Rose growing stronger after sluggish start

More than two weeks have passed since Derrick Rose vowed not to cut his hair until he started attacking the rim the way he did as a rookie.

His head is a long way from being described as shaggy, but Rose seems to be accomplishing his goal of aggressive offense. In the last six games, he's averaged 19.8 points and 4.8 assists, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field.

His assists could be higher and turnovers lower, plus the Bulls have gone 1-5 against a tough schedule in those six games. But Rose appears to be back on the right track after missing most of preseason with an ankle injury.

"We're still under .500, so I don't think I'm cutting it for a while," Rose said, referring to his hair. "I still need to come out in the first half and assert myself quicker. I'm getting there, I'm being way more aggressive getting to the hole, getting to the line, and it's helping the team."

Rose has been scoring most of his points in the second half, which isn't necessarily bad if a point guard is getting his teammates involved early in a game. He's been able to push the ball more often in the last two contests, trying to keep defenders off-balance by changing directions on his way down the court, which has become sort of a trademark move for him.

He also finished a couple of alley-oop dunks off passes from Brad Miller in Wednesday's win over Detroit. On the first one, Rose came close to hitting his forehead on the rim, perhaps a sign that he's healthy again.

"I'm getting there, very close," he said. "My ankle isn't really hurting any more. I'm cutting well and jumping a little bit higher. That (alley-oop) felt good. I can't lie."

Rose isn't the only Bulls guard who is picking up his performance. After a very slow start, John Salmons has scored 20 or more points in three of the last four games, shooting 49 percent in the process. His season field-goal percentage, though, is still a disappointing .385.

Coach Vinny Del Negro is hoping guard Kirk Hinrich (sprained left thumb) can return Saturday against Toronto. But first, the Bulls have a return trip to Cleveland, where they pulled off a surprising 86-85 win on Nov. 5.

This weekend will mark the Bulls' first set of back-to-back games since Nov. 10-11 and next week they play four in five nights. So this isn't a good time to be short-handed.

Backup guard Jannero Pargo has been playing through a sore back and hip, while forward Tyrus Thomas (broken left arm) isn't expected back until next week at the earliest.

"We have to weather the storm with these injuries," Del Negro said. "We need to get guys more minutes off the bench and pick my spots better."

The Cavaliers have gone 9-2 since losing to the Bulls. In their last two games, they beat Dallas by 16 and Phoenix by 17.