Play Rose or rest Rose?

The team, overall, is seven of 43 on threes.

This looks like it could be a problem.

Though it looks like there could be a bigger one with Derrick Rose, who perhaps we shall call Stem Rose for now. Because this Rose isn’t close to being in bloom. Rose looked back to health in an impressive opening night win over the Spurs.

But in the two games since, Rose is averaging nine points and 3.5 assists and shooting 34 percent.

“He is not 100 percent,” said Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro. “Derrick has to play with more thrust. His conditioning isn’t great. That will come back. He’ll keep working and go from there.”

Rose, as we know missed all preseason with an ankle problem, and it seems still a problem. He’s been in position to explode to the basket and dunk as we’ve seen before and has backed off. You have to wonder now whether it may be best to shut him down until he’s fully ready, though Rose wants no part of that.

Sure, the Bulls are 1-2, and given the teams and road games that’s the start that generally was expected. Maybe not even that with the Spurs the opener. But for this Bulls team to have success, Rose has to be a scorer. With Gordon gone, I felt Rose should average 20 points per game this season. He can. But not in this condition. Though Rose insists he’s getting closer.

“I missed a lot of lay-ups,” Rose said Sunday. “I’ve got to get back in rhythm. We had the game and let it slip. Shots I usually hit, I was missing. We played better than last game. John (Salmons) found his stroke. I just have to step up my game.”

Rose will have to do it quickly as the Bulls Tuesday face the Milwaukee Bucks with lightning quick rookie point guard Brandon Jennings, who has been outrunning even quick guards like Lou Williams. We hate to say it. Or see it. But Rose is playing, at least for now, like an ordinary, unexceptional guard who only can make some plays and is burned on defense.