Rose works toward game shape
By TOM MUSICK -- Shaw Suburban Media
CHICAGO – Bulls point guard Derrick Rose did not need a crystal ball to know how he would feel by the end of Thursday’s season opener against the San Antonio Spurs.
“I’m going to get tired, I’ll tell you that right now,” Rose said before scoring 13 points and handing out seven assists in the Bulls' 92-85 victory against the San Antonio Spurs at the United Center. “But I’m just going to have to suck it up and go out there and play. I haven’t played in awhile, so being tired is just part of the game.”
An ankle tendon injury forced Rose to miss about three weeks during the preseason, but he returned to practice this week. Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said he would be careful with Rose early in the season.
“We’ll try to limit his minutes a little bit,” Del Negro said. “He feels a little bit better every day, which is a good sign. We don’t want a setback there. We want to be smart about it, big picture. It’s a long season.”
Rose averaged 37 minutes a game last season to rank second on the team.
Working man: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich entertained reporters before the game with stories about his offseason vacation to the Amazon region of South America.
Del Negro, who played guard for Popovich for two seasons, collected no such stamps on his passport.
“ ‘Pop’ has been doing it a long time,” said Del Negro, who went 41-41 in his first season as a coach. “I’m not ready for the Amazon yet. I’ve got a lot more work to do before I get to the Amazon.”
Lead by example: Bulls players voted this week for Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Lindsey Hunter to serve as team captains for the 2009-10 season.
This marks the sixth consecutive season in which Hinrich has served as a captain. Deng enters his third season as a captain, and 17-year veteran Hunter will be a captain in his first full season with the Bulls.
Bulls bits: Michael Jordan holds the franchise record with 50 points on opening night in 1986. … The Bulls entered Thursday with only three wins in their past 22 games against the Spurs. … At halftime, the Bulls featured a tribute to the music of Michael Jackson.
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