Oct. 30--Through two games, Derrick Rose has attempted just three 3-pointers in his 33 shots.
Some of this can be attributed to Rose's impaired vision after his left orbital bone fracture. It's more because of coach Fred Hoiberg's offense.
For all the talk of Rose taking ill-advised 3-pointers last season, when he shot a career-low 28 percent, some of that was a function of the offense. With Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol starting, defenses sagged into the lane consistently, not even bothering to honor Noah's offense. This clogged the lane and prevented driving lanes.
With more shooting on the floor now, particularly with Nikola Mirotic in the starting lineup, Rose is seeing more space.
"Right now, I can't see (well) so I'm getting in the lane, being creative, shooting floaters, trying to get contact," Rose said.
Rose's first seven attempts against the Nets were on drives or floaters and none outside 7 feet. He didn't attempt a jumper until the fourth quarter.
Point, counterpoint: Remember when Jimmy Butler said he wanted to play some point guard? Butler later claimed he joked about the assignment.
But there he was Wednesday night, setting up Mirotic for two fourth-quarter baskets in a primary ball-handling role in the victory over the Nets. Butler finished with a team-high six assists.
"Markel Brown did a really good job of pressuring Derrick so Jimmy handled the ball coming down the floor a few times," Hoiberg said. "We wanted to get the ball in his hands so he could make plays."
As far as Rose is concerned, that includes Butler shooting more.
"I love the way Jimmy's playing but I want him to shoot more," Rose said. "I guess he knows what he's doing. He's a pro. He's a grown man. So I'm going to let him gear his game. He has a good pace with how he's playing. He's coming down with the ball in his hands, making decisions, making plays. He looks great doing it. He just needs to get more comfortable doing it."
Layups: E'Twaun Moore is averaging 10 points on 9-for-13 shooting in just more than 10 minutes per game. ... The Bulls stayed overnight Wednesday in New York and used Thursday as a film review and travel day to Auburn Hills, Mich.
