Rose shooting bad, feeling good about his game and Bulls

All things considered, this wasn't a bad look for Derrick Rose.

After Wednesday's victory over the Denver Nuggets, Rose was upbeat and positive in the locker room. Even though he had just shot 3-for-17 from the field, dropping his field-goal percentage to .343 on the season.

"I'm not worried about it. We got the win," he said with a smile.

OK, it's nice to see a team-first attitude, but shouldn't Rose be slightly concerned about his poor shooting?

He wasn't and there's a reason why. Rose got plenty of good looks against Denver. He attacked the basket, tossed up his typical assortment of running bank shots and floaters, and they didn't go in. The shots usually bounced off the rim, a little too hard or too soft.

"I know how much work I put into my game and I know once I establish that rhythm, it's going to be scary," Rose said. "All the opportunities I had at the rim or even the open shots that I had … it's all about just working out tomorrow, taking it one day at a time."

Early in the game, Rose did connect on one of his running bank shots. That's something he has done well this season, often making a difficult shot look easy. He kept trying well into a fourth quarter, but nothing fell against Denver.

"He'd been hitting that bank shot, that runner, getting at the basket," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We don't want to take away his aggressiveness. He took 2 (three-pointers) of his 17 shots tonight. So if he's getting in there in the paint, we're comfortable with Derrick shooting those shots."

Rose felt like his personal struggles mirror the Bulls' situation overall. They haven't always looked great this season, but own an 11-5 record, even while missing some players and adjusting to a new offense.

"It's kind of exciting that we're winning games and I still didn't reach my full potential yet or even scratch the surface of the player I could become," he said. "So it's cool."

Rose did have a strong floor game Wednesday, finishing with 9 assists and just 2 turnovers. Four of those assists went to center Pau Gasol, who piled up 26 points and 19 rebounds against the Nuggets.

Rose and Gasol have become a successful pick-and-roll tandem. While the Bulls are still trying to get used to Hoiberg's fast-paced offensive plan, the simple pick-and-roll has become instinctive.

"He reads the play well," Rose said of Gasol. "Like a couple of times, he flipped the screen and I was able to get to the lane. That comes off just playing and his IQ. He's very smart, he can pass the ball and he can read the play. I don't have to tell him anything. He flipped the screen a couple times and I got to the basket and got good looks."

So far, this Bulls season has been a strange mix. There have been quality victories, such as Monday against San Antonio, as well as lackluster outings against poor teams. Denver came into the United Center on a seven-game losing streak, but held a lead well into the fourth quarter.

At the same time, with plenty of home games ahead, the Bulls are firmly in the mix to be considered the NBA's second-best team after Golden State. That's why Rose could be in a happy mood after a rotten shooting night.

"We're winning games. We're 11-5," he said. "If it was the other way around and we were hanging our heads, then there would be something to really talk about. But as long as we're winning games, no matter how we win them, as long as we're up by 1 point at the end of the game, we're fine.

"You can hear the locker room right now, people talking, people enjoying themselves. We've got the day off (Thursday) , so I think guys are going to enjoy themselves."

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