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Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Tuesday that Derrick Rose made the smart decision by sitting out all season after undergoing ACL surgery, and he also said the team will consider all options in trying to prevent further foot problems for Joakim Noah.

"Going into the season we knew Derrick would be out for an extended amount of time," Thibodeau said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "We didn't know how long. And in the end it just didn't work out. I think a byproduct of him being out, and of course a few other injuries, we saw the emergence of Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah had a career year."

That career year, however, did not come without a recurrence of his plantar fasciitis.

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We're trying to figure (out how to prevent more foot problems)," Thibodeau said. "He needs rest right now to get completely healthy, and then we're going to look at the possibility of doing some corrective exercises, and things like that.

"So we'll look at the entire picture, but the main thing is to make sure he gets completely healthy this summer."

Noah has battled plantar fasciitis for years. He missed two months in the 2010-11 season with it and it flared up again this season as he missed 12 of the last 15 games of the regular season and limped through an inspired playoff performance.

Thibodeau was asked specifically if the team has considered asking Noah to change shoes. He's the only player in the NBA to wear Le Coq Sportif, which is made in France and was worn by his father Yannick when he was a tennis champion in the 1980s.

"As I said, we're going to look at everything, and then we're going to determine what we think is best for him," Thibodeau said. "But I think he's comfortable with the shoes, but we will re-examine all things that we can look at."

Thibodeau also was asked about the amount of minutes he demands from his players. Noah was tied for 16th in the league at 36.8 minutes in the regular season while teammate Luol Deng, who has battled wrist issues, led the league at 38.7 minutes per game.

"Luol has shown us that he can handle big minutes," Thibodeau said. "Now the thing that we're concerned about with Joakim is that he's been hurt whether he's played short minutes, long minutes and really this is the only year that he's played extended minutes. His minutes have been on the low side for a long time. But we will look at everything."

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said Friday he has received congratulatory text messages from Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"Tom texted the other day," Quenneville said after Friday's practice at the United Center. "It was nice to hear from him. … He was happy for us. He's texted a couple times. I told him he was doing a nice job shoveling the other day (at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bulls practice facility)."

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Tom Thibodeau's appointment as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball team couldn't have come at a much better time for the Chicago Bulls. Not only is it a personal honor for one of the best coaches in the league, but it could also serve as a huge asset for an organization that wants to add another star to pair with Derrick Rose in the future.

Thibodeau has developed a reputation as one of the league's best coaches and All-Star players always sing his praises when asked about the Bulls. With Rose’s knee injury looming over the start of last season, Kevin Durant said last summer he knew the Bulls would be just fine because of the veteran coach's presence.

"Thibodeau is an unbelievable coach," Durant said. "They have an unbelievable system. Their defense is great and they play together. So if you have that combination, no matter what, you're going to be a good team."

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CHICAGO -- When Jerry Reinsdorf's group bought the Chicago Bulls in 1985, the team practiced at no-frills Angel Guardian Gym, a shuttered high school/orphanage, on the North Side.

"I remember walking in and talking to the players for the first time and you couldn't even stand up," Reinsdorf said Monday. "I was shocked at that."

The Bulls quickly moved to the Deerfield Multiplex fitness club, a tremendous upgrade, albeit with limited privacy, before moving to the Berto Center in Deerfield in 1992.

The Bulls had a ceremonial groundbreaking Monday in parking lot J for their new practice facility, which will be adjacent to the United Center. The 60,000-square-foot facility should be ready for the 2014-15 season and will be a major upgrade from Berto, as far as space and modern amenities. It also provides closer proximity for the basketball and business operations departments; the latter is housed in the United Center. The team will sell naming rights to the facility.

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CHICAGO -- Summer means vacation for NBA players who don't make the Finals, and the Chicago Bulls hope their players use this free time to recharge for what hopes to be a healthy regular season.

From Derrick Rose's much-debated knee rehab to Kirk Hinrich's never-ending injuries to Luol Deng's season-ending illness, the Bulls season recap needed American Medical Association approval.

The Bulls have put together great regular seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau, but haven't been able to field healthy lineups in the postseason the last two years. With no money for new players, the Bulls need the expensive ones they have to be healthy. Something has to change.

"After this year, which was about as tough a year, we started out with Derrick's injury and then all the other things that happened, we really need to focus on getting our guys right and healthy," Bulls vice president for basketball operations John Paxson said at the team's groundbreaking for its new practice facility adjacent to the United Center.

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Nick Friedell looks at each member of the Chicago Bulls and how they fit in for the future.

Tom Thibodeau

Season recap: Thibodeau proved again why he is one of the best coaches in the NBA. He took a team led by Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and a lot of spare parts on the bench and turned them into a 45-game winner and into the second round against the Miami Heat. The Bulls knew they were going to take a step back this year without Derrick Rose, but Thibodeau made sure it wasn't much as the Bulls played hard almost every night and set a tone defensively that was respected throughout the league.

