After appearing to turn the corner with his performances preceeding the all-star break, Derrick Rose has reverted back to old habits. After an unexcused absence from practice on Wednesday, Rose followed this up with an awful performance against the Detroit Pistons. The fact that he spent his All-Star break on a beach vacation in an undisclosed location is also a major problem.
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On Wednesday, the Chicago Bulls underwent an intense 90 minute practice session in preparation for the second half of the season. According to an ESPN report, Rose missed the practice session due to travel issues.
Feb 21, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard
Jimmy Butler(21), center
Joakim Noah(13), and guard Derrick Rose (1) during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at the United Center. The Bulls won 112-107. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
DeRose’s absence resulted from his own irresponsible actions. He had planned to travel back to Chicago on the morning that the Bulls had a mandatory practice session. The lack of forward thinking opened up the possibility of complications to occur, and inevitably travel issues ensued. Rose is a professional basketball player and an adult; he needs to be more responsible. There is no way around that. Coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t pleased with how his PG conducted himself over the break, especially pertaining to the missed practice.
"“Any time there’s a break like that, you’re mindful of the circumstances and you know you have to give yourself plenty of time so if something go awry you can still get back in time. It didn’t happen. The point is you can’t put yourself in that position. Hopefully he learned from it, and we can all learn from it. We dealt with it. Move forward.”"
In typical Thibodeau fashion, the coach protected his player. He refused to disclose to the media how the situation was being handled and if Derrick faced any repercussions for his actions.
"“We handle that stuff internally. Obviously, we want a commitment made by everybody to the team. Any time there’s a break like that, you’re mindful of the circumstances and you got to give yourself plenty of time so if something does go awry you can still get back in time. So it didn’t happen, hopefully he learned from it and we all can learn from it.”"
For a team that has been plagued by injuries the majority of the season, any opportunity for all the players to be on the same court together has to be utilized to the fullest. The Chicago Bulls are ranked 21st in the NBA in assists per game which is their lowest average during the Thibodeau era. Rose is averaging only 5.0 assists per game, the lowest of his career besides 2013-2014 in which he only played 10 games. His turnovers per game average is also at near a career high. The point being, the Bulls aren’t where they need to be in terms of team chemistry. They have relied too heavily on isolation play on offense this season as shown by the reduced team assists per game number. Many of these issues stem from players coming in and out of the lineup with injuries. With the unpredictability of injuries, getting to practice as a full team will be absolutely imperative. Rose’s absence from Wednesday’s practice wasted this rare opportunity.
Feb 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) dribbles the ball against the Sacramento Kings during the second half at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeat the Sacramento Kings 104-86. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Besides the fact that Rose missed a mandatory practice, there is another issue with him going on vacation during the break. It can be implied that if he was on vacation he wasn’t focusing his attention on preparing himself for the second half of the season. Yes, he both needed and deserved a break after the first half of the season; however, he needed to supplement this break by attempting to keep his skills sharpened by practicing. Although purely speculative, it can be reasonably assumed that Derrick Rose wasn’t practicing over the break, and this directly explains his horrific performance against the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
In 31 minutes of playing time, he scored 8 points on 2-9 from the field and committed 6 turnovers in the process. Even worse, he produced these numbers against Spencer Dinwiddie, a player destined for the D-league.
After the game, Rose even admitted that the poor performance was due to rust, further solidifying my theory that his vacation may have been too relaxing.
"“I didn’t touch the ball for a couple days, and coming back, I just couldn’t catch a rhythm. They were aggressive and I couldn’t find my game. Thank God we’ve got another game tomorrow, because this one hurt.”"
Although Rose made a very irresponsible decision by missing practice on Wednesday, he actually showed growth and maturity by taking ownership for his actions. He apologized to teammates following the incident.
"“Being one of the leaders, for anyone to miss, I wouldn’t want it to be me. It hurt. I apologized to the guys and that was it.”"
His apology is acceptable for now, but a surface-level oral apology won’t pass the test of time. He needs to recommit himself to the game and his teammates. His actions over the break show a clear lapse in commitment on the part of Rose. The Bulls need him playing at a high level in order to have a chance to win the NBA Finals. The way he handled himself over the break is not the way for him to get back to that high level.
Feb 20, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Sometimes the best remedy for a problem is winning. After the Chicago Bulls beat the Phoenix Suns in an impressive 112-107 nail biter, everybody is going to stop talking about Rose missing practice earlier this week. In the contest, Rose looked much improved. He scored 16 points on a respectable 5-12 shooting. Here are the highlights from the game.
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