There are many components in the Bulls’ quest for consistency.
Beyond mastering the X’s and O’s of coach Fred Hoiberg’s system, they are adjusting to new personnel combinations. They also continue to deal with injuries.
While big man Joakim Noah’s left knee is much improved, guard Derrick Rose still is experiencing double vision in his recovery from surgery Sept. 30 to repair a fractured orbital bone below his left eye.
‘‘They said it could be as long as three months,’’ Hoiberg said after practice Sunday. ‘‘But it’s continuing to improve, and that’s obviously a positive.’’
When told about the three-month estimate, which would extend to the end of December, Rose expressed surprise.
‘‘This is my first time hearing about it,’’ Rose said. ‘‘You kind of have that hope in your mind that it gets well a lot quicker. But for this to be seven or eight [weeks] out and still the same way, I can’t do nothing but live with it. Get the most out of every day and keep working on my game until my eye gets better.’’
For Rose, it’s not difficult to focus on the positives.
‘‘I’m loving the way I’m working out,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m loving the way that we’re playing. We’re winning games, so that’s the only thing I’m worried about. Everything else will come.’’
Rose said he isn’t shooting with one eye closed anymore.
‘‘I’m playing with both of them open now,’’ Rose said. ‘‘It’s still blurry when I look certain ways, but that’s part of it, I guess.’’
Rose is shooting 35.9 percent this season, down from his career average of 45 percent. Because he missed most of training camp, Rose said he’s reminding himself that he’s still working his way into shape on many fronts.
‘‘It’s not frustrating,’’ he said. ‘‘In a game, sometimes it is because I’m missing a lot
of shots that I normally hit. But everything else will come. I’m getting my legs under me. It’s still preseason for me. I’m still warming up.”
Fans and media might be impatient, but Rose is taking things in stride.
‘‘It’s the first time I’ve had surgery on my face,’’ he said, ‘‘so that’s something different. The depth perception of the rim is a little bit thrown off, so I’m dealing with that.’’
NOTES: The question of whether to start big man Joakim Noah or bring him off the bench and how to mix and match his big men overall is a good problem to have, coach Fred Hoiberg said.
‘‘It’s such a unique group,’’ he said. ‘‘Very rarely do you have four guys who have a different skill set, a different dynamic to their games. We’ve got four guys who do that.
‘‘The combinations, we’re still trying to get a feel for exactly who fits best. It’s
going to be different on different nights. As we continue to gather info and data on the numbers, we get a clearer picture. Until that happens, I’m pleased. It’s a good issue when you have four guys who can play together like ours can.’’
– The Pacers come to the United Center with six wins in their last seven games, including a three-game winning streak. A big reason is forward Paul George, who has averaged 29.3 points in the Pacers’ last six games.
‘‘Paul George is playing as well as anybody right now,’’ Fred Hoiberg said. ‘‘He can shoot it, drive it, post. He’s a very tough matchup. With them playing smaller and spreading the floor, he has a lot of room to operate.’’
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