Lakers - Bulls Pregame

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 18, 2008
in Phil Jackson and Pre-Game
.

Kobe - Rose doesn’t have quite the ring as Magic - Jordan, but it’s certainly enough to capture our interest. Unless, of course, you ask Phil Jackson, who wasn’t impressed with a pregame question from a Chicago media member comparing Rose’s fast start to that of Michael Jordan.

However, surely it’s a surprise for a rookie, even the No. 1 overall pick, to be the headliner and probable best player on a decent Eastern Conference team. But after averaging 19 points, 5.6 assists and five boards in 10 games, Derrick Rose is just that for the Bulls.

As for Bryant, he won’t be going at Rose too often (but rather guys like Ben Gordon and Thabo Sefolosha), but it’s certainly fair to expect a much better effort than his 12-for-30 performance in a losing effort against Detroit, particularly as Kobe took jumper after jumper from the perimeter.

Phil Pregame Notes:

  • Radmanovic, Vujacic and Fisher are not 100 percent, but are “ready to go.”
  • Jackson chose not to answer a question about Radmanovic’s place in the starting lineup.
  • Stopping penetration has been a focus in practice over the weekend, and Jackson again emphasized as much when asked about containing Derrick Rose on the perimeter.
  • At the same time, Jackson downplayed Detroit’s shooting from last Friday, suggesting that there are “going to be nights like that” sometimes.
  • Jackson talked about how the Lakers “should” pound the ball down low on the Bulls, who are “relatively thin inside.”
  • The Bulls still look the same as when Jackson coached there, drawing up a few memories for him.
  • Jackson said he has a “lot of favorite players,” but John Paxson, who’s currently running the Bulls, is one of them.