Thibodeau: Rose Will Only Get 'Better And Better'
CHICAGO (WSCR) Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has a unique perspective of Derrick Rose that few people in the league have. Thibodeau has both coached the league's MVP and also coached against him.
"When you're sitting on the opposing bench you can see the talent," Thibodeau said on the Boers and Bernstein Show. "I was amazed by what he accomplished so early on in his career, particularly in that playoff series in '09 against the Celtics. For a rookie to be doing what he was doing was very impressive."
LISTEN: Tom Thibodeau On The Boers And Bernstein Show
Podcast
For the rest of this interview and other 670 The Score interviews click here.
In his first year in the NBA, Rose took a 41-win Bulls team up against the Boston Celtics, in a series that not many predicted lasting more than five games. But Rose and the Bulls pushed the series to a full seven games, four of which went into overtime (two single OT, a double OT and a triple OT). Rose scored 36 points in his first ever playoff game.
"And then once I got to be around him, I saw how special he really is, the way he approaches everything," Thibodeau said. "When you watch him practice you say 'this kid is only going to keep getting better and better and better.' He gets here early. He stays late. He sets a great example. He practices hard. He prepares himself well. Because of the way he strives for improvement, I think that helped our team strive for improvement. And then you start to look at the way he's performing and I think his poise and confidence comes from preparation."
