The Bulls go on an extended road trip before Christmas, with stops in Oklahoma City, Washington D.C., Detroit and Orlando.
I will enjoy an early Christmas present on Saturday when I fill in for Neil Funk, handling the play-by-play duties alongside my good friend Stacey King for the Bulls-Pistons game in the Motor City. It’s always a unique experience to watch the world’s greatest athletes from a courtside vantage point, and Saturday’s game will feature one of the most popular players in Bulls franchise history, Derrick Rose.
In case you haven’t been following the Pistons very closely this season, Rose has picked up where he left off in Minnesota a year ago. He's on a short list of top Sixth Man candidates, averaging 16.4 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field.
Rose had one of his best games of the season on Saturday in Houston, scoring 20 points and dishing out 12 assists in a 115-107 Detroit win. He also hit a jump shot just before the buzzer last Monday to give the Pistons a win over New Orleans.
There had been some speculation about a possible Rose return to Chicago when he hit the free agent market last summer after a very productive season with the Timberwolves. However, the Bulls decided instead to bring in Tomas Satoransky as the starting point guard and mentor to top draft pick Coby White.
Rose wound up signing a two-year, $15 million contract with the Pistons and has been instrumental in keeping his team within striking distance of a playoff spot after starting point guard Reggie Jackson was injured early in the season.
Following the win over Houston on Saturday, Pistons coach Dwane Casey commented on Rose’s clutch play, which included 10 of his 20 points coming in the fourth quarter to hold off a late rally by the home team.
NBA
“That’s what you’ve got to have and that’s what this league is about, is having players that can create their own shot," Casey said. “And he did that. He was tough down the stretch.”
The Pistons have already made their two visits to Chicago for this season, with Rose scoring a total of 41 points, and hearing MVP chants from fans at the United Center.
Maybe Rose will be back at some point in his career for a farewell tour with the Bulls, but for now, he’ll be bringing his unique brand of basketball excitement to the city of Detroit, and I look forward to seeing him play on Saturday.
The Pistons are one of the risers in this week’s NBA Power Rankings, which you can view here.
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