Oct. 30--NEW YORK -- From the May 1, 2012, playoff game vs. the 76ers directly after he tore his left ACL to the April 29, 2014, playoff game in which the Wizards eliminated the Bulls, Derrick Rose watched.
Oh, sure, he logged those 10 games at the start of last season before tearing his right meniscus. But mostly Rose sat, sometimes looking impassively, always nattily attired.
Rose rarely reveals much with words, but the knowledge he absorbed during that painful process finally got put to use again Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Bulls, playing without the injured Jimmy Butler, began the 49th season in franchise history with a 104-80 victory over the Knicks. And Rose began yet another comeback with a mentality developed during his absence, one that ideally will balance his scoring ability and aggressive mindset more effectively with facilitating for others.
"One player I look at, someone like Larry Bird, he just had a great feel for the game," Rose said. "His teammates loved playing with him and he made sure he got everyone the ball. But in the fourth quarter, they knew that was his fourth quarter.
"I'm just trying to get the same atmosphere here. Go through the game and the first couple of quarters get everyone touches. And then the fourth quarter is my time."
The Bulls didn't need any late-game heroics from Rose thanks to 22 points from Taj Gibson that led six players in double figures, 21 points and 11 rebounds from Pau Gasol in his impressive debut and strong bench performances from Aaron Brooks and Gibson that turned the game in the second quarter.
These overshadowed a pedestrian performance from Rose, who finished with 13 points and five assists in 21 minutes, 21 seconds, and a sluggish game from Joakim Noah, who had three points, three blocks and six rebounds in 19:51.
"Offensively, I thought he attacked well," coach Tom Thibodeau said of Rose. "Defensively, he has to keep working."
Rose, who said he was anxious to play but less than when he made his debut for USA Basketball last summer after last November's surgery, did get to the line eight times. But he committed three turnovers.
Another byproduct from his second absence is a more even-keeled approach to this comeback.
"It's still going to take some time," he said. "I'm not worried about that. I might have some bad games here and there. But that's not going to stop me from trying to be aggressive."
The blowout kept Rose and Noah below minutes limits of 30 to 34 minutes that will continue for the foreseeable future.
There were other storylines.
After meeting with and seriously considering the Bulls during free agency, Carmelo Anthony finished with 14 points on 5-for-13 shooting as Mike Dunleavy played solid defense.
The game marked the first of the Phil Jackson era for the Knicks, compete with the triangle offense and Derek Fisher as coach. Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic made their NBA debuts, contributing solid minutes and a combined 17 points and 12 rebounds.
But as with most things Bulls, the Rose story overshadowed all.
"I wouldn't say my rust is knocked off, but it's getting there," Rose said. "I can't be content with how I'm performing. I have to put it behind me whether it's good or bad and make sure I stay consistent with my workouts. Physically, I feel good.
"I can't get caught up in (proving doubters wrong). I let my game speak for itself. I don't like to say too much about my haters. But you should be able to tell by the way that I work that I've been in the gym every day really working hard on my craft."
kcjohnson@tribune.com
Twitter @kcjhoop
