Rose rests on third day of Bulls’ camp
On the third day of Bulls training camp, Derrick Rose was given a rest.
He skipped the scrimmaging Monday as part of an inaction plan as he returns from an 18-month layoff due to ACL surgery. Rose could be seen shooting around as usual after practice and chatting with Berto visitor Scottie Pippen.
“It was planned rest,” coach Tom Thibodeau said at the Berto Center. “He did some (activities) — the warm-up phase. But today was a planned rest day for him. We went shorter today. We had a teaching segment that he participated in, then the warm-up phase. But the live stuff, we were planning on giving him today off.”
Monday was a single practice after two-a-days over the weekend, so Thibodeau is already cutting down on the workload. The Bulls are planning to take Wednesday off.
“With all our players, usually the third day, this is the fifth practice, you’re dealing with heavy legs,” Thibodeau said. “Mentally, (Rose) is sharp. He did his conditioning off the floor and will be ready to go tomorrow.”
Rose insider report:With reporters not allowed to watch practice, Carlos Boozer gave an early Derrick Rose update, based on the first two days of Bulls training camp.#147;No growing pains at all,#148; Boozer said. #147;His playmaking ability has gotten leaps and bounds better. That#146;s the fun part about playing with him is he can obviously score for himself, but he makes so many plays for us. All we have to do is finish. It#146;s fun. It#146;s been fun so far.#148;Boozer agreed with some of the previous Rose self-assessment, that he#146;s gotten stronger and improved his outside shot.#147;He is stronger and his accuracy from outside has gotten a lot better, which is going to be scary,#148; Boozer said. #147;He#146;s still quick and still super-athletic. You guys will see it soon. He looks really good.#148;Miami spy potential:There was talk from the Bears that former teammate Israel Idonije might have helped tip the Detroit Lions to some of the defensive signals.Maybe that#146;s why the Bulls brought in Dexter Pittman, a 6-foot-11 center who spent time with the Miami Heat, so he can share some secrets about the two-time champs.#147;If we#146;ve got to rely on that, we#146;re in trouble,#148; coach Tom Thibodeau joked. #147;Dexter#146;s done a good job, but we#146;re not trying to trick anyone. We want to have a good understanding from how we prepare, how we concentrate, how we practice. That#146;s how we#146;ll approach it.#148;Pittman is one of several players looking to earn a roster spot during preseason. #147;He#146;s shown some signs that he#146;s capable,#148; Thibodeau said. #147;I like what he did in the fall. He#146;s a big guy that has presence in front of the rim. He brings good energy to practice. So we#146;ll see.#148;