Paxson says Rose will finish games
General manager John Paxson wants to see rookie guard Derrick Rose on the floor in the fourth quarter.
Rose proved how dangerous he can be with a game on the line Saturday against Houston. He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls overcame a 17-point deficit in the final seven minutes to beat the Rockets.
Prior to that, Rose had sat out the fourth quarter of a few games in favor of more experienced guards Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich.
During a Monday appearance on the "Monsters in the Morning" show on Comcast SportsNet, Paxson never made it sound as though Rose's playing time was a point of contention between him and coach Vinny Del Negro.
"Vinny and I, we've talked about these things," Paxson said. "It's a team game, but obviously Derrick is a big part of what we're going to be doing in the future.
"We've discussed some of the end-of-game playing-time issues. The other night when we beat Houston, Derrick was phenomenal.
"He's going to have successes, and he's going to have failures. Every player does. Even Michael (Jordan) occasionally missed a shot at the end of the game every once in awhile.
"The thing is he has to be in there to continually learn, and he will be."
Paxson also made another comment on the false rumors that he was about to resign as general manager.
"I'm always going to be loyal to the Bulls," he said. "As long as (chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) wants to keep me around, I'm always going to have some position."
Hinrich jersey hoisted: Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich spent Sunday afternoon in his college home of Lawrence, Kan., as his No. 10 jersey was hung from the rafters at Allen Fieldhouse.
His banner was placed next to those of his college teammates, Drew Gooden and Nick Collison. Collison attended Sunday's game. After highlights from his KU career were shown on the scoreboard, Hinrich walked out of the tunnel to a huge ovation and gave a short speech while standing on the court.
"It was great," he said. "I think I did pretty good. It was a great experience."
Ex-Bulls bought out: Two former Bulls are shopping for new homes after agreeing to contract buyouts late Sunday night.
Drew Gooden, who was just traded from the Bulls to Sacramento on Feb. 19, left the Kings and reportedly is headed to San Antonio.
Oklahoma City forward Joe Smith also took a buyout and may return to Cleveland, where the Bulls sent him at last year's trade deadline. The Bulls are not expected to pursue either player.