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For Bulls' Rose, actions will speak louder than words

The first thing about the Derrick Rose "son's graduation" controversy that makes no sense is Rose was clearly injured last week.

Rose missed four games with sprains to both ankles. He played against Milwaukee in the middle of those four games off and was far less than full speed.

Sitting out the four games was the right move, and he came back healthy with a 24-point performance against Detroit on Monday. His post-basketball health shouldn't have been part of any discussion.

Why Rose put a bizarre twist on a simple question a day later is anyone's guess. The question was, "Are you happy with the way you've played so far this season?"

To paraphrase the answer, Rose said he understands people are mad when he misses games, but the reason he's missing games is he doesn't want to be limping into his son's graduation or business meetings with some sort of permanent basketball injury years from now.

Asked his thoughts on the comment Wednesday, teammate Mike Dunleavy even seemed caught off guard.

"You better have got that right," he said with a laugh to the reporter who passed along Rose's words.

It was a quote that practically asked to be twisted into a different life form, and it was. One popular spin: Rose isn't fully committed to the Bulls.

The opposite is true, though. To even land in the NBA, players need an overwhelming commitment to the game. Superstar-level players, which Rose certainly was before tearing his ACL in 2012, push that work ethic to superhuman levels.

Should Rose have played in 2012-13 after the ACL surgery, or late last season after tearing meniscus cartilage in his other knee? No one can say for sure, and it doesn't matter now. The proof of his commitment is in the results, which were pretty good against the Pistons.

"At the end of the day, Derrick's fully committed," Dunleavy said. "I can speak on his behalf. Nobody should question that.

"You know, like Aaron Rodgers says, 'Relax.' It's like, this guy's got a long career ahead of him. He's going to have a great career. He's going to bring great things to this city. So I think that's what people need to see."

Coach Tom Thibodeau also came to Rose's defense Wednesday. Rose declined to speak to reporters.

"Sometimes we all say things that we probably could say differently," Thibodeau said. "The bottom line is this: He was injured. He had two sprained ankles. So he did the right thing. And when he was better, he played. It's really that simple."

Thibodeau even backed up to address the criticism of Rose's extended recovery from two knee surgeries.

"Because of where he is in his career, we chose to go a different path so it took a little longer for recovery," Thibodeau said. "But that was the smart decision. We have to be patient.

"It's not going to be perfect. We don't want it to be a soap opera. We want it to be about the team."

It's OK for an athlete to be concerned about his long-term health. It just doesn't apply well to this situation. Four games off because of two sprained ankles is not unreasonable. In fact, it was a relatively quick recovery.

Anyone who has been around Rose knows that public speaking is not a strong suit, and he started his career very uncomfortable around the media.

While he has improved in that regard, Rose doesn't make himself available often. He ducked out of the locker room without talking to reporters after Monday's game and often did the same thing in the preseason.

As they say, practice makes perfect. Talking more often might help Rose avoid gaffes like this.

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Bulls game day

Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre, 7 p.m. Thursday

TV: TNT

Radio: ESPN 1000-AM

Update: As it stands today, the Raptors are the team to beat in the East. They sit in first place at 7-1, a game ahead of the Bulls. SG DeMar DeRozan is on his way to becoming a permanent all-star, averaging 21.9 points. PG Kyle Lowry (18.0 points, 5.8 assists) is off to a great start, while athletic SF Terrence Ross is much improved. Last season the road team won all four games in this series.

Next: Indiana Pacers at the United Center, 7 p.m. Saturday

- Mike McGraw

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