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Rose, youthful Bulls visit Cavaliers

Nov 5, 2008 - 2:39 PM Chicago (2-2) at Cleveland (2-2), 8:00 pm EST

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The Chicago Bulls selected Derrick Rose first overall in June's draft with hopes he could restore their franchise. The energetic rookie point guard will get a glimpse at one player who did just that with his team in Ohio.

Looking for their first winning streak of the season, Rose and the resurgent Bulls travel to take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

After a forgettable 33-49 campaign in 2007-08, the Bulls hope Rose will quickly become the face of their franchise. So far, so good since the former Memphis star leads the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game.

In perhaps his least effective effort as a pro, Rose scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and had one assist in Chicago's latest game.

The Bulls cut a 17-point lead to one with 23 seconds left but their comeback was squashed in their 96-93 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday. Entering that game, they had won two of their first three games, losing only to the NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Meanwhile, Cleveland came out on top in its most recent game, a 100-81 thrashing of the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.

James scored a season-high 29 points, grabbed eight rebounds and converted 13-of-15 free throw attempts as the Cavaliers bounced back from a 12-point loss to the New Orleans Hornets two nights prior.

James had plenty of help as point guard Mo Williams - a key offseason acquisition - scored 14 points and had six assists, while Ben Wallace grabbed 13 rebounds.

James has recorded three games with 20-plus points, but has struggled harnessing his jumper and shooting from the outside. He is 0-for-11 from beyond the arc and 30-for-71 (42 percent) elsewhere.