Rose, Noah are NBA leaders
Not that it means much two games into the season, but the Bulls had the league's leading scorer and rebounder through Saturday's action. Derrick Rose is averaging 33.5 points and Joakim Noah 18.0 rebounds.
Rose's scoring numbers figure to drop as the team's newcomers get more comfortable and power forward Carlos Boozer returns from a broken hand in a few weeks.
“I think he's doing what's needed right now,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Right now we need him to score more and then I think also teams will be adjusting and they'll commit two (defenders) to him more, and when there are two on him he's got to make the right plays, which he's shown he's willing to do. The responsibility of being a primary scorer is when that second defender comes, to hit the open man.”
Two other players averaging 30 points right now are Golden State guard Monta Ellis and Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant. Toronto's Reggie Evans is second on the rebounds list with 15 per game.
Pippen shares knowledge:
Bulls legend Scottie Pippen was at Sunday's light practice at the Berto Center. Maybe he showed up to congratulate second-year forward James Johnson for producing 9 rebounds, 8 points, 4 assists and 3 blocks against Detroit on Saturday.
“He's here all the time,” Johnson said of Pippen. “Nighttime, he's up in here. During the weekends, he's up in here. Just whenever he can, he comes in, gives me a little lecture on what I need to work on and (assistant coach) Adrian Griffin makes it happen.”
So what kind of advice has Johnson received from Pippen?
“I've got to be more of a slasher and get to the rim,” Johnson said. “I'm capable of doing that. I'm strong enough and fast enough and can dribble the ball. I've got to get to the rim more and get fouled more. Any kid would be happy for him to tell him anything.”
Summer means nothing:
James Johnson has already made a nice recovery from a poor performance at the Las Vegas summer league. He shot just 32 percent from the field while averaging 8.0 points. A second-year NBA player figures to do more against that level of competition.
“I feel like this is where it counts,” Johnson said. “I feel like after last year being in the playoffs and getting a little opportunity there, it just calmed me down to see what the real game is like. The regular season is slowing down a little bit and I'm getting more comfortable out there.”