Korver on Rose: He’s handling it well, but it’s a tough thing
Derrick Rose made a brief visit to the Berto Center on Monday morning, according to teammate Kyle Korver.
Rose is out for the rest of the playoffs after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Saturday’s Game 1 win over Philadelphia.
“What do you say to the guy?” Korver asked. “He’s handling it well, but it’s a tough thing. He seemed like he was doing pretty well.”
Rose won’t know a surgery date for at least a few days. After ACL injuries, it’s typical to wait for the swelling to subside before having surgery.
The Bulls seemed hopeful that Rose will be able to attend Tuesday’s Game 2, but those plans are uncertain.
“You want him to be around,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. “I don’t think he’ll be able to travel with us, but he’ll be around and he wants to be around. As soon as he’ll be here, he’ll be here. He’s anxious to get around his teammates.”
Watson stays quiet:
C.J. Watson, now the Bulls starting point guard, has kept a low profile the past two days. He’s never been very effusive with the media, anyway, and apparently, it’s the same way in the locker room.
“I think C.J.’s so laid back, you can’t tell what he’s thinking,” teammate Kyle Korver said. “C.J.’s said like 15 words all year, so we don’t really know.”
Watson wasn’t drafted by an NBA team, but the Bulls were watching closely when he spent three seasons in Golden State.
“We had followed him, really, for a couple years before he came (in a 2010 sign-and-trade),” Bulls general manager Gar Forman said. “I think he’s got the ability to run a team. He has the ability to play with pace, the ability to make shots. He was our kind of guy. We thought he’d fit in with our guys.”
Added Korver, “His play all year has shown that he’s a very capable point guard. We don’t need him to be Derrick Rose. There’s only one Derrick Rose. We need him to play solid, need him to play aggressive, for sure. C.J.’s got that quiet confidence to him.”
Sixers could change lineup:
There has been speculation in the Philadelphia media that the Sixers might start Evan Turner at shooting guard in Game 2 rather than Jodie Meeks.
Despite being booed throughout Game 1, Turner finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Meeks played just 11 minutes and scored 2 points.
“I have to think about it,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m not going to show my hand right now.”
Collins’ main goal for Tuesday’s Game 2 is to play better defense.
“They’re 23-0 when they score 100 points, and they’re 39-3 when they win the first quarter,” Collins said of the Bulls. “So they’re a quick-starting team, and when they score, their defense is really good.”
Bull horns:
Kyle Korver sat out Monday’s practice to rest a few nagging injuries. He was healthy enough to dominate a 3-point shootoff with Mike James at the end of practice. ... In playoff series since the end of the championship era, the Bulls are just 2-3 when winning Game 1. They dropped series against Washington, Boston and Miami after taking the opener.