Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawsone were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to NBA.com.

Rose, the league’s reining MVP, helped lead the Bulls to a 4-0 record this week. He also averaged 28.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 1.75 steals per contest. He is now averaging 22.8 points, 7.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game on the season.

Lawson led the Nuggets to a 3-0 mark last week. The 24-year-old averaged a double-double on the week, tallying 20.7 points and 11.7 assists per game. He also registered 7.0 rebounds per contest. Lawson is averaging career highs in points (15.9), and assists (6.6) this season.

Reigning NBA M.V.P. Derrick Rose has missed some big free-throws in his young basketball career.

In the 2008 NCAA championship game, the eventual No. 1 pick missed a critical free-throw in the final minutes of the game that allowed Kansas to beat his Memphis squad 75-68 in overtime. Earlier this season, Rose missed two late shots from the charity stripe which allowed the Miami Heat to beat the Chicago Bulls in the final seconds of the game.

Last night, however, Rose’s late game missed free-throw kept his hometown Chicago Bulls fans from claiming a free Big Mac from McDonalds. Up 99-95, Rose missed his final free-throw of the night, which kept the Bulls from scoring the 100 points needed for the crowd to get the free voucher for the burger.

“I feel like Jackie Moon off of ‘Semi-Pro,’ ” Rose told ESPN “That’s all I was thinking about, man.

“I saved McDonald’s a lot of money, so they should be happy.”

The Bulls won the game, helping them improve their record to 28-8. Rose scored 32 points and dished nine assists in the victory.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose signed a shoe endorsement deal with Adidas that could be worth upwards of $200 million, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Rose reportedly signed the 13-year deal with the shoe company on Friday while in Orlando, Fla., for the NBA All-Star Game. According to Yahoo!, the deal gives him $185 million guaranteed, with the ability to make between $200-250 million total with incentives.

In December, Rose agreed to a five-year, $94 million contract extension with the Chicago Bulls.

In 25 games this season, Rose is averaging 21.8 points and 7.7 assists per game.

Derrick Rose can dance. He just doesn’t want to.  The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player told ESPN Chicago that he didn’t join in with fellow Eastern Conference Team starters and dance during the All-Star Game’s introductions Sunday night because he didn’t feel it was the right place.

“I can dance,” Rose told ESPN Sunday. “But there’s a time and place for that and I don’t think it was right, then and there.”

“I don’t care,” Rose continued. “You just know that’s me, man. If you would have saw me out there dancing, you would have been looking at me different. I’m just me. I can’t be anybody else. I think that’s what people see.”

Rose told ESPN that he also doesn’t feel comfortable playing in exhibition games, such as the All-Star game. The 23-year-old was one of the few NBA stars who adamantly said he did not enjoy playing in pickup games with other NBA players this summer during the lockout.

The Chicago Bulls star also has been recovering from a painful back issue that had forced him to miss several games, which may have attributed to his unwillingness to dance with LeBron James and Dwight Howard. In 25 games this season, Rose is averaging 21.8 points and 7.7 assists per game.

When the Eastern Conference unveiled its starters for the NBA All-Star Game last  night in Orlando, four of the five men were more than happy to strut their stuff and dance onto the floor during pregame introductions. The fifth was Derrick Rose, who’s said he’s not a fan of the pregame dancing.

“I can dance,” Rose told Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. “But there’s a time and place for that, and I don’t think it was right, then and there.”

Rose was mocked for his decision not to dance — while LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were into it, Rose stood quietly off to the side, away from his All-Star teammates. To Rose, to dance or not to dance was a non-issue.

“I don’t care,” Rose said. “You just know that’s me, man. If you would have saw me out there dancing, you would have been looking at me different. I’m just me. I can’t be anybody else. I think that’s what people see.”

Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose dismissed the rumors of him urging team management to pursue a trade of power forward Carlos Boozer for Los Angeles Lakers power forward Pau Gasol, according to CSN Chicago.

“I heard it after the game [on Monday] and that’s something that I wouldn’t say to anyone,” Rose told CSN Chicago before Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. “It was all false and that’s something I’ll never do. I’m good with the teammates that I have. I’ve always been saying that. We’ve been winning games and we’re not in the position to look to trade anyone right now. I talked to [Boozer] a little bit, but I think he already knew that [the rumor] was false,” continued Rose. “It’s something that I wouldn’t do to anyone. It was all false.”

Speaking to reporters for the first time since his five-game absence before Wednesday night’s  game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Rose vehemently denied the rumor of him telling management to make any trade moves.  Despite Rose’s recent absence, the Bulls still lead the league in wins with a 27-8 record.

