Click-a-Bull (Derrick Rose Links; Bulls NBA Jam Roster) + Derrick Rose Crossovers [VIDEOS]

It's my birthday today, and nothing makes me happier than reading about D-Rose adding more elements to his game. We've watched two years of teams playing five feet off him to prevent him from getting to the rim, and it hasn't worked. If he develops a true 3-point shot, forcing defenders to step out, he will be unguardable ... and I cannot wait to witness it.

Enjoy!


Bulls' Rose putting in extra practice on shooting NBA threes

In his two seasons with the Chicago Bulls, point guard Derrick Rose(notes) has produced an unimpressive 3-point shooting percentage of .242.

Rose tells the Chicago Tribune that he's been working extra on nailing those long-range shots to open up his game and the floor for his Bulls teammates. His work paid off for Team USA the other day when he hit three-of-four shots from 3-point range.

Derrick Rose Wants to Become a Three-Point Shooter

Derrick Rose became one of the NBA’s most exciting players by doing one thing, and one thing alone: attacking the cup with reckless abandon. It resulted in countless highlights, and all kinds of exposure for the young point guard.

Rose plans on adding another layer to his already impressive offensive repertoire.

As a member of Team USA, and encouraged by the shorter three-point line in FIBA play, D-Rose has begun to tinker with his outside shooting. Derrick tells the Chicago Tribune that we could see him hoist a few more threes next season in Chicago:

Averaging 8.5 points and 2.9 assists in six starts, Rose has emerged as a vocal leader at the advice of coach Mike Krzyzewski and has continued to develop a 3-point touch that will dangerously round out his offensive game.

No ego, no maintenance, that's Rose

Bulls point guard impresses Coach K, Team USA teammates on European trip



Standing in his hotel along the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Derrick Rose confessed there have been times since his European basketball tour began last month when he has just stood around and watched with wide eyes.

But only when taking a shot meant pointing a camera.

"There's a bridge by our hotel that connects two continents, can you believe that?" Rose said in a phone interview Monday night after Team USA's 121-66 romp over Angola in the FIBA World Championship. "If I go out the back by the pool, I can see Asia. That's crazy."

That's the same reaction Rose had in an Athens museum, staring in awe at a bronze statue of the Greek god Zeus. And in Madrid, where the way the Spanish capital lit up its buildings at night impressed a Chicago kid who knows a majestic skyline when he sees it.

"Every city has its own special sights," said Rose, who had nine points and six assists Monday. "I'm blessed to be traveling and soaking it all in right now."

Chicago Bulls NBA Jam Roster Revealed - Includes Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, No Jordan

The upcoming NBA Jam game recently added a couple of Bulls greats to its roster, but don't expect The Great One to appear. ESPN.com confirmed Tuesday that Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman are the Bulls' "Legends" that will appear in NBA Jam, coming to Nintendo Wii next month and as a downloadable bonus with new copies of NBA Elite 11 for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Michael Jordan is a no show, but that's probably because he has an entire game to himself on the way - NBA 2K11.
Each NBA team has three or four active players to represent them, as determined by fan voting (with the exception of Gilbert Arenas, who made the cut but was left out of the voting after that handgun debacle), explained ESPN.

The final Bulls roster in addition to Scottie and Dennis consists of: Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. The game will also feature the infamous Miami trio of LeBron and Wade and Bosh as well as host of other legends like Larry Bird and Dr. J.

Bulls Links

Bulls to sign Carlos Arroyo. Makes sense if Kirk will be logging minutes backing up Salmons at the 2 spot, but where does that leave tick for Pargo? Should be interesting to see what Vinny does with the rotation ...

Looks like back court will be:
PG - DRose, Kirk/Arroyo (and don;t we still have Lindsey Hunter?)
SG - Salmons, Kirk/Pargo

Up front:
SF - Luol, Salmons/Johnson
PF - TT, JOhnson, Gibson
C - Noah, Miller

I like that we have some depth (sort of), but I have no idea what Vinny will do with getting players consistent minutes.

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Top 10 Bulls plays (click to watch the video) -

#10 John Salmons' drive against Boston to put the game out of reach March 17 in a shootout with Paul Pierce as Salmons had 38 and Pierce 37. It was a terrific shootout and a harbinger, though not realized at the time, of things to come on St. Patrick's Day with the Bulls wearing green uniforms and making their first stand against the defending champions to show they could play them shot for shot.
#9 Tyrus Thomas' block on Rodney Stuckey Feb. 10 on Johnny "Red" Kerr Night to preserve the victory over Detroit. It was the most emotional night of the season as the Bulls honored their longtime broadcaster and sports icon in the city of Chicago. Kerr was near the end in a battle with cancer and it was only appropriate after a touching, emotional halftime ceremony in which Kerr cheered the crowd with an unexpected speech, Thomas' play clinched the game against the rival Pistons.

