Jalen Rose Felt "Bashed" By Bulls http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1676630 <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">-- Jalen Rose has already spent a lot of time defending his character since joining the Toronto Raptors, the result of what he believes was back-channel bashing in Chicago. "I think a lot of bash work indirectly has been done the last two weeks to try to make the situation seem justified, when in actuality that was unnecessary,'' Rose said prior to his Raptors debut against the 76ers on Tuesday night. "I didn't build a positive reputation in the NBA for that to happen, but it comes with the territory. Now I have a new start in Toronto to show the people who I am." Rose was having an unproductive season in Chicago, averaging just 13.3 points and shooting 37 percent. He was dealt to Toronto on Monday along with Donyell Marshall and Lonny Baxter for Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams and Chris Jeffries. The Chicago-Toronto trade talks were one of the league's worst-kept secrets for nearly two weeks, and Rose believes people in the Bulls organization were speaking poorly of him behind his back to make the trade seem more palatable to the public. Rose found himself defending his character during his introductory news conference in Toronto, where one of the city's major newspapers used the headline "Problem Child?'' for a profile piece on Rose. The reputation of being a troublemaker and locker room lawyer has stuck with Rose throughout a professional career that began in Denver and included stints in Indiana and Chicago. </div>
