Rose believes practice makes perfect for struggling Bulls
Of course Derrick Rose is not worried about the Bulls' four-game losing streak.
He just dropped 34 points on Dallas while barely missing a shot Saturday.
Everyone else on the roster might have reason to feel a tad nervous, however.
The short-term outlook seems bleak with a home game Tuesday against Utah, followed by four tough road games in Orlando, Miami, Memphis and Dallas, and then a date with Cleveland at the United Center.
"We can't think like that," Rose said following Monday's practice at the Berto Center. "All our minds are positive here. If anything, I'm trying to get us going, making sure everyone is all right.
"I don't see anybody pulling out their hair or anything like that."
Rose suggested solid practices as the best remedy to cure a losing streak. That has been difficult lately, with Joakim Noah sidelined with a sore left foot and several players skipping practice last week.
Luol Deng was out sick Monday, but the Bulls did exhibit some spirit on the practice floor nonetheless. The workout was punctuated by several loud cheers coming from the gym.
What was that all about?
"Plays. People were getting dunked on," Rose reported. "We were just playing hard today, that was the biggest thing.
"Everybody was making the right plays, passing the ball right, throwing (alley) oops to each other, just running the offense well. That's what we need for the game."
Asked if one dunk stood out more than any other at practice, Rose gave top honors to rookie forward James Johnson.
"James had a baseline dunk. Taj (Gibson) fell," he said. "It was just fun today, to tell you the truth."
Rose suggested he might have given up a few dunks himself but tried to hide the evidence.
"I get dunked on, (but) if I can't get it, I definitely move out of the way," he said with a laugh. "James, he's a big guy, so everybody was just letting him dunk."
There has been a glaring statistical failure in each of the Bulls' 4 losses.
Dallas and Memphis shot well above 50 percent from the field. Memphis and Atlanta built enormous rebounding advantages. Indiana didn't quite get to 50 percent shooting but found the net far more often than the Bulls.
Not long ago, the Bulls led the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage. Now they're tied for fourth in the category.
"The last three or four games, I haven't been pleased with the team's field-goal percentage and just our overall rotations and our urgency defensively," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "That's how we're going to win. We're scoring enough points.
"Right now we have to hone in on the defense, and Utah is a difficult test because they're probably as efficient a team offensively as there is in the league."
Monday brought the opportunity to help acclimate the five recent additions to the roster. Veterans Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller, who did not practice last week because of minor injuries, were back on the court.
Rose, meanwhile, enjoyed his new role as the anti-Allen Iverson. In Rose's mind, practice means everything.
"It was a pretty exciting practice today," he said. "A couple people made some nice moves. The day off definitely helped us and it was all about fun."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Bulls game day</p> <p class="News">Bulls vs. Utah Jazz at the United Center, 7 p.m.</p> <p class="News"><b>TV:</b> Comcast SportsNet</p> <p class="News"><b>Radio:</b> WMVP 1000-AM</p> <p class="News"><b>Update:</b> Back when the Bulls were trounced by Utah 115-86 in Salt Lake City on Thanksgiving night, the Jazz owned a meager 8-7 record. Now Utah is 40-22 after winning 17 of 19 games from Jan. 8 to Feb. 21. More recently, the Jazz has cooled off a bit, dropping road games to Sacramento and the Clippers. Future free agent Carlos Boozer is producing 19.5 points and 11.2 rebounds. Point guard Deron Williams is also averaging a double-double with 18.4 points and 10.1 assists. The Bulls have won the last two meetings at the United Center.</p> <p class="News"><b>Next:</b> Thursday vs. Orlando Magic at Amway Arena, 7 p.m.</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=364558">Hot shooting night proving elusive for Pargo<span class="date"> [3/9/10]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>