Derrick Rose: ‘I Have to Be Way More Aggressive’

DRose has apparently had enough of passing the basketball to his offensively-challenged teammates. Tonight, in a desperate Game 4 for the Bulls, Rose intends to challenge Miami’s swarming double-teams and take his chances by shooting more. From the Chicago Tribune: “I definitely believe in them,’ Rose said of his teammates. ‘But I want to see what I can do if I take the double-team on. I saw what the double-team did the last two games. My passing the ball the majority of the time really isn’t working. Or we’re not running the right play to get people open. We went over the plays and play calls (Monday). (Tuesday), I have to be way more aggressive.’ Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history, is averaging 23 points and 6.3 assists in the series. But he’s shooting just 39.1 percent and scored a combined four points in the fourth quarters of Games 2 and 3. That included a mere two field-goal attempts in the 9 minutes, 58 seconds Rose logged in the final period on Sunday night. ‘That’s not me,’ Rose said. ‘I’m thinking too much, trying to get the ball out of my hands so that my teammates can make plays. … I have to change my mindset right now. Usually when I come out, I see how the defense is playing me. They’ve been double-teaming me the whole time, especially in pick-and-roll. The big (man) stays up until I get the ball out of my hands. Starting (Tuesday), from beginning to end, I have to be way more aggressive. I have to find a way. I don’t know how I’m going to do it. But I have to search out the opportunity and go for it.’ The Bulls haven’t lost three straight games all season in large part to Rose’s transcendent talent and attacking mentality. To avoid doing so on Tuesday, both those qualities must be on display. ‘I want him to play as fast as he can without being reckless,’ coach Tom Thibodeau said. ‘If they’re back and set and you’re racing up to go one into three, the result isn’t going to be good. We have to make good decisions. He’s faced every possible defense all year. We have to hit some shots to open things up for him so he has some driving gaps. When he’s in the open floor, he’s very hard to guard. He’s very difficult in the pick-and-roll. He’ll find seams. And hopefully, he’ll get going.'”