Johnson: Rose 'As Tough As They Come'
(WSCR) After falling hard on his left elbow in Wednesday's win over the Pistons, Derrick Rose was in serious pain.
Rose will have Thursday off before the Bulls take on the Magic in Orlando on Friday night. Even with the quick turnaround, one Bulls expert believes Rose will still play against Dwight Howard and the Magic.
"Derrick is as tough as they come in this league," K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune told The McNeil and Spiegel Show on Thursday. "I will say that's about as much pain as I've seen him in. Although, those ulcers last season would be close, and Derrick played through those stomach ulcers. He was having trouble even dressing last night with his left arm. He was grimacing while doing so, but a full day of treatment can do wonders for a player. ... I'm guessing that he's playing tomorrow."
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The injury came with less than four minutes in the game, with the Bulls leading comfortable. Head coach Tom Thibodeau is often criticized for leaving his starters in during blow outs, but Johnson said that's not changing.
"It's pretty obvious this is not going to change," Johnson said. "This is how Tom coaches. This how he has coached since Game 1 of last season. The players say they like the way he coaches. Deng and Rose say that the amount of minutes that they play help them play how they play. You can debate it and complain about it, but it's not going to play.
"This season is unique, but I think all we need to do is look back to the last time there was a lockout. Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach on Jeff Van Gundy's staff, and the Knicks went to the NBA Finals. Who are we to judge what Tom is doing? He's lived this movie before. ... This is how he coaches. This is his approach."
