Forget the 36 points and six assists.
OK, don’t forget them–coach Bill Cartwright certainly won’t–but put them aside to focus on two other highlights from the fourth quarter of Jalen Rose’s Bulls debut Wednesday night.
While Fred Hoiberg lay prone on the court with his senses somewhere else following Shandon Anderson’s hard foul, Rose sprinted toward the officials and demanded a flagrant foul.
Initially, no official signaled one. After brief deliberation–and Rose’s histrionics–the Bulls got one.
Two minutes later Rose penetrated, drew a double-team and kicked it to Hoiberg for the three-pointer that gave the Bulls the lead for good with 2:14 remaining. Following a Knicks timeout, Rose ran off the court, cupping his hand to his ear to whip the raucous crowd into further frenzy.
“That’s me,” Rose said following Thursday’s practice at the Berto Center, his first as a Bull. “I’m going to play hard whether we’re winning or we’re down 20. I’m not a front-runner. It’s easy for a guy to pound his chest when his team is up 20. I plan on bringing it every night and being a big-time leader for these guys.”
Forget the level of talent, the ability to get his own shot, take and make the big shot, draw the double-team. That other quality–the natural instinct to stick up for a teammate and to stick out a neck for the crowd–is what has been missing from recent Bulls teams.
That quality has been missing since–dare we say it?–a certain No. 23 graced the Chicago hardwood.
Rose is not Michael Jordan. But he at least tries to imitate him in the fourth quarter.
“He’s the kind of player who takes over games,” said Hoiberg, who didn’t practice Thursday and is doubtful for Friday with a sore right wrist and hip. “And it’s not like he had a slouch on him. He had Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston guarding him. He makes things look so easy. That’s the most impressive part.”
Rose is back in his element. He’s a go-to guy in the fourth quarter.
That he has arrived at that responsibility after a mysterious absence makes Rose relish it more. Over a five-game stretch in late December and early January, Pacers coach Isiah Thomas left Rose on the bench for the entire fourth quarter.
“Of course it was frustrating,” Rose said. “That’s the time that I thrived ever since I was there, whether we were playing against Michael and the Bulls in the playoffs or whether we were playing a last-place team in the middle of November. It’s disappointing when you’re not out there.”
Though Rose had only walked through a morning shootaround with his new team, Cartwright played him all 12 minutes of Wednesday’s fourth quarter. Look for that to be a common occurrence.
“I’m just going to let him play,” Cartwright said. “We’re going to put him in situations that are best for him. He’s proved in his career that he can handle it.”
On the day Rose’s trade became official, general manager Jerry Krause called his new acquisition a star. Then he called Rose an unselfish star.
“I understand it’s not all about me,” Rose said. “I’m only going to be as good as the guys around me. I have to do a good job of not only keeping us in games but also allowing [Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler] to grow. I have to give them the ball. I have to give them room to make mistakes.
“I know what it’s like to be `The Guy.’ And I know what it’s like to be unselfish and allow guys to grow. I embrace both scenarios.”