In his second game since returning to the lineup due to a back injury, Rose also told reporters he is pain free.  In the win over the Milwaukee Bucks, he scored 16 points with seven assists in 30 minutes.

Chicago Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose started today against the Atlanta Hawks.

Rose had missed the previous five games for the Bulls with a strained lower back. Prior to that he was held to 22-minutes-or-less in two straight games due to his back woes.

The Bulls have gone 3-2 in Rose’s absence.

In 23 games this season, Rose is averaging 22 points and 7.8 assists per contest.

Trade rumors have swirled around Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol all year long, but this one is a new one: Derrick Rose is interested in Gasol coming to the Windy City to join the Chicago Bulls.

“He hasn’t said so publicly, but he has made that known privately,” a source told Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com.

Sheridan was following up on a rumor first reported by the Spanish news outlet Marca, which said earlier today that Rose had given the Bulls his blessing to package Carlos Boozer and another player in a deal for Gasol.

Gasol has been the subject of trade rumors ever since the early-December attempted blockbuster in which the Lakers tried to land Chris Paul and ship Gasol to Houston. He is still owed $38 million by the Lakers over the next two seasons.

Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose is a game-time decision on whether he will play tonight or sit out once again due to a lower back injury, according to ESPN.

“I know that it’s going to be sore a little bit, but I know that I don’t want to deal with it during the game, where it gets tight, then it gets irritated,” Rose said. “I think I’m going to come back when I’m ready.”

The 23-year-old MVP has missed eight games this season, five with turf toe and three so far with a lower back injury.  He could very well miss tonight’s game in Chicago against the Boston Celtics.

This season Rose is averaging 22 points, seven assist, and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau says he is unsure whether reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose will play in this month’s NBA All-Star game, according to ESPN.

“He’s just doing his rehab right now, so we’ll see,” Thibodeau said on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “We’ll see where (the back situation) is when we get there,” Thibodeau said during an interview with the “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “We just want to do what’s best. We don’t know how it will be. That’s down the road.”

Rose has been forced to miss the Bulls previous three games with back issues. While a recent MRI revealed that the 23-year-old had no structural damage to his back, he is still listed as day-to-day.

With Rose out of the lineup, Chicago has gone 2-1 and still remain atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 24-7 record. Through 23 games, Rose has averaged 22 points and 7.8 assists per game.

Last season he averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists per game en route to becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history.

Sitting out with a lower back injury the past three games, Chicago Bulls star player Derrick Rose has been impressed watching Jeremy Lin’s rise to stardom, according to NBC Sports.

“Jeremy, he’s playing, man,” Rose said. “He’s playing well and with a lot of confidence. Like I always say, that’s all you need in this league is confidence. He definitely has that. His teammates believe in him and I like him as a player.”

Rose is not the only one to expresses his awe of the outstanding play of Jeremy Lin. Scoring a total of 137 points in first five NBA starts, Lin has accomplished something neither Rose or any other player has done since the NBA-ABA 1976-77 merger, passing Shaquille O’Neal (129).

Last night, Lin continued to shock the world with his last second three-pointer to beat the Toronto Raptors 90-87,  leading the Knicks to their sixth straight victory.

Chicago Bulls point guard, Derrick Rose is set to miss his third consecutive game tonight against the Sacramento Kings, reports Comcast Sport’s Network.

Rose did not participate in practice this morning and has been out for the past two games with chronic back spasms. Rose saw a specialist last week and his MRI results revealed that there is no structural damage to his back. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdrof thinks he should sit more.

“I’m one of those people who watches and thinks, ‘Why don’t you get him out of the game?’ ” Reinsdorf said of Rose. “When Michael was still in the game and he would be in at the end of big wins, I’d say, ‘Phil, why don’t you take him out?’ And Phil would say, ‘When I was with the Knicks, an opponent once scored 23 straight points against us at the end of a game to win.’ “

This season Rose has scored 22 points per game, had 3.4 rebounds, and averaged 7.8 assists. He was the NBA’S MVP and All-NBA First Team last year as well as Rookie of the Year in 2009.
The Bulls next game is a rematch with the Celtics Thursday, followed by the Nets on Saturday.

A back specialist confirmed MRI results that there is no structural damage to Derrick Rose’s back, according to ESPN.com.

“Derrick saw a specialist this morning,” Bulls general manager Gar Forman said. “And it reconfirmed what we had thought previously and what the MRI had shown in that there is nothing structurally wrong with his back. It’s muscular.

