Rose not sure when he'll begin voicing opinion to management

Asked on the radio Friday if he'd be happy to see Vinny Del Negro return next season as Bulls coach, Derrick Rose said yes.

But will Rose be willing to approach management when the time comes and state his preference for a coach or potential free agent?

"Hopefully one day, it will come into play," Rose said. "But I'm just waiting. They're being patient with me, I'm being patient with them. It's just a learning process. Hopefully one day I can help them make a decision."

Asked if this summer will be too soon to speak his mind, Rose left the timeline open.

"It will probably come soon," he said. "But right now, I'm just trying to get the groove of the NBA and just play my role."

During an appearance on WMVP's "Waddle and Silvy Show," Rose gave a positive response when asked about Del Negro's future.

"Oh definitely, if he comes back I'll be happy," Rose said. "If not, that's not really up to me - it's up to the front office.

"He's doing a good job with us, the coaching staff is doing a good job with us. He usually lets me go out there and play and lets me make the best of my mistakes. No matter what, he always tells me I'm doing a good job, and he's always showing me video. I don't have anything to complain about."

In December, when the Bulls were 10-17, there seemed to be a good chance Del Negro wouldn't make it through the end of this season. Now it appears the Bulls will have to consider bringing him back next year.

Deng plays hurt: Luol Deng played 45 minutes Friday on a left knee that was badly swollen. He matched up against Portland star Brandon Roy most of the night and fared well.

Both players finished with 23 points, but Deng took 6 fewer shots and added 7 rebounds.

"It's not so much that it's in pain, it's just real tight," Deng said in the locker room. "There's just so much inflammation in there, it's restricting how much I can bend it."

Dorm room coaches: The opposing head coaches in Friday's game, Vinny Del Negro and Portland's Nate McMillan, were dormitory roommates at North Carolina State during the 1984-85 school year.

Both were new to N.C. State, but Del Negro was a freshman, while McMillan had spent two years at a junior college.

"He controlled the music in the room, that's for sure," Del Negro said. "I was just a freshman trying to find my way back then."

Added McMillan: "He kept his side of the room clean. That's all I needed."

Nate in '96: Portland coach Nate McMillan claimed he'd forgotten all about the 1996 NBA Finals when he played for Seattle against the Bulls and spent most of his time walking on a treadmill in the tunnel because of a disk injury.

"I thought we had the team to beat the Bulls that year," McMillan said before Friday's game. "It was one of those things, I don't know why on the biggest stage of your career and you can't play. So I was questioning God a lot during that time."

Red and Norm: Friday marked a sad anniversary in Bulls' history. A year ago, broadcaster Johnny "Red" Kerr and fiery point guard Norm Van Lier passed away. The two Bulls legends were remembered during video tributes during the game.