Eastern conference preview/bust predictions -

The Chicago Bulls season would be a bust if… This young team doesn't get out of the first round of the playoffs. Chicago, with a rookie head coach (Vinny Del Negro) and a rookie point guard (Derrick Rose), pushed the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics to game seven in the team's first round series with the Celtics last season. Although Boston was without Kevin Garnett, the memorable series served as a coming out party for a Bulls team that few expected to challenge the Celtics, even without KG in the lineup. With another year of seasoning for Del Negro and Rose and the continued maturation of the Bulls other young players like Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, anything less than a first round victory for the Bulls will be a huge disappointment in Chicago.

Derek Rose Dominates the Combine -

This past Wednesday, 2K Sports released the NBA 2K10: Draft Combine for both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network (at 400 Microsoft Points and $4.99, respectively). This downloadable supplement to NBA 2K10 allows you to create a player from the ground up and send him through the Draft Combine, a comprehensive program that preps aspiring pros for the NBA. This involves running drills and playing in scrimmages, learning the value of teamwork and making smart decisions. Later, you can upload this player into NBA 2K10 and take him through a professional career.

Virtual Derek Rose prepares to break Rajon Rondo's ankles. Click to see more images from the game...

That said, it makes perfect sense that 2K Sports chose Derek Rose to be the spokesperson for its Draft Combine. Rose knows what it takes to not only survive the Combine, but also lead an NBA team. The Chicago Bulls' explosive point guard was selected first in last year's NBA Draft and made a huge impact, grabbing Rookie of the Year honors and leading the Bulls to the playoffs (they lost to the Boston Celtics in a gripping seven game series).

Even better, we had the chance to speak to him about not only the video game, but what it takes to transition to the NBA.

Click the link to read the full article, but also click the picture and check out the 2nd pic on the list ... the United Center.



Possible Boozer trades -

Chicago trades Tyrus Thomas (final year of rookie deal) & Jerome James ($6.6 million expiring contract) to Utah for Carlos Boozer

In terms of value this particular trade scenario is right there with the one that Miami could offer. Thomas has improved on a steady arc his first three years in the league and seems poised to make 2009-2010 his breakout year. He'd be a great young piece for them and would perform beautifully running alongside Deron Williams (not that he shouldn't perform beautifully running alongside Derrick Rose in the meantime).

Granted, Thoma's camp will be pushing hard for an extension next summer, meaning that most of the money saved in that expiring contract will probably go towards retaining Thomas long-term, but if what we hear is true, the Jazz really like Tyrus and wouldn't mind investing in the player he's looking to become.

From the Bulls side, they get their marquee power forward and very suddenly look like one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. This is a franchise that is still very much committed to Tyrus Thomas, however, which is exactly why this trade didn't happen a month ago. They still be beleive Thomas can be a star, and really don't want to see him become one for somebody else.

I agree, I don;t want to see TT traded anywhere.



TrueHoop's Friday Bullets -

Eric Snow, Kirk Hinrich, and Tim Duncan are some of the names on Kelly Dwyer's list of the top 10 defenders of the decade. Dwyer on Duncan: "He covered huge bits of floor while his guards recovered after the "screen" part of the screen-and-roll, blocked shots on the ball (he's been especially adept at giving a small guard a small step to drive with his strong hand, then recovering quickly enough to swat the shot with his left hand), and secured rebound after rebound. And he never fouled. Never sent teams to the line for cheap points. That's so huge."

Dennis Rodman the most under-rated of all-time -

You know the name. It's him. That crazy guy with the wild hair that dressed up like a girl. He played with Jordan right?

Yes.

When you hear his name these are the things that immediately pop into the casual NBA fan's mind. But do you know how great this man was? Do you remember what an excellent rebounder he was, or how tenacious and unrelenting he was on the defensive end?

His career highlights are overshadowed by the controversy he stirred up on and off the court, but I'm here to tell you that Dennis Rodman is without a doubt the MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER in the history of the NBA.

* 5x NBA Champion
* 2x NBA Defensive Player of The Year
* 7x NBA All-Defensive First Team
* 7x Rebounding Champion