Thibodeau Right to Call Foul?

Tom Thibodeau is understandably frustrated with his team's 1-2 start and will look to right the ship Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers.  While waiting for his next battle, the head coach shared another frustration:  one that discusses the apparent lack of respect his superstar point guard is receiving.  Specifically, he complained how Derrick Rose has not had many foul calls go his way early on.

The 10 free-throw attempts through the first three games for Rose appear to give Thibodeau a legitimate gripe.  The fans side with him, too.  A SportsNation poll shows 84 percent of 805 voters as of late Tuesday night believe Rose should be getting the calls afforded to LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and others.  Perhaps this is due to a lack of initiative on Rose's part to appeal to the referees when a decision goes against him or his team.

Look, I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on how referees decide to call games.  Each one is different and how they feel on a given night can't be known.  We never know until after tipoff if a tight or loose game is in the works.  However, I don't think it's worth getting upset over a force the Bulls have no control over, lest they get slapped with a hefty fine.

Rose has worked extremely hard to get to where he is.  The drive he has to be the best in the league is one that can only be matched by the best players in league history.  Earlier eras suggest every player, even the stars, had to deal with a more physical sport.  Cracking down on that hard play is a recent trend which has turned some fans away from the NBA and others complaining that star treatment is more dominant than ever before.  Rose appears to be an exception to this newer rule.

The former MVP shouldn't need an assist from outside forces to succeed.  If he needs to get it done on his own, so be it.  Referees can give more calls to the stars who paid their dues long ago and Rose might have the same privileges one day.  Until then, this is how Rose has to win games.

In fact, it's rather surprising Thibodeau would even voice an opinion on this issue.  He's as old-school a coach as can be.  Never mind that other stars seem to be getting preferential treatment.  It seems to go against a lot of what he stands for, which includes hard-nosed defensive basketball that does whatever can within the rules to keep the rock from reaching your basket.  The referees shouldn't be a problem for him unless they've having an adverse effect on the outcome of a game.  Otherwise, you can't really protest judgment calls, at least how they're perceived at a given moment.

Fear not, Bulls fans.  Rose will head to the charity stripe a lot more this year.  He'll get his chances when he draws contact the right way.  In the meantime, he and Thibodeau should just worry how to get back to .500.  Doing it against the Pacers won't be easy, but a win would show everyone it will truly be a two-team race to the top of the Central.  Score, play defense and don't worry about the referees.  It's a game play every team should follow.