“So at this point, we will continue with what we’re doing, which is we’ll continue with his therapy, continue to get rest, and it will be day-to-day. Seeing how he responds to the therapy. And when we feel, he feels, that he’s well enough to go back on the floor (he’ll return).”

Rose underwent an MRI last week and has missed the last two games with back spasms, according to ESPN.com. The Bulls are hoping Rose can be playing by the All-Star game, which is scheduled for Feb. 26.

“We really haven’t looked ahead that far,” Forman said. “We’re hopeful that with therapy and rest that he’ll have the opportunity to get back sooner rather than later.”

This season, the reigning NBA MVP has averaged 22.0 points, 7.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds for the Bulls.

Derrick Rose still isn’t ready to return from the back spasms that have sidelined him this week, and the Chicago Bulls guard is now planning to see a specialist tomorrow to help diagnose the problem.

“I don’t know the diagnosis. I don’t know what to call it, but I just know my back is not right,” Rose told CSN Chicago before sitting out today’s game against the Celtics. “I don’t remember [when it started]. It just came from out of nowhere, man. That’s the scary thing about it.”

Rose has now missed seven of the Bulls’ 30 games this season, including two this weekend with the back injury, which concerns Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau.

“It’s not cleared up as much as we would like right now,” Thibodeau said. “You’re always concerned. It’s something that he’s had before. He had it when he was in high school, so we’re hopeful it gets cleared up shortly, but we want to make sure. Backs are tricky, so that’s why he’s going to see a specialist tomorrow.”

Rose is averaging 22.0 points and 7.8 assists this season. The Bulls have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 23-7.

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose left because of lower back spasms in tonight’s 108-87 win over the New Jersey Nets.

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau hinted before the game that Rose was struggling with a back injury, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago, but he was confident Rose could play. Rose started and had four points, but he was forced to leave early.

“My back tends to get tight a little bit,” Rose told Friedell on Saturday. “That’s why my shots were kind of flat. But I know after tonight and the day off [Sunday], I’ll get my back worked on and that should be out of the way quick.”

Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel defended his team’s reaction to their victory against the Chicago Bulls earlier this month on  ESPN Radio’s “Scott Van Pelt Show.”

“I think there is a little dispute about how much we really celebrated,” Vogel said Monday. “We were excited. We’re excited every time we get a win. In particular any road win and against a team that we struggled to close out some games against last year…”

Vogel’s comments came several days after Bulls star Derrick Rose expressed his dissatisfaction in the way the Pacers celebrated their victory. “”I’ll never forget how they celebrated just from winning this game, I can’t wait to play them again,” Rose told the media following the game.

The Pacers’ win in Chicago on Jan.26 ended the Bulls’ 12-game home winning streak.

The Bulls, who ousted the Pacers last year in the first round of the playoffs, currently have a record of 18-5, placing them first in the Central Division.  The Pacers hold the second spot with a 14-6 record.  The next meeting between the two teams will be in Chicago on March 5.

Just one day after missing a pair free throws that cost the Chicago Bulls the game against the Miami Heat, reigning league MVP Derrick Rose said he wants to be thought of as a clutch player.

“That’s something I live for,” Rose told the Daily Herald. “I think of my legacy. I want people to think of me as being a clutch player; someone that always comes through the majority of the time when they’re on the court. It hurt a little bit, but I know it will help me in the long run.

“I like seeing my city happy, especially if I’m one of the reasons why. I know what we went through after Mike (Jordan) left and all the years that people really didn’t watch the Bulls. For them to start watching the Bulls and for the organization to get our fans back, it means a lot to me. Knowing that when you see people, they’ve got Bulls hats on, Bulls apparel on. It means a lot to me.”

Down by one point with 22.7 seconds, Rose was at the charity stripe for the Bulls in Sunday’s high profile match up against the Miami Heat. Despite having made 12 of 12 free throws on the night, and having sunk all 29 he had taken in the fourth quarter this season, Rose missed both, allowing the Heat to claim a 97-93 victory.

Rose’s gaff was reminded many of his late game meltdown at the free throw line in the NCAA National Championship during his freshman year with Memphis when he missed several critical free throws late in the game, ultimately leading to a Kansas victory. That year Rose shot 71% from the line. This season for the Bulls he has shot 86.6%.

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard would be open to playing with Derrick Rose in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“If I could play with Derrick right now and God wanted that to happen, it will happen,” Howard told the Tribune. “It has nothing to do with me not wanting to play with Derrick Rose. I love him. That’s my brother.”

