Mask or No Mask, Chicago Bulls Need More from Derrick Rose

CHICAGO — The legend of the mask? Not so fast.

When Derrick Rose took the court for the start of the second half of the Chicago Bulls’ 83-80 Thursday night win over the Los Angeles Clippers, he was without the mask that has covered his face all season. Rose has worn it in every game since suffering an orbital-bone fracture below his left eye during training camp—more out of force of habit than anything.

After an awful first half, in which Rose shot 0-of-3 from the field with two turnovers in just over 10 minutes, was the removal a sign of desperation? Would this be a turning point that's similar to LeBron James ditching his headband partway through the 2013 NBA Finals?

Turns out, it just slipped Rose’s mind.

“When I went out there, the play started, and I forgot to put it on,” Rose said after the game. “I said, ‘You know what? I’m just going to leave it on the side.’ And it worked out for me.”

Rose scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, attacking the rim and even making a three-pointer. It wasn’t a dominant performance to quiet his many critics, but it was one of his better recent stretches. And on a night when the Bulls were looking to snap a three-game losing skid, it was enough.

The point guard hasn’t made up his mind as to whether he’ll ditch the mask Saturday when the Bulls face off against the New Orleans Pelicans at the United Center.

“Who knows?” Rose said. “Next game, I may have it on; I may have it off. It depends on how I’m feeling.”

Mask or no mask, Rose’s struggles have become harder to ignore over the course of the Bulls’ inconsistent recent stretch.

He’s shooting just 36.4 percent from the field and an awful-even-by-his-standards 23.4 percent from three-point range. The Bulls are 7.7 points per 100 possessions better with Rose off the court than on it, per NBA.com. He’s attacking, but he's not finishing, converting 37.9 percent of his attempts in the restricted area.

Much of the Bulls’ dreams of playoff success have rested on the hope that Rose can once again be the player he was before the knee injuries.

At this point, a return to MVP form is looking more and more like a lost cause. He showed flashes of that last season, but he hasn’t consistently been that player since before the torn ACL in 2012, and nothing about his performance this season indicates he’ll regain that form anytime soon. 

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

“It’s all about just putting your game back together,” Rose said. “I’ve got floaters. I can drive. I’ve got mid-range. I’m a crafty type of player when I get into the paint. So it’s all about just getting my timing back.”

It doesn’t help that Rose’s struggles come at a time when the Bulls are still feeling out how to implement a faster-paced offense. They’re playing with the league's 10th-fastest pace, per NBA.com, but their offense scores just 97.1 points per 100 possessions, which is 29th out of 30 teams and ahead of only the 1-22 Philadelphia 76ers. 

Before Thursday’s game, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg met with Rose and told him he wanted the ball pushed over the half-court line faster, preferably with 21 seconds remaining on the shot clock.

“I feel like I’ve been pushing,” Rose said. “I’ve been playing with a good pace. I think that teams are going to load to me a little more because of the way that I push it. Just got to get everybody to run with me.”

Just playing faster won’t solve all the Bulls’ problems or Rose’s. There’s plenty of blame to go around up and down this roster. But the version of Rose the Bulls have gotten is not one they can win with, and in an effort to get him going, they still run so much of their offense through him that it’s becoming a liability.

Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated Press

Maybe Rose will keep the mask off and turn things around, but it probably isn’t that simple. It didn't even register with his teammates that he had it off for the second half.

“I didn’t even notice it,” said Jimmy Butler. “I was so locked into the game. I like that, though. As long as he’s aggressive and taking shots. That’s the Derrick that we need. He’s getting it back slowly but surely—mask or no mask.”

Rose does need to keep being aggressive, but that aggressiveness only helps the Bulls if it comes with scoring. At a certain point, attacking isn’t enough if Rose isn’t finishing.

The Bulls need more from Rose to truly find success, and it’s becoming harder to see a reality where they’ll get it.

Sean Highkin covers the Chicago Bulls for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.