Bulls preseason opens tonight vs. Mavericks

To help make sure he won't be overwhelmed by his first game at the United Center in a Bulls uniform, Derrick Rose arrived long before Wednesday's downtown practice began.

"I was here shooting around," Rose said, "Just remembering when I played here in high school, some of the plays, where my mother was sitting, looking up there. There are a lot of memories here. Practicing here really lets you know you made it."

Rose made a couple of United Center appearances in high school, once for an all-star game and also when his Simeon squad battled Oak Hill Academy. He expects to distribute 20-30 tickets to friends and family for his NBA preseason debut tonight against the Dallas Mavericks.

"It's going to be crazy," Rose said. "I haven't gotten any calls (from long-lost friends). I've gotten texts. People won't call me. They think I'm mean. They text me, but I haven't texted them back."

If there is one primary message first-time coach Vinny Del Negro would send to Rose, it's to push the ball and play up-tempo. Such a plan will be easily understood, since that's the way Rose has played most of his life.

"I'm here just to run the ball, beat my man and get people open," he said. "Me doing that, it makes the game easier. No matter how many points I score, no matter how many turnovers I get - it's all about winning and moving on to the next game."

Del Negro would not divulge his starting lineup, but it will be no surprise if Rose is in it, especially since Ben Gordon missed Wednesday's practice with a sore toe.

If he starts, Rose could get his first taste of NBA action matching up against veteran point guard Jason Kidd, who played 24 minutes Tuesday when Dallas opened the preseason with a 108-82 win over Washington.

"We're throwing a lot of stuff at him and he's handled it well," Del Negro said of his rookie point guard, the No. 1 pick in last June's draft. "No complaints there at all.

"The more he gets familiar with what we're trying to do and guys know where they're supposed to be when he has it, obviously things will run a lot smoother as we move forward."

Del Negro plans to look at plenty of different lineup combinations tonight. And while playing at a fast pace is an important goal, Del Negro uses a phrase often attributed to legendary UCLA coach John Wooden: "Play quick, but don't be in a hurry."

"When we have an opportunity, we want to push it," Del Negro said. "Spacing is very important, keeping the middle open is very important, getting the ball to the right people. Playing unselfish and playing hard right now and competing is obviously something I'm going to look at strong."

After tonight's contest, the Bulls will play again Friday against Indiana in Fort Wayne. They'll hold the annual open scrimmage at the United Center on Saturday at 4 p.m.