty of good games this season. He had 24 points and 10 rebounds as recently as Jan. 9 against Atlanta.
One thing he hasn't done much of is run the court. He showed remarkable speed for a 6-foot-10 forward last year as a rookie. This season he has been quick to launch long shots or try to dribble into traffic, usually with poor results.
Mirotic set the bar high for himself by averaging 20.8 points in March last season.
"Today, I'm not scoring easy baskets. I'm not running like before," he said. "I'm not making those open 3s. I'm not doing things in the low post. But if I can do it last year in March, I can do it this year, too. It's a little bit confidence, a little bit more working out, and I think it will come soon."
Run and rest for Rose:
Derrick Rose checked in and out of the game frequently Wednesday against Golden State. Rose admitted he lacks some conditioning after missing a few days with a sore knee last week.
But the numerous substitutions also are part of coach Fred Hoiberg's plan to encourage Rose to play at a fast pace.
"I talked to him about, 'Derrick, you need to play shorter stretches, get the pace where we need it,' " Hoiberg said Thursday. "We'll take you out, get you back in there. I think he was 5-for-6, with six minutes left in the first quarter (against the Warriors) and he asked for a break. He needed to be taken out.
"So we got him back in there at the quarter (break) and he got back where he left off that first stint. So if he has to do that, play those stretches as hard as he can, get him out for a couple minutes, get him back in there - that's what we need."
Rose played well in Wednesday's loss, hitting 12 of 22 shots for 29 points.
Bull horns:
Former Bulls center and head coach Bill Cartwright stopped by the Advocate Center on Thursday and seemed to be getting a tour of the new facility from general manager Gar Forman. … Coming off an 0-for-8 shooting performance against Golden State, Pau Gasol stayed on the court after Thursday's practice to play 1-on-1 against Cameron Bairstow and rookie Cristiano Felicio. … Kirk Hinrich (left-quad contusion) was not expected to make the trip to Boston and Cleveland.