Rose shows promise as Bulls beat Bucks

Granted, there's a long way to go and last season the Milwaukee Bucks were even worse than the Bulls.

But after the way rookie point guard Derrick Rose stepped forward so quickly in preseason and training camp, the Bulls seem to have regained some of the confidence that was wiped out by last season's dreadful 33-win campaign.

They opened the Rose era with a reasonably impressive 108-95 victory in front of the usual sellout crowd Tuesday night at the United Center. As a team , the Bulls shot 50.7 percent from the field and built a 20-1 advantage in fastbreak points.

Rose finished with 11 points, 9 assists, 3 steals and 4 turnovers in his official pro debut. He threw the ball away on his very first possession, then assisted on a Drew Gooden jumper the next trip down the floor. Rose easily could have piled up 15 assists if the Bulls knocked down a few more of the open jumpers he created.

"With the turnovers, I would have to give myself a C," Rose said. "When you're a point guard, turnovers really get to you. We got the win, though."

Rose added one more assist in the locker room when he presented Del Negro with the game ball to commemorate his first coaching win.

"It feels great to get the first win opening night," Del Negro said. "But, really, it's not about me. It's about the Chicago Bulls to me. It's about the whole organization, the fan base, the tradition. That's what I'm most concerned about is representing that in the right way."

Ben Gordon, the Bulls' leading scorer the past three seasons, answered some of his own questions by hitting 6 of 8 shots in the second half and finishing with 18 points. Gordon chose to become an unrestricted free agent next summer rather than accepting a $54 million offer over six years from the Bulls. He also played in just one of eight preseason games because of a toe injury.

Forward Luol Deng, who signed a $71 million deal over the summer, led the Bulls with 21 points, so there still is some life in the nucleus of players who made three straight playoff trips from 2005-07.

The Bulls broke open a close game late in the third quarter with Rose on the bench. Gordon finally knocked down his first field goal with 3:19 left in the third quarter to give the Bulls a 72-71 edge.

Following a pair of baskets by Deng, Gordon and Kirk Hinrich (15 points, 7 assists) buried 3-pointers to put the home team ahead 82-75 at the end of three. Gordon opened the fourth with another 3 to stretch the lead to 10, and the Bucks never mounted much of a comeback.

Del Negro continued to demonstrate his devotion to Tyrus Thomas, leaving the third-year forward on the floor for 41 minutes. Thomas played like a polished veteran, stayed out of foul trouble and finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals.

"He's talented," Del Negro said. "He's just got to keep on working and find his niche, understand the offense a little bit better. Like I said before, he had a great summer, had a great preseason just in terms of his work ethic and his approach to things. He was solid."

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