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Bulls vs. Grizzlies quickcap: Derrick Rose scores 13 in another Chicago victory

The Bulls looked good once again on Monday.

By Ricky O'Donnell
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls moved to 2-0 in the preseason with a 106-87 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in St. Louis on Monday. The location is important because even though the STL has given us the BEST FANS IN SPORTS and at least four classic Nelly jams, it's apparently still a city without much in the way of functioning wireless Internet. There isn't a box score for this game available at ESPN/NBA.com/Yahoo/CBS, so this recap is at the mercy of what I happened to be paying attention to while it was on.

This is preseason basketball, after all, so it isn't such a big deal. What you need to know, mostly, is that Derrick Rose looked athletically superior to every player on the court Monday night, unless someone wants to make an impassioned defense of Jimmy Butler that I think I'm willing to allow. Rose finished with 13 points, made his first three-pointer and hit six of his 10 free throw attempts. He generally looked a-little-rusty-but-definitely-good in his second taste of game action.

D. Rose did also this, which was awesome (via):

I think we can say Rose looks close to being fully back physically. His first step was always a big part of what made him special, and that quick-twitch explosion has been on display so far. There's definitely still some rust here, and it will likely only be more evident once things start for real and the physicality gets turned up in the regular season. But for now, everything looks relatively promising. This is good.

Jimmy Butler was also doing things. Lots of things. Steals-to-dunks. Rebounding. Cutting off driving lanes. I didn't catch his final line, but his game sure was impressive. The big boss agrees:

And in case you (FOOLISHLY) thought the preseason designation would chill out Thibs: no, you are wrong.

Throw in some silliness from the broadcast team and it's safe to say the Bulls are back. It's much better this way.