“It has nothing to do with Adidas,” Howard said. “In fact, Adidas would love that because me and Derrick have the same guy.”

It had been previously speculated that Howard would not go to Chicago because he shares an Adidas sponsorship with Rose. Those speculations stemmed from a Yahoo! Sports article penned the day after Christmas that quoted one sneaker executive saying “Adidas simply cannot have its two signature players on the same team in the same market.”

Howard’s future with the Magic has been up in the air since the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year said that he planned to become a free-agent following this season. There have been talks about a potential Howard trade, however the teams which the All-Star center would sign an extension with are limited, which have led Orlando to wait until the trade deadline when they might have better leverage for a deal.

After the first home loss of the season against the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls’ star Derrick Rose and his teammates were not too thrilled about the Pacers’ celebration on their home court according to ESPN.

“I’ll never forget how they celebrated just from winning this game,” Rose told reporters. “I can’t wait to play them again.”

“When you’re walking off the court, you’re in the same corridor,” Bulls’ Guard Ronnie Brewer said on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “And we were walking into our locker room, and you could hear those guys celebrating, cheering, screaming, and that kind of hit home with a lot of guys on our team. We’re all competitors. They’re in our division. Every time we play them it’s a tough matchup. And especially in front of our fans, you don’t want to have a letdown and lose at home. To hear them do like that adds a little fuel to the fire. We talked about it after the game.”

With Rose playing through turf toe and Luol Deng sitting out with a torn ligament in his left wrist, the Pacers defeated the Bulls 95-90 handing Chicago their first home loss of the season.

The Bulls next face the Pacers on March 5 in Chicago at the United Center.  Currently, the Bulls lead the NBA with a 16-4 record.  The Indiana Pacers trail one place behind Chicago in the Central Division at 12-5.

Derrick Rose told John Buccigross of ESPN that he will play tonight against the Boston Celtics despite the fact that he is still wearing a boot to protect his injured toe.

Bulls G Derrick Rose (toe) is still walking in a boot but says he is playing tonight at Celtics (ESPN, 8 pm).

—
John Buccigross (@Buccigross) January 13, 2012

The league’s reining Most Valuable Player was forced to sit out a Jan. 11 game against the Washington Wizards due to a sprained left to he suffered in a 111-100 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves the night before. The Bulls were able to defeat the lowly Wizards 78-64 in his absence.

Through 11 games this season Rose has averaged 20.7 points and 8.6 assists per game for the Bulls. Chicago currently owns the best record in the Eastern Conference, standing at 10-2 on the year.

Last season Rose became the youngest MVP in league history when he averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists per contest.

With Derrick Rose hampered by a minor injury, the Chicago Bulls have called up Mike James from the D-League for a little added bench depth at the guard position. He is expected to play tonight as the Bulls take on the Washington Wizards, according to ESPN.

James, 36, spent last season in China and Turkey before returning to the States earlier this month. He appeared in three games for the D-League’s Erie BayHawks, averaging 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Rose collided with Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Tolliver in the first quarter of last night’s win, aggravating his case of turf toe. He remained in the game but later was taken to the locker room to be taped up. He is now wearing a walking boot and considered day-to-day. Fellow Bulls guards Rip Hamilton (groin) and C.J. Watson (elbow) are also nursing minor injuries.

James has been around the block a few times, playing for nine different teams in nine NBA seasons with career averages of 10.5 points and 3.6 assists per game. The terms of his new contract with the Bulls are unknown, but it’s assumed to be a short-term, low-risk contract for the veteran guard.

There’s been talk for weeks now about who, if anyone, will finally land Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard in a trade this winter. The Chicago Bulls have been floated out there as a potential destination for the superstar big man, but Bulls star Derrick Rose has made one thing clear: He’s made no effort to recruit Howard.

“That’s just not me,” Rose told Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. “My whole life, I’ve never been the type of player where I’ve recruited people like that.

“I don’t know how the conversation would go, actually, if I called him. ‘What’s up?’ or whatever? I don’t know how to even approach someone about coming here. It would be super hard.”

Rose and Howard, two of the game’s brightest young stars, go head to head tonight as the Bulls take on the Magic at the Amway Center. It’ll be the first meeting this season for the two franchise players, on or off the court.

“I haven’t talked to him ever since the summer,” Rose said. “I know it’s been crazy for him just seeing what’s been going on. I can only imagine what he’s going through.”

