Rose, Gooden lead Bulls past Grizzlies
The Bulls went all out to surround first-year coach Vinny Del Negro with a pair of veterans aides in Del Harris and Bernie Bickerstaff. Now someone needs to find this team a coach who can help with shooting accuracy.
A day after shooting less than 30 percent from the field in a loss to Boston, the Bulls' front line of Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas and Drew Gooden managed to go 1-for-13 in the first half against Memphis. In three games, Ben Gordon has missed all 11 of his shots before halftime.
The final tally Saturday was a very below-average 38.1-percent shooting, but the Bulls managed to pull away late to beat the Grizzlies 96-86 at the United Center.
The Bulls (2-1) managed to find a nice alternative to knocking down shots: Letting rookie Derrick Rose do whatever's necessary to pull out a win. Rose bailed out the lackluster offense by scoring a season-high 26 points, hitting 11 of 20 shots.
"Before the game, (Del Negro) told me he doesn't care if I shoot 100 shots, just shoot the ball and try to get your teammates open and we'll have a good chance to win the game," Rose said. "As long as I'm aggressive, I get people open or I tend to score. All I worry about is winning."
Kirk Hinrich was hot from long range, burying 5 of 7 3-pointers to score 18 points. Gooden pulled in 20 rebounds, 1 short of his career-high.
Thomas missed all 5 of his shots, which means he went 2-for-22 from the field in two games this weekend. But the third-year forward did equal a career high with 5 blocks.
Another cure for poor shooting is getting fouled. The Bulls went 24-for-30 at the foul line Saturday, the third straight time they've attempted at least 30 free throws.
"I thought we were a little bit more aggressive in the second half," Del Negro said. "We cannot get into a consistent rhythm. We will get a flow going and then stop moving the ball and get stagnant offensively."
The Grizzlies (1-2) start three rookies, but have been very competitive so far this season. Third-year forward Rudy Gay scored 20 points Saturday, while rookie shooting guard O.J. Mayo added 16.
This was the first meeting of high-profile NBA rookies this season, but Rose has no interest in following the progress of his fellow first-year players.
"I could care less what they're doing," he said. "I'm just trying to win and focus on the Bulls."
The Bulls never trailed in the fourth quarter, but their lead was a precarious 83-80 with 6:54 remaining before a 7-0 run finally brought some breathing room. The streak began with a Rose dunk off a pass from Gordon, then Rose found Gooden for a corner jumper.
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