"I noticed that," he said. "They take off the help-side corner [defender] so they can have a triangle in the middle. You just have to find a way to beat it -- run some offense to stop them from doing it."

Rose says this simply, but the recognition of what opponents attempt is anything but, particularly for a rookie. Vinny Del Negro knows this, which is why the Bulls coach has praised Rose's development in this area since the season's start.

"With the way our offense is set up, Derrick is going to get into the lane," Del Negro said. "And he's shooting the ball better than anybody thought. So if you go under on him, we'll set the screen a little lower and make you pay for that. I'm not worried about Derrick."

Rose is shooting a team-high 49 percent.

"Teams are blitzing me a little bit, showing high [on screens] so I won't turn the corner," Rose said. "I've just been working on that in practice, and my veterans are helping me."

Rookie raves: Second-year Kings coach Reggie Theus was fired Monday, becoming the sixth NBA coach let go this season, but Bulls veteran Drew Gooden had mostly praise for first-year coach Del Negro.

"I played with some coaches who had zero tolerance, and Vinny's not like that," Gooden said. "He has great patience to be a first-year coach. He's one of the best I've seen working with the young guys and giving us a longer leash than sometimes we need. He's a great guy, and that's how he earns our respect."

Chuck Person, a finalist for the Bulls job, was fired as an assistant in Sacramento along with Theus.

Layups: Luol Deng and Larry Hughes skipped practice with illnesses. Both are expected to play Tuesday. ... Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff returns to Charlotte, where he was head coach and general manager from the team's inaugural season in 2004 through last season, when he moved into the front office.

kcjohnson@tribune.com

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