Bulls Defend Derrick Rose After Puzzling Comments

(CBS) A day after Bulls guard Derrick Rose puzzlingly explained that he sometimes sits out of games now because he's keeping life after basketball in mind, including oddly bringing up future "meetings" and "graduations," his teammates defended him and said they have no worries about his commitment.

"Derrick's fully committed," forward Mike Dunleavy said. "I can speak on his behalf. He's fully committed. The way I see him working, the way I see him out there, nobody should question that."

Asked Tuesday to assess his play this season, Rose went off-topic and clumsily gave an answer that naturally attracted plenty of attention, given his injury history and inability to consistently be on the floor.

"I've been managing myself pretty good," Rose said Tuesday. "I know a lot of people get mad when they see me sit out or whatever, but I think a lot of people don't understand that … when I sit out, it's not because of this year. I'm thinking about long term. I'm thinking about when I'm done with basketball, having graduations to go to, having meetings to go to. I don't want to be in my meetings all sore or be at my son's graduation all sore (years down the road) just because of something I did in the past, so it's just learning and being smart."

In his second comeback from a season-ending knee injury and in dealing with two sprained ankles, Rose has played in four of Chicago's eight games this year. He didn't speak with reporters Wednesday, but the Bulls didn't seem worked up by his comments.

Big man Pau Gasol -- who has previously said one draw in signing with Chicago last July was his offseason phone conversation with Rose about each other's health -- explained that he understands why Rose broached the long-term health topic and reiterated that all athletes know what comes with the territory.

"He's concerned with his long-term health, which we all are in a way," Gasol said. "But we're in a business, we're in a sport where that's what's at stake, and that's a commitment that we make and the price that we pay. It's something that any athlete is exposed to. He's a guy that works extremely hard. He works hard. I think he's 100 percent committed to winning and to this team. But in the back of his mind, he's had a rough stretch, so you understand that part.

"He's been playing very aggressively. He's committed 100 percent for us to do something special here. I'm not worried about his commitment at all."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau didn't know the context of Rose's comments, but he added whether Rose plays is a simple equation. Rose recently sat out four of five games before return Monday against the Magic.

"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."

In:
• Pau Gasol
• Derrick Rose
• Tom Thibodeau