Rose, who had 11 points and nine assists in 32 minutes of a 108-95 win over the Bucks, looked much more adept as a distributor as the game evolved. Most of his passes were easy ones (which means he wasn't forcing them) but he did have a couple beautiful "dimes."

• Rose looked for his shot far more than he looked to pass, early on. He did make some nice passes in transition. Looking to score first is smart -- it forces the defense to make a commitment because Rose is an excellent finisher inside.

• He was more aggressive off the ball and in passing lanes on defense than on the ball. He has the ability to be a real pest as a ballhawk.

• His off-the-ball habits, however, are poor. Too often he locked in on the ball instead of "seeing both" -- having an awareness of the ball and opponents. That leaves him very vulnerable to any type of cut.

• Over-penetration will be a problem for him, partially because he can get by anyone. But NBA bigs know how to put little guys in jail if they don't release the ball early enough.

• Rose has that extra gear, like Monta Ellis and Leandro Barbosa. But he's shiftier on the move, throwing shoulder fakes like a tailback hitting open spaces. He reminds me of Dwyane Wade when he does that.

• He made a terrific above-the-rim rebound, then raced it up the floor and got an easy bucket for a teammate. Exactly what Bulls GM John Paxson and the coaching staff envisioned.

• He can finish with his left hand, off a bump.

• Rose mostly passed up catch-and-shoot attempts. He's much more comfortable driving. But the few he took looked OK. He just needs confidence.

Can't argue with this, that's what I saw.

the only real diss was that one thing on D and it was obvious all preseason that he was losing his man on cuts

all in all, very nice