Point is, Rose says it's hard to take over

During the Bulls' recent slide, their best offensive moments have come when Derrick Rose has gotten hot and taken over for stretches. He's one of the few players on the roster capable of creating his own shot and finishing in traffic.

So with the Bulls frequently struggling to score, why doesn't Rose look to take over more often?

''Yeah, but it's hard when everybody's focusing on you on the court,'' Rose said Monday after practice at the Berto Center.

''It's very hard being in the position where I'm the point guard and I'm supposed to pass the ball and everything.

''People say they want me to shoot the ball more, but I'm the point guard; I can't do that. I've got to pass the ball to people and get people open. Taking over as a point guard is getting people open and shooting here and there.

''If I was a 2-guard, it would be something else.''

Green light

Those restrictions on Rose are self-inflicted and don't come from coach Vinny Del Negro.

''We need him to score, we need him to take over games when he has the opportunity,'' Del Negro said.

''He's done that. We need him to score the basketball, but also run the team and be aggressive, and I think he's done a better job since he's been healthy the last 10 or 12 games.

''But it's a long season; he'll continue to develop and understand when he needs to get guys shots and take over games. There are other areas that Derrick will continue to improve that are more important than that.''

For the record, some of those areas are defense, shot selection and managing time.

STILL HURTING

Kirk Hinrich has played just three games since returning from a sprained left thumb, but now has the nagging injuries of someone who has played a full season. Besides the thumb, he is nursing an ankle injury and a right elbow issue.

''He's just trying to get healthy,'' Del Negro said. ''His elbow felt a little bit better, but he didn't practice. He just did non-contact stuff.''

Hinrich, who is expected to play tonight against the Lakers, stayed after practice to shoot jumpers.

Photo: Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images / Coach Vinny Del Negro says Derrick Rose is doing a better job of running the team and being aggressive.