Bulls’ success no surprise to Rose

Derrick Rose was asked Thursday if he’s as surprised as everyone else to find the Bulls in sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with 12 games remaining. The answer: No.

“I told you in training camp, I always thought we were going to be a tough team to beat,” he said. “With the guys that we have, we don’t have any attitude problems. Guys know their role. I think that’s all you need to have a good team.”

Rose credited coach Tom Thibodeau with keeping everyone on the same page.

“He demands it. He watches everybody, watches everything you do,” Rose said. “If he sees one player going the other way, he’s definitely going to call you in for a meeting just to see what’s going on or get one of the coaches to talk to you.”

Boozer believes in coach:

Speaking of respect for first-year coach Tom Thibodeau, Carlos Boozer explained Thursday why the Bulls bought into his methods so quickly.

“Coach Thibs was working me and Joakim (Noah) out this summer. That’s where I got a lot of respect for him because he’s hands-on,” Boozer said. “If you guys had access to everything we do, you would see how hands-on he is.

“Each practice we do, he’s in charge of the practice. He does our entire scouting report every time we play.

“He’s as competitive a coach as I’ve ever been around, watches more tape. While you guys are interviewing me right now, he’s up there (in his office) watching tape. The respect we give him, he earns it.

“And you can tell his system works. When we do his system during the course of a game, we usually win. I think players can respect a coach that puts in a system on offense and defense. We can see the success rate we’ve had doing it his way.”

Memphis triple:

When the Bulls beat Memphis 96-84 on Jan. 17, Derrick Rose collected his first career triple-double with 22 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

The Bulls won on the road, even with both Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah sidelined by injuries. The Grizzlies (40-32) have since moved into solid playoff contention by moving former Boston guard Tony Allen into the starting lineup and bringing back Shane Battier from Houston.

“It’s an extremely tough team, then you look at their bigs inside, (Marc) Gasol and (Zach) Randolph, they’re as good as it comes as far as catching the ball in the paint and passing to each other,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Three on sideline:

Luol Deng (thigh bruise), Taj Gibson (turf toe) and C.J. Watson (left foot plantar fasciitis) took Thursday off from practice. All three are expected to play Friday against Memphis.

Asked how he feels about playing few minutes to rest up for the playoffs, Derrick Rose said, “I’m not complaining about these blowouts, believe me.”

Playoff tickets on sale:

Individual tickets for the first two rounds of the playoffs go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. at the United Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, Online at bulls.com and by phone at 1-800-4NBA-TIX.