While some have speculated that the best possible location for star center Dwight Howard to land is with the Chicago Bulls, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports points out that his Adidas sponsorship may keep him out of The Windy City.

While Howard and Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose would make a potent duo on the court, they are both endorsed heavily by Adidas, which could pose a problem for the shoe company if they end up playing in the same city. In fact, one sneaker executive told Yahoo! that “Adidas simply cannot have its two signature players on the same team in the same market.”

“Derrick is the face of that market, owns that market, and Adidas can’t possibly have maximum bang for its buck with Dwight there,” The executive continued.

“It serves Adidas no purpose. They need them as rivals in competing markets.”

Howard has been a major subject of trade rumors this winter after the three-time Defensive Player of the Year reportedly demanded a trade from the Orlando Magic. Last week, however, the Magic ended any trade talks for Howard, and decided to take him off the market for the time being.

Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose has agreed to a five-year extension of his contract with the Chicago Bulls worth a reported $94 million, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The announcement is not entirely surprising; Rose and Chicago have reportedly been working on this extension for some time.  But Rose will be fortunate enough to benefit from a rule in the new NBA collective bargaining agreement named after himself: the Derrick Rose Rule allows a player to receive a larger percentage of his team’s salary cap money if he has twice been voted a starter in the All-Star game, twice been voted All-NBA, or won an MVP award during his rookie deal.

By becoming the youngest MVP in league history last season, Rose likely earned himself roughly an additional $10 million dollars, according to the Tribune.

The Chicago Bulls are close to signing reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose to a five-year, $94 million contract extension, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“Derrick is the centerpiece of what we’re putting together here,” Bulls general manager Gar Forman told the media in a press conference yesterday. “We want Derrick to be a Bull for a long, long time. It’s very important that we put the right pieces around Derrick.”

On his way to becoming the youngest-ever NBA MVP, Rose averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game, and led the Bulls to the top seed in the playoffs, where they ultimately lost to the Miami Heat in the Conference Finals.

When asked if he would ever consider recruiting players to establish a team like the Heat, which was comprised of three NBA superstars, Rose indicated he would leave all player personnel decisions to the front office.

“It’s just me, man,” Rose told the Tribune. “If it’s not coming from the front office, you’re not going to hear me saying anything about recruiting anyone. The city speaks for itself, especially for basketball. If you want to come here, opportunity is here.”

The Chicago Bulls are working on extending the contract of 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose, general manager Gar Forman tells the team’s official Twitter feed.

Forman confirms Bulls are talking with Derrick Rose’s representatives about a contract extension and they hope to get something done soon.

—
Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 11, 2011

On his  way to becoming the youngest-ever NBA MVP, Rose averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game, and led the Bulls to the top seed in the playoffs, where they ultimately lost to the Miami Heat in the Conference Finals.

Rose was taken with the first overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft and would become a restricted free agent following the 2011-12 NBA season.

The “top priority” of the Chicago Bulls during the league’s shortened free-agency period is to work out an agreement for an extension to Derrick Rose’s contract, according to ESPN Chicago.

Rose, who was named the NBA’s youngest-ever Most Valuable Player last season, would become a free-agent following the expiration of his rookie contract. Sources have told ESPN that Rose will likely receive the maximum extension allowable; however no formal offers can be made until Dec. 9.

The 23-year-old helped lead the Bulls to an NBA-best 62 win season in 2010-11. In 81 games he averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game in just his third year in the league.

As a result of Rose’s performance, as well as the rising trend of young players making a more immediate impact on teams, the NBA is expected to institute “The Derrick Rose Rule,” as part of its new collective bargaining agreement. The rule is designed to reward players, like Rose, to make as much as 30 percent of his team’s salary cap. The stipulations to the rule state that a player would receive such a bonus if they had been named the league MVP, made two All-NBA teams or had served as an All-Star starter two separate times while in their rookie contract.

The NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, Derrick Rose, said Sunday at a celebrity exhibition game in Houston that he likely isn’t going to follow the path other players have taken and play overseas during the league’s labor stoppage, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

“I’m not going anywhere, I’m good,” Rose told the paper. “I’m just trying to stay in a nice place where you never know what will happen, or what can happen, what will happen. Now, I’m trying to keep myself in nice shape, and stay positive. Hopefully, we’ll have a season.”

Rose, 23, helped lead the Chicago Bulls to the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season. He was named the youngest-ever league MVP after averaging 25 points and 7.7 assists per game for Chicago last year.