Bulls prepare for playoff life after Rose

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman backed coach Tom Thibodeau Sunday, saying he had no problem with the decision to stick with Derrick Rose late in the playoff opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.

"There's absolutely no issue there," Forman said.

There is, however, a big hole in the lineup after the Bulls lost their point guard to a season-ending injury. Rose, the league's 2010-11 MVP, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in Saturday's 103-91 win -- a huge blow for a team eyeing its first championship since the Michael Jordan era.

Now the Bulls will try to get by without their superstar, beginning Tuesday with Game 2 in Chicago, and there's no guarantee Rose will be ready for the start of next season. He faces surgery at some point after the swelling goes down and he regains full range of motion, but ultimately, Forman expects a full recovery.

"We're very optimistic that he'll come back at 100 percent, 110 percent," he said.

Rose seemed to rediscover his dominant form with 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists Saturday, but the good vibe screeched to a halt when he crumbled to the floor.

The Bulls went with their projected starting five just 15 times, with Richard Hamilton sidelined much of the season and Luol Deng dealing with a torn ligament in his left wrist. Rose missed 27 games battling groin, back, toe, foot and ankle problems that Forman said did not lead to the ACL tear, and although they went 18-9 without him, the Bulls realize the task at hand.

C.J. Watson and John Lucas III have come up big at times, but as Joakim Noah said, the Bulls' margin for error is "a lot smaller with Derrick out."

Still, the 76ers aren't buying the idea that the Bulls are done.

"More than anything, people tend to see them as a one-man team, which is totally not the case," Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala said. "They're one of the best teams in the league. Guys know their roles. They know what it takes for them to win."