Season highlight: Playing without Kirk Hinrich (calf) and Luol Deng (illness), the Bulls still found a way to win Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in Brooklyn against the Nets. It was the defining win of the Thibodeau era in Chicago and one he has to be proud of as he starts the offseason.

Season lowlight: In November, Thibodeau's team lost three straight regular season games for the first time in his tenure. The three-game losing skid included losses to the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets.

Final grades: Regular season: A Postseason: A

Notes: Thibodeau's big challenge will be integrating Rose back into the lineup this summer. He will need to find a way to make his former MVP most comfortable. He definitely did that in the public eye this past season by standing behind Rose throughout the process. Thibodeau never wavered in his support for Rose and that should pay dividends in that relationship moving forward.

Quotes: "We're not satisfied because we feel like there's still a lot to accomplish," Thibodeau said after the Game 7 win in Brooklyn. "You begin the season with the end in mind knowing that you're going to be going through a lot of different things and you have to have the perseverance and mental toughness to get through a lot of tough things. And this was one of those things. We lost some guys along the way, they had homecourt ... we took a big punch in Game 1 and we kept fighting back and that's been the story of the season."

What's next?: Thibodeau continues to squeeze the most out of his roster but for the third year in a row his team hobbled its way to the finish line. He is always going to coach with the same passion and fire but he is facing more critics about the way he splits up his minutes. The front office will likely sit down with Thibodeau this summer and see if they can get him to take his foot off the gas just a little bit during the regular season.

A person with knowledge of the details says Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams will join the returning Jim Boeheim as assistant coaches for the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.

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Television analyst Stacey King said one thing should change next season in order to help the Chicago Bulls perform better in the postseason.

"The coaching staff is going to have to dial down a little bit during the regular season," King said Thursday on "The Carmen & Jurko Show" on ESPN 1000. "Because I think now three years in a row you've seen the Bulls players ... they had the best record the first two years (of coach Tom Thibodeau's tenure), and then at the end of the season they're breaking down.

"That can be attributed to a lot of different things, but I think that's extended minutes. I think they're going to have to dial back on playing time on some of these guys, Luol Deng, your veteran players, Joakim Noah, playing 44, 45 minutes a night, you just can't do that."

Deng led the league during the regular season at 44.8 minutes per game. He has a wrist injury and missed the Eastern Conference semifinals after complications arose from a spinal tap designed to detect spinal meningitis.

Noah was 43rd in the league at 34.1 mpg and has dealt with plantar fasciitis throughout the season.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The Chicago Bulls' unofficial slogan heading into the 2013-14 season will be "Beat the Heat."

The theme already started in earnest Thursday, one day after the team's season ended with an Eastern Conference semifinals defeat at the hands of LeBron James and Co.

Coach Tom Thibodeau made that very case a part of his final address to the team at the Berto Center, especially since the Heat eliminated the Bulls from the playoffs two of the past three seasons.

"That's the only point," Taj Gibson said. "Right now we have a lot of free agents. We had a lot of guys on one-year deals. I think that we had a strong case to beat the Heat. Most of our bench players and starting players had heavy minutes and that's good an all but with the guys we had I think we had a shot.

"I'm looking forward to next year. It just depends on who we have coming in. If we have the same guys back that would be great and we would have a strong case for beating them. That's the main thing Thibs mostly said, just get guys back healthy and motivated to make a strong comeback. He believes we can beat them."

Despite free agents like Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli, Nazr Mohammed, Vladimir Radmanovic and Daequan Cook, the Bulls will still return a solid starting five. Derrick Rose will be joined by Jimmy Butler in the backcourt, while Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah will line the frontcourt.

"We'll have to see," Thibodeau said when asked if the Bulls can overcome the Heat. "We have a lot of work to do to do with that. Miami, you have to give them a lot of credit. They are the defending champion, they are playing at a high level, and it takes a big-time commitment to beat them."

Which leads to another theme of Thibodeau's final address to the team. This summer will play as crucial of a role as any in next year's success.

"Jimmy, I thought, had a terrific year and it started last summer," Thibodeau said. "His commitment to work and improvement was special. Actually, I spoke to him for a while, and he's already talking about this summer and what he wants to do, and he'll be back here shortly. He'll take a brief vacation. You just love his attitude and approach."

Thibodeau hopes that the next young player to take advantage of the offseason and make himself productive the following year is guard Marquis Teague, who is scheduled to participate in the summer league.

Perhaps good health and improved youngsters will give the Bulls what it finally takes to get past the Heat, because it will take more than they had this season. Thibodeau, