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McGraw: Bulls' Rose doesn't share coach's pessimism

Tom Thibodeau has been consistent with his preseason themes, which could be categorized as a mix of criticism and stern warnings.

Even after the Bulls rolled past Denver 110-90 on Monday, he used phrases like "we have a lot of guys who aren't sharp right now" and "we're going to go with the guys who are getting it done."

Not much changed when Thibodeau spoke to reporters after Tuesday's practice at the Advocate Center.

"I don't want them to fool themselves," he said. "To me, the big thing is understanding what goes into winning. How you practice. How you prepare. The work that goes into it."

There is a bright side to the Bulls' 2-2 preseason start. Derrick Rose is still shaking off some rust but seems to be moving at full speed. He has averaged 12 points in just less than 18 minutes per game and shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range.

Asked about the team's plight, Rose didn't share his coach's pessimism.

"Not at all. Everybody's got their own opinion," Rose said. "As a coach, I think his standards are going to be high, very high just knowing who he is. For the team, all we can do is come in here and try to get better every day."

Rose doesn't even mind Thibodeau's reminders about what goes into winning.

"I'm numb to it now, used to it," Rose said. "We came in today, we didn't even speak about it. We know what we have to do. There's only one goal, and we can't let anything get in the way of that goal."

It was easy to see why Thibodeau was disappointed with Monday's first half. Denver shot 60 percent from the field in the first quarter and built a 50-29 lead midway through the second quarter.

Thibodeau's technical foul seemed to send a reminder about the importance of defense. The Bulls finished the first half on a 29-8 run, then limited the Nuggets to 30 percent shooting in the second half.

In Thibodeau's mind, the slow start held more weight than the eventual 41-point turnaround.

"I'm looking at everything," he said. "Who's taking plays off. Who's doing their job. Who's making multiple effort. Who's in great shape. Who's in poor shape. Why are we not functioning well. You look at everything. The regular season will be here before you know it."

Since Thibodeau has said playing time will be based on performance, will he consider making changes to the starting lineup or playing rotation before the end of the preseason?

"We could. We'll see how it unfolds," he said. "I'm not locked into anything. I want to make sure we're moving in the right direction.

"We've had a chance to see some different groups because of the way we're finishing games, so we may get a look at something different at the start, as well. But I want to see how it unfolds."

It would be surprising if Thibodeau actually changed the lineup. Most of the Bulls' issues involve coming back from injury, familiarity with new teammates or rookie growing pains.

Jimmy Butler has been the star of the preseason, averaging 16 points while shooting 62 percent from the field. Newcomer Pau Gasol has been good, but Joakim Noah is still adjusting to the move from center to power forward.

The Bulls are hoping to get outside shooting from rookies Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, who are getting used to the NBA.

"We know how talented we are and how talented we could be," Rose said. "But we've still got to take it one step at a time. We just can't surf past these games and go straight to the regular season.

"We have to take advantage of these games and all these practice days and lifting days and do everything to prepare ourselves for the worst and prepare ourselves for the long season."

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