Derrick Rose is the only Chicago Bulls player who has played consistently this year and he has really stepped it up lately.  Rose has led the Bulls out of big slump recently, including a big win over the Orlando Magic.  Rose is a pure point guard, but with his strength, speed, and quickness he can score at will.  The Bulls have really been struggling to score points, so Rose has been taking it upon himself to put some points on the board.  He is averaging 24 points in his last 10 games, where the Bulls went 6-4 in those games.  A 6-4 record may not be the greatest, but prior to that 10 game stretch, the Bulls had lost 11 of 13 games and it looked like their season (and head coach Vinny Del Negro) was pretty much done.  Rose was not having that though, and his game is maturing before our eyes.  In my opinion Rose should be an All-Star, but in a league with so many talented guards the 21-year-old Rose may have to wait another year.  He will be attending the All-Star weekend in Dallas defending his All-Star Skills Challenge title, an event testing the all-around skills of a player with dribbling, passing, shooting, and speed all put into the equation.  Rose won with ease last year, and I expect him to do the same this year.

Rumors have been swirling for over a week now that Chicago Bulls’ head coach Vinny Del Negro will be fired.  Del Negro has not brought the Bulls were they want to be so far this season, but injuries and inconsistent play (most notably John Salmons) are more to blame than Del Negro.  Either way, the Bulls front office needs to either fire Del Negro, or back him publicly 100%.  John Paxson and GM Gar Forman have been dodging questions about Del Negro’s future, and giving vague answers.  Del Negro has been frustrated by the constant questions about his future with the Bulls, as well as the lack of confidence his bosses have shown for him.  With a young team that is playing below expectations, they can easily give up on their coach if it is obvious the organization is not backing him.  The Bulls need to be firm and direct on what their intentions are before the season turns into a disaster.  It is not too late to turn it around and the Bulls have won three straight to bring their record to 13-17.

The Bulls are having problems scoring points and Jannero Pargo was supposed to be an instant offense guy off the bench. That just has not happened this year. He has played in 24 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 10.8 minutes, 4.8 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.8 assists per game. The reason he’s got nailed to the bench is he has been a awful shooter this season hitting only 35.2% from the floor and 29.5% from the three point line. Until he gets his shooting stroke back he will be sitting at the end of the bench for the Bulls.