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Source: abs-cbnnews.com

NBA superstar and Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose defended his coach, Tom Thibodeau, from criticism regarding the coach’s management of players’ minutes.

Thibodeau, the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year, has come under fire for playing some of his key players long minutes, especially when those players were also suffering from an assortment of injuries.

“For me, I don’t get caught up in that,” Rose said during a press conference in Manila on Monday. “As a basketball player, you just wanna be out there. Just be out there and play with your team.”

Rose stressed that he fully trusts and respects Thibodeau, who is acknowledged as one of the finest defensive minds in the NBA.

“Thibs, he’s been around the game for 20, 30 years, so I think he definitely knows what he’s doing when he’s coaching players,” Rose said. “I believe in him, and all my teammates believe in him, that’s why we play so hard for him.”

In an interview with TJ Manotoc of ABS-CBN News, Rose said he considers Thibodeau “a genius.”

“Defensively, I think he’s one of the best coaches that I ever played for. And the coaching staff, I think we have one of the best coaching staffs in the league,” he said.

Last April, the Chicago Bulls management expressed their support of Thibodeau amid criticisms that the coach was playing key players Joakim Noah and Luol Deng too many minutes.