Rose shows all the right signs in loss

Rose pushed the ball relentlessly from the opening tip and challenged the Lakers' tall front line several times.

It didn't always work.

Rose missed 13 of his first 15 shots, though several were point-blank bank shots after the second-year guard rocketed to the rim.

His outside jumpers usually fell short.

Eventually, Rose found his rhythm and knocked down his final 7 shots of the night - jumpers, drives and fast breaks included. Rose didn't play during garbage time, so most of his damage came against the Laker regulars.

Maybe we can say with certainty that Rose still has all the skills that made him a runaway rookie of the year winner.

He's been slow to bounce back from the preseason ankle injury that kept him inactive for three weeks. But Thursday's game should provide evidence that he can still be as explosive as any guard in the NBA.

"He's not physically 100 percent, not in the condition he was (last season) just because of the injury," coach Vinny Del Negro said after the game. "You just have to take a step back, give him some time. I think he's improved in a few areas, especially defensively. It takes time. He'll get into it and be productive."

No arguments here about Rose's defense.

It has improved tremendously this season. The Lakers were just the second team in 11 games to score 100 against the Bulls.