I'm officially worried that Derrick Rose just isn't going to be that good anymore. He was making a lot of Derrick Rose moves out there......and they were easily defended. On the other hand I'm actually liking Doug's floor game......he wasn't statistically prolific tonight but I thought he was making good NBA moves and his defense was solid.
Agreed about Doug's defense -- I think he could end up actually being a plus defender before all is said and done. I wish he would see the ball more on offense. I think part of that is that he still doesn't quite know where to be yet. I also wonder if his teammates are a little reluctant to pass him the ball. I remember feeling like Mirotic had similar struggles until the final third of last season, so maby that's just how things go when you're new. Other than that . . . it was another game in which the Bulls seemed to underperform in stretches but still snuck away with a victory. A thought that crossed my mind about the Bulls poor margin of victory number as compared to their record: I wonder if the discrepancy has anything to do with the fact that the Bulls' lineup seems substantially better in the last two minutes (because of the Gasol/Mirotic/Noah/Gibson offense-defense substitutions) than it is throughout the rest of the game.
Is anybody worried about Hoiberg's offense yet? I'm still a bit away from that but getting closer by the game.
There were a few times when the Blazers tried to put him on an island against Gerald Henderson and it really didn't work. That's a far cry from last year when team's feasted on him every time he stepped on the court. I agree that he doesn't get enough touches on offense. I think it's a symptom of the team in general moreso than anything Doug's doing. Our offense doesn't do a good job of getting roleplayers into an offensive flow. I think this primarily stems from the D. Rose/Butler backcourt, two guys that just don't play with very good court vision.
Clearly he is not the player he once was and he may never be that way again. I like the bank shots he has added to his shooting. He has been hitting them at a higher rate.
Butler scores 22, Bulls beat Blazers in Rose's return This visit to Portland ended on a much happier note for Derrick Rose than the last. Rose returned after missing two games with a sprained left ankle and scored 17 points in the Chicago Bulls' 93-88 victory over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Read more http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400828100
Regardless of how McDermott's defense improves, he will continue to be viewed as a terrible defender by the average fan. This is because the media's narrative is that he's a terrible defender and they don't give up their beloved narratives easily.
