AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Derrick Rose said after the Chicago Bulls' 100-91 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday night that he had apologized to his teammates for missing Wednesday's practice because of what Tom Thibodeau called "travel issues" during the point guard's return from a beach vacation after the All-Star break.
While it is unclear exactly when the apology took place in the last two days, Rose's game was clearly not in rhythm after a week off as he had one of the worst performances of the season.
In 31 minutes, Rose scored just eight points and was 2-for-9 from the field. He added two assists, two rebounds and six turnovers.
"Being one of the leaders, for anyone to miss, I wouldn't want it to be me," Rose said. "It hurt. I apologized to the guys and that was it."
While Rose acknowledged the error, he said he did not understand why people would be critical towards the practice absence.
Derrick Rose said after the Bulls' loss on Friday that he had apologized to his teammates for missing Wednesday's practice because of what Tom Thibodeau called "travel issues."
"Not at all," Rose said. "We're over .500, we got another game tomorrow, so we got to put this performance behind (us)."
Thibodeau has discussed all season how important he feels practice time is, especially with a healthy roster, as the Bulls had heading into Friday's game. He was obviously frustrated that Rose missed Wednesday's practice.
What do you guys think? Should Rose have been suspended?
It's unclear if and what repercussions there would be if Snell or Bairstow or McDermott, etc would have missed practice. I personally think that if no one else would be suspended in a similar situation, it makes sense. However, with the way Rose played last night, and his inconsistency along with the team, he shouldn't have been left off the hook. But again, a similar standard should be made for the entire team. Perhaps he couldn't make it due to weather, flight issues, or personal situation.
The most "recent" situation I can recall was this:
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribu ... pende.html
"G.M. John Paxson suspened second-year forward Tyrus Thomas two games for an unexcused absence from Wednesday's practice.
Thomas will serve the suspension during Chicago's next two games, sitting out the game against Cleveland on Thursday at the United Center and Friday at Boston.
This is the second internal discipline doled out to Thomas in his two seasons with the Bulls.
Paxson fined Thomas $10,000 last season for telling the Tribune that he was merely going to the league's All-Star weekend and participate in the dunk contest for "the free money."
It's also the second internal discipline doled out to a Bull this season."
You could miss a scheduling meeting without repercussions if you encountered travel issues. If you're talking about AI, I think you also have to consider what practice means to a veteran playing an NBA season. Nobody practices at the end of the season when everybody's body is worndown, and I think the media decided not to report that part of the story.
