Rose, Boozer looks to be a good match for Bulls

Tom Thibodeau isn't worried about Carlos Boozer blending with Derrick Rose.

“They're concerned with winning, not with individual things,” the Bulls' head coach said Tuesday at the Berto Center.

Chemistry class might begin Wednesday night against Orlando in the United Center or be delayed until the weekend.

Either way, Boozer is close to returning from a hand injury suffered soon after training camp opened in October.

Boozer, who signed with the Bulls during the summer, was forced to watch his new team's first 15 games from the bench, including the last seven on the notorious circus road trip.

What Boozer saw was the Bulls start the season 9-6 and demonstrate an uncanny ability to rally from large deficits.

Oh, yeah, Boozer also noticed that Rose is among the NBA's most valuable players.

“It's definitely his team,” Boozer said of Rose and the Bulls.

It's important to hear him say that. No basketball team needs two outstanding players vying for attention and control.

Like, the Lakers know it's in their best interests to defer to Kobe Bryant on and off the court, sort of like the Bulls deferred to Michael Jordan.

Rose isn't in the category of Bryant or Jordan not yet anyway but he is good enough that teammates know the Bulls revolve around him.

One of the fears when rumors circulated that Amare Stoudemire might wind up in Chicago was a battle would ensue for control of the team.

Stoudemire always wanted to be somewhere he could be the main man. He has that chance in New York now after signing with the Knicks.

Rose and Stoudemire wouldn't have worked here. Early indications are that Rose and Boozer will.

Comforting is that Jerry Sloan, Boozer's coach in Utah, wanted him back. Sloan doesn't suffer fools, slouches or the selfish.

Boozer acknowledges that Rose, in his third NBA season at age 22, is worthy of being the most important player on a winning team.

“He's amazing, really impressive,” Boozer said after Tuesday's practice. “The kid has the heart of a champion.”

The Bulls hope that Boozer makes Rose better, Rose makes Boozer better, and together they make the Bulls contenders in the NBA East.

Rose is a perimeter player who can penetrate inside for layups. Boozer is an inside player who can slip outside to hit jump shots.

They should complement each other, Boozer and Rose should, by running the pick-and-roll the way Boozer and Deron Williams did in Utah.

Boozer quickly said, “Easy,” when asked whether it's easier or harder for another talented player to play with a talented player like Rose or Williams.

He pointed out that Rose is so talented that other teams “would be crazy” to play Rose man to man. Double teams create scoring opportunities for the Boozers of the world.

Logic doesn't apply, however, if the abilities of two star players are compromised by competing egos.

“You look at great teams in the league and they have more than one great player,” Thibodeau said.

The Bulls' coach experienced the phenomenon as an assistant in Boston with all-stars Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

“They never were concerned with who the man was,” Thibodeau said. “They were concerned with winning.”

The Bulls are confident that a similar dynamic will work here with Rose and Boozer.

mimrem@dailyherald.com