When Derrick Rose took the court for the start of the second half of the Chicago Bulls’ 83-80 Thursday night win over the Los Angeles Clippers, he was without the mask that has covered his face all season. Rose has worn it in every game since suffering a fracture of the orbital bone below his left eye during training camp, more out of force of habit than anything.
After an awful first half, in which Rose shot 0-for-3 from the field with two turnovers in just over 10 minutes, was it a sign of desperation?