Pippen Ain't Easy
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Derrick Rose Leads Chicago To Huge First Win Despite Double Vision

By Dave Daniels

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You know what’s scarier than seeing LeBron James on a basketball court? Seeing two LeBrons. That is what Derrick Rose was dealing with on Tuesday night during the Chicago Bulls‘ 97-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the PG played without fear in front of the President of the United States. Chicago is off to the races, as a result, and they should be 2-0 after their game against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Rose admitted his continued struggles with double vision after beating the Cavs.

“I wish it was a blink, but it’s all the time,” said the PG afterwards. “Like right now, I see two of you. When I’m out there playing, I’m only using one of my eyes. I close my left eye whenever I’m out there. So I just got used to it from practice.”

He played 32 minutes and scored 18 points in the game, and it should be telling to watch how much the PG plays on Wednesday. That is a back-to-back game situation, and management wanted to see more rest for key players in those type of situations under Tom Thibodeau. Thibs obviously didn’t comply, and he is now sitting at home watching NBA games.

New Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg has been impressed with how much Rose is dealing with at the moment, and he took a comedic approach to the PG’s double vision.

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“I think he sees three baskets right now,” Hoiberg said. “I told him, ‘Aim for the middle one.’ That’s part of it right now — the depth perception. It’s probably still a little bit off. He’s still out there working on [3s], shooting them, but we want him to be aggressive getting to the basket and making plays for his teammates.”

If Rose can play this well with double vision, then we might even see a shade of the old MVP candidate once the swelling finally goes down. It is encouraging that he isn’t having any issues with his legs, and maybe this orbital injury was a blessing in disguise that held him out of most preseason action. The Bulls have a tough turnaround with the Nets on Wednesday, but that should be a winnable game.

It would be surprising to see Rose play more than 30 minutes in this one, because Chicago has players like Aaron Brooks who are more than capable of carrying a heavier load to allow Derrick the opportunity for his eyes to heal. Let’s hope the next time the Bulls play the Cavs that Rose is only seeing one LeBron out there.

Next: Great Early Signs For Fred Hoiberg's Offense

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