Dec. 04--Derrick Rose's shooting struggles, which currently sit at 19-for-70 over his last four games, have been well documented.
But there's at least one offensive area in which Rose is making a consistent impact -- pick-and-roll with Pau Gasol.
Three of Rose's season-high nine assists came off the action with Gasol, two in the fourth quarter when Gasol wreaked havoc on the Nuggets.
"It's really hard to stick us in pick-and-roll with the way they stick me," Rose said. "They don't blitz me. It's kind of like a contain, don't let me get to the rim. I just try to -- I'm not going to tell my secret -- drive and suck them away. The majority of the time if I have the ball in the pick-and-roll, he's going to get the shot."
A chemistry has formed between the two on the common play call.
"He's a smart player. He reads the play well," Rose said. "A couple of times (Wednesday), he flipped the screen and I was able to get to the lane and had good looks. That comes from playing and his high IQ. I didn't have to tell him anything."
Added Gasol: "It's tough to cover because he's a great penetrator. He dribbles the ball with force and explosiveness. My guy has to be concerned about my pops and my shot outside. We kind of put them in a predicament and make a lot of plays from there."
Forward thinking: Fred Hoiberg said he and his staff contemplated playing rookie Bobby Portis when Nikola Mirotic left Wednesday's game with a concussion. Instead, the Bulls used a three-man rotation for bigs with Gasol, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.
"Bobby has to keep himself ready," Hoiberg said.
Mirotic must pass league-mandated concussion tests before receiving clearance to play. He's doubtful for Saturday against the Hornets.
Keep firing: Hoiberg said he had no issues with Rose's shot selection, which included just two 3-pointers -- both of which he missed -- among his 17 attempts.
"He had been hitting that bank shot, that runner," Hoiberg said. "He was getting at the basket. We don't want to take away his aggressiveness."
