ORLANDO, Fla. — Until Derrick Rose jammed the right knee that has been plagued by tendinitis and sat for the final 7 minutes 58 seconds of the Bulls' 89-84 victory over the Pacers last night, the point guard had played all but 3:10.

So much for bringing Rose along slowly, as management has claimed it will do.

"Summer league is for Derrick," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We're going to ride him."

And the Bulls, aided by Rose's seven assists and three steals, rode a more physical, intense effort that included 14 fast-break points. Rose said he jammed the knee while driving to score on a layup but vowed to play today.

"I wanted to push the ball more and run and get everybody going," Rose said. "In practice, coach gave us the details of where he wanted us to go. We just listened to him, and it worked."

Del Negro added: "Obviously, Derrick played a lot more aggressively. We told him to make mistakes, have fun, get us in our offense."

With Drew Gooden looking on, fellow power forward Tyrus Thomas posted 17 points and seven rebounds. The coaching staff met late yesterday to discuss shutting Thomas down for the week because he has met their goal getting accustomed to Rose.