Derrick Rose Becoming Aggressive Again

It has been a while since we have truly seen vintage Derrick Rose. Last night against the Brooklyn Nets, Derrick Rose reminded Bull’s fans of how dominant he is capable of being with six back-to-back-to-back points off of aggressive drives to the basket in the second quarter of the contest. Rose’s dazzling play was nostalgic, the dominance he showed in those two minutes haven’t truly been reciprocated since before April, 28, 2012 when he went down with his now infamous ACL injury. However, this aggression towards the basket came during a confined period of time spanning about two minutes. Throughout the entire second half, Derrick Rose didn’t have a single two point field goal; he settled for threes once again. He made 3 of 7 this time, hence why many are disregarding the fact that the aggression that he showed on Wednesday was in spurts. The game against Brooklyn was a stepping stone towards further improvement, but it was by no means a milestone performance.

Dec 10, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) is fouled by Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack (0) during the second half of their NBA game at United Center. Bulls won 105-80. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls continued their domination of the Brooklyn Nets this season with an impressive 105-80 victory that featured six players with double digit scoring totals. Derrick Rose scored his second highest point total for the season with 23 points in 24 minutes and supplemented his scoring with 4 timely assists. He shot well from the field, 8-15 to be exact, and actually hit some three pointers for a decent percentage (3-7).

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But, despite all the positives that came out of this game, Rose was far from perfect. He still shot 7 three pointers, which is higher than his season average and all-together too lofty of a total for a mediocre at best three point shooter. He was aggressive in spurts, however, in the second half he became complacent once again and most of his scoring was perimeter oriented. Derrick Rose needs to play aggressively more consistently because he is borderline unstoppable when he adopts an aggressive approach to his game.

Before plunging further into to the content of this article, here are the highlights from the Bull’s victory against the Brooklyn Nets.

The big stir regarding Rose’s lack of aggressiveness culminated Tuesday afternoon after the Chicago Bull’s practice when coach Tom Thibodeau publicly told reporters that he needs to see the Bull’s point guard be more aggressive in his approach to the game.

"“He’s got to attack,” Thibodeau said . “That’s the bottom line. Some teams are going under [picks] and some teams will adjust to a blitz. All I know is when he’s pushing the ball up the floor and attacking, that’s who he is. He can’t defer. He can’t pace himself. He’s got to go. That’s the big thing. He’s got to go.”"

Derrick Rose said after the game against Brooklyn that he heeded the criticism that he has received this season regarding the lack of aggression in his game. According to Rose, he made a point to attack the basket more frequently against Brooklyn.

"“I think so,” he said. “Just trying to let this process work itself out. Trying to find ways in the game while being a point guard, trying to get other guys going, just trying to get a feel for the game and seeing whenever I can attack. I think I’m fighting my way through it. I’m not all the way there yet, but it’s a process.”"

As for Tom Thibodeau, he was pleasantly surprised by Rose’s performance on Tuesday.

"“I thought Derrick was more aggressive in general,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what we need from him. He has to continue to be that. The more aggressive he is, the better for our team.”"

The Chicago Bull’s perpetuated a very positive evaluation of Rose’s performance against Brooklyn. However, rarely in life is something completely rainbows and butterflies like the image of Rose’s performance that the organization tried to convey. Rose played well in spurts, but he has a long way to go towards becoming a dominant superstar in this league once again. When Derrick Rose aggressively attacks the basket throughout the course of the game, not just in short two minute spurts like Wednesday, he will officially be back. If the Bull’s are to be successful this season to the extent that they want, Rose needs to be aggressive and as follows is why.

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Derrick Rose is virtually unstoppable when he decides to aggressively attack the basket. In order to stop him, teams must manufacture a team oriented defensive scheme that relies heavily on traps and double teams in order to throw Rose off his game. The Miami Heat executed this strategy to perfection in the 2011 Eastern Conference playoff series that culminated in a disappointing 4-1 series loss for the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose was held to 35% shooting by the stifling Miami defense. The Chicago Bull’s are a completely new team these days, and the strategy used by the Heat in this game won’t work against them now to the same extent because of the Bull’s plethora of scorers that they now have on their roster. Derrick Rose needs to be aggressive at all times because he has that uncanny ability to systematically break down defenses and create open shots for his talented teammates. If a team decides to double him or trap him, he must still be aggressive knowing that this will give his teammates the best opportunity to score. If the 2010-2011 Miami Heat were to execute the same strategy against the 2014-2015 Chicago Bulls, Chi-town would fare much better. A defensive strategy aimed at controlling Rose almost becomes counter-intuitive because the Bulls have so many other weapons on their roster that can beat you offensively.

Dec 10, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) is defended by Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams (8) during the first half of their NBA game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The offense clicks best when Derrick Rose is aggressively attacking the basket. That is why Rose needs to maintain this “killer mentality” throughout the course of a 48 minute contest rather than just in short spurts. When Rose drives hard towards the basket, the Bull’s are at their best and have the best opportunity to win games. Here’s hoping for continued improvement by Rose in this facet of his game moving forward.

But then, last night against the Portland Trailblazers occurred. Derrick Rose shot 14-24 from the field, racking up a season high 31 points against a highly talented Portland Trailblazers team that has owned the Bull’s over the last couple of seasons. The best part about this performance was the fact that every single one of Rose’s made field goals came within the confines of two point range. Rose attempted two shots from behind the arc and missed both. However, he wisely chose to aggressively attack the rim and proved once again that unless a team develops an entire game plan to stop him, he is virtually unstoppable.

Dec 12, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) shoots the ball against Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (42) and forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) during the second half at United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 115-106. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Here are Derrick Rose’s highlights from the game Friday night against Portland.

The Chicago Bulls play the Miami Heat on Sunday. While some of the nastiness of the rivalry has been relinquished ever since Lebron James took his talents back to Cleveland, the Heat are still an accomplished team capable of beating anybody on any given night. Derrick Rose has really elevated his game over the last couple of contests and will need to maintain the recent level of aggressiveness if the Bulls hope to continue being successful.