Rose on Bulls' struggles: 'This don't have anything to do with Thibs'

The Chicago Bulls looked like the team most expected them to be this season when they steamrolled the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.

The timing couldn't have been better, with the Bulls having lost six of eight games, leading to curse words and team meetings. The impressive bounce-back game - which pushed their record to 28-16 - could change the discourse around the club moving forward.

So, too, could Derrick Rose's public support of head coach Tom Thibodeau after the game. With the team struggling and without answers ahead of a very tough stretch, Thibodeau's name had been thrown out as a potential problem, unfounded though that may seem given his track record with the Bulls.

"This don't have anything to do with Thibs at all," Rose said to ESPN's Nick Friedell on Thursday. "The way that we've been playing don't have anything to do with Thibs. He's preparing us right. He's doing everything and did everything possible to prepare us as a coach. It's up to the players to give that effort."

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich - himself familiar with coaching the same core group for a long time - downplayed the idea Thibodeau could be losing the team.

"He's not gonna lose any team," Popovich said before the game. "I think (the media) just have to have stories."

It was a bad stretch, but Popovich and Rose are probably right, as the team is 12 games over .500 despite myriad injuries: Every starter has missed at least three games, and their usual starting five have missed a combined 39 outings. It hasn't been an easy road, and if the Bulls can find a groove come playoff time, everyone will forget about a bad couple of weeks in January.