WASHINGTON – Derrick Rose had an excuse for sitting out of the White House tour his teammates and members of the Bulls staff took on Thursday.
Whether it was a good one or not was all in the eye of the beholder.
“Yeah, but it was more of this is a business trip, and I took it that way,” Rose said on Friday, when asked if he was upset with not being with his team on the tour. “Don’t get me wrong, any visit to the White House is great, but I took this trip as a business trip, and just resting, getting off my feet.”
Photos: Chicago Bulls visit the White House
According to Rose, he stayed in the hotel and went through his treatment routine – icing, stretching, wearing the Norma Tec recovery equipment, “just trying to treat my body.’’
His body will need it, especially with what was awaiting him tonight against the Wizards.
All-Star point guard John Wall was good in their Dec. 23 meeting, scoring 18 points and handing out nine assists, but Rose was better. It actually was one of Rose’s better performances of the season, as he scored a game-high 25 points, including six-straight in a key run in the final quarter.
The Bulls ended up winning, 99-91, so this will be Round 2 tonight at the Verizon Center.
“That’s going to be every year, every game, probably until I get out the league, but I’m ready for it,’’ Rose said, when asked if he sees younger opposing point guards turn it up a notch against him. “I remember when I was young and there were guys in front of me, me being young it’s fun. It’s all about competing.’’
But this is a slightly different Rose than the one from a few weeks ago. That Rose wasn’t riding a six-game shooting slump in which he was shooting just 25.5 percent (28-for-110) from the field. This Rose is, and he remained adamant about not dwelling on it.
“It’s part of the season, man,’’ Rose said. “I can’t get caught up with that. If anything, I think I prepare myself well for every game that I played in, and that’s all I can do. Prepare myself, shoot as many shots as possible before the game, and the game I do see them go down, who knows, like I said tonight could be that night.’’
