Rose close friends with Thunder's Durant, Westbrook

Derrick Rose might as well be an honorary member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Not only is he a huge part of the NBA's next generation of stars, with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, all three are good friends.

Rose and Westbrook are summer workout partners in Los Angeles, while Rose and Durant bonded during the FIBA World Championships this summer, playing for a U.S. team that also included Westbrook.

“I'm a big fan of Derrick Rose,” Durant said before the game. “Outside of the guys on my team, he's my favorite in the league right now. I always enjoy watching him play.”

Heading into Monday's action, Durant was the NBA's top scorer at 27.4 points, Rose ranked third at 25.7, and Westbrook was seventh with 24.1.

Rose and Westbrook share some similarities as ultra-athletic point guards who can be explosive scorers.

“I think that point guard position has evolved into you have to be able to be a dynamic scorer as well as a terrific passer,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

“Derrick Rose is as good as anybody in the league right now. He seems to have a good mix of finding opportunities for himself and his team.”

Quiet gym time:

Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook became workout partners before the 2008 draft mainly because both players selected the same agent, Southern California-based Arn Tellem.

Westbrook, who played at UCLA, was on his home turf, while Rose was a Chicago transplant. So it took some time for their friendship to develop.

“It was silent workouts,” Westbrook described. “He didn't really talk too much, kind of stayed silent the whole time, I guess, until he got comfortable. Then we started communicating and started hanging out.”

Rose's quiet personality has been well-documented since he joined the Bulls. He has worked at improving his interview skills and has been rewarded with several commercial opportunities.

“He's changed, definitely,” Westbrook said. “He communicates a lot more now. But when I first met him, I think that's the kind of guy he is, kind of quiet and laid-back.”

Noah departs early, again:

Joakim Noah fouled out Monday for the second straight game. Before that he hadn't been disqualified by fouls since Nov. 11, 2009, against Toronto.

“I guess I'm a hack,” Noah said with a laugh. “What can I say? I've got to stop hacking.”

Bull horns:

The first two games after adding Carlos Boozer, the Bulls were minus-33 in rebound margin. In the next two games, they were plus-25. … The Bulls improved to 4-8 against teams with a winning record through Monday. They are 7-0 against sub-.500 opponents. … Center Nenad Krstic scored a season-high 18 points for the Thunder.