Bulls aware of Rose's ticket

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Derrick Rose, the Bulls' rookie point guard and top pick in last week's NBA Draft, faces a Kane County court date on charges of driving more than 100 mph on Interstate 88 in April. A Bulls spokesman said Tuesday night that the team was aware of the traffic charge but would have no further comment. Kane County court records show 19-year-old Derrick Rose, who lives in Chicago, was ticketed by Illinois State Police on April 29. A trooper pulled Rose over in a blue Land Rover near Route 47. Attempts to reach police or Rose's lawyer on Tuesday were unsuccessful. The Bulls confirmed they are aware Rose faces a charge. The charge, driving more than 40 miles per hour over the speed limit, is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine. Rose is scheduled to be in Kane County court on July 11. The Bulls on May 20 won the draft lottery and the right to select him No. 1. Also on Tuesday, the Bulls initiated contract talks with representatives for Luol Deng and Ben Gordon, while Chris Duhon moved toward departing his first pro team. Duhon, an unrestricted free agent and the Bulls' second-round draft pick in 2004, met with the New York Knicks in the morning before going to visit the Orlando Magic. “There's some good fits out there for Chris,” said Duhon's agent, Kevin Bradbury. The Bulls have made no effort to bring back Duhon, and are not expected to do so. An obvious reason is the presence of Rose, but a separation seemed imminent even before Rose's arrival. Neither side was pleased with the other last season. Duhon thought he did not receive fair playing time. The Bulls were upset when Duhon overslept a morning shootaround in Detroit after flying unannounced to Durham, N.C., for a Duke-North Carolina game the night before. There reportedly were other instances of tardiness. In the cases of Deng and Gordon, both restricted free agents, the Bulls must bridge the gap that kept them from agreeing on extensions with either player last year. The previous offers to both players were for five years at $10 million-$11 million annually. Deng later expressed a measure of regret at not getting something done and sounded more open to compromising this time. Gordon said “absolutely not” when asked during the season whether he might have overstepped his bounds in negotiations. He also wants to be an undisputed starter, which might never happen with Rose and Thabo Sefolosha in the mix. Both Deng and Gordon have signed one-year qualifying offers, giving the Bulls the right to match any deal from another team. If either fails to agree to something long-term, he could play next season on the qualifying offer and become unrestricted in the summer of 2009. General manager John Paxson always has maintained the Bulls would match any offer to either player. It is unclear whether that stance has changed, especially in the case of Gordon now that Rose has made the backcourt more crowded.