Bulls' Rose turns blind eye to trade rumors
The NBA's trade deadline arrives next Thursday and that's not soon enough for Derrick Rose.
Before facing Orlando, Rose said he's had enough of answering questions about whether Magic center Dwight Howard could have his trade request satisfied with a move to Chicago.
“You get sick and tired of hearing it. Like I said, the city speaks for itself,” Rose said. “I'm cool with the teammates I have. We have a winning record; don't think we need to change anything. But it's not up to me, it's up to the front office.”
Rose insisted the only time he pays much attention to NBA trade rumors is when reporters share a story or ask about it.
“I just try to live my life where if it's not about the Bulls, I really could care less about it,” he said. “I don't know what's going on, who's talking to who. Y'all know more than I do.”
Coach loves Rose:
Without being asked, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy launched into a string of praise for Derrick Rose before Thursday's game against the Bulls.
“They've got a great player in Derrick Rose with a great attitude,” Van Gundy said. “He's a guy who's just all about winning and making his teammates better. It's not about him. It's not about gaining publicity and attention. It's not about his numbers.
“You watch him play, he's just about winning games. So you have a very well-coached team with a lot of depth and a lot of good players and their best player is really the kind of guy you need to win with in this league.”
Peer support for Thibs:
Before gushing about Derrick Rose, Stan Van Gundy was originally asked about the job done by Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who spent several years working with Van Gundy's brother, Jeff, in New York and Houston.
“His team plays extremely hard every single night and they play very well together every single night,” Van Gundy said of Thibodeau. “Over two years, there's been nobody in the league who's done as good a job. There just hasn't.”
Talking about Olympics:
Derrick Rose is starting to think about this summer's London Olympics, where he could play against Luol Deng on the Great Britain team.
“He's been talking trash to me,” Rose said. “It's going to be fun, just seeing him over there. We'll probably eat dinner, hang out a little bit. That experience is definitely something I'm going to remember for the rest of my life.”
Rose said he hasn't heard any taunts from Joakim Noah, who is expected to play for France.
Rose is most clutch:
According to the Bulls and Elias Sports Bureau, Derrick Rose leads the NBA with 3 go-ahead baskets in the final 10 seconds of games this season. He did it in the season-opener against the Lakers, on Jan. 3 vs. Atlanta and at the buzzer on Wednesday night in Milwaukee.