Bulls get first preseason win
The first NBA matchup between dynamic point guards Derrick Rose and John Wall had the chance to be a preseason spectacle.
Friday's contest wasn't a dud, but the entertainment value figures to increase when these two No. 1 draft picks meet in the future. Rose scored 18 points and Wall had 11 as the Bulls collected a 107-96 victory over the Washington Wizards at the United Center.
After a rough first half (3-for-10 shooting), Rose seemed ready to make a statement. He scored 8 points in the first 1:22 after halftime and produced 12 points in the third quarter overall.
“When you're on the court, you want to see where a player is, Rose said. “But that's just the way I am. I'm always going to attack, make sure people are on their heels. That's just my game.
John Calipari coached both players Rose at Memphis, Wall at Kentucky and sat courtside beneath the south basket, alongside Indiana coach Tom Crean.
Wall's legendary speed could be seen a couple of times Friday, but predictions that Wall is more athletic than Rose seemed off base on this night, anyway. A better test should occur Nov. 13, when the Wizards return early in the regular season.
Ex-Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich has a unique perspective on the matchup. After two years of mentoring Rose in Chicago, he's doing the same thing with Wall.
“They're both special type of athletes, Hinrich said before the game. “Obviously, they're different type of personalities and things like that. But it's still so early, it's hard to tell. Everybody asks me, ‘Compare the two, compare the two.' But it's so early right now.
Thanks to Rose's third-quarter flurry, the Bulls (1-2) had this game well in hand for most of the second half. The Wizards (2-1) cut into a 22-point deficit late in the contest.
The Bulls shot 52.7 percent from the field, knocked down 8 of 14 shots from 3-point range and built a 48-32 rebound advantage. The only obvious negative was 24 turnovers.
“I think we're moving in the right direction, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We're still not a 48-minute team and we're striving for that. But the rebounding was much better and the ball movement was terrific. I thought we were making the extra pass all night long.
Shooting guard Kyle Korver added 17 points for the Bulls and now has knocked down 17 of 32 shots in the preseason. Joakim Noah (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Omer Asik (9 points, 10 rebounds) looked good playing together.
“People are open, Rose said of the ball movement. “The offense that we're running, everybody's going to touch the ball. If you're not, you're going to hear Thibs. He's going to be yelling at you to swing the ball. It's an offense where there's a lot of motion.
Hinrich returns: Not surprisingly, Kirk Hinrich was given a resounding ovation from the middling preseason crowd during introductions.The Bulls sent Hinrich to Washington with first-round pick Kevin Seraphin in a draft-night deal designed to free up more salary-cap room.#8220;I was a little bit shocked (by the trade). I don't know why, but for whatever reason, it caught me off guard, he said. #8220;Initially, you have mixed emotions and things like that. I was able to get over them fairly easily and realize I had an opportunity in front of me to have a fresh start out in Washington and it's been really good so far.Hinrich started at small forward in Washington's three-guard offense, which meant he guarded longtime Bulls teammate Luol Deng at the start of the contest. Hinrich finished with 4 points and 2 assists in 28 minutes.#8220;I was a little bit shocked when he (coach Flip Saunders) said that's the way we're going to start, but I'm just happy to be out there, he added.Hinrich plans to continue living in the Chicago area during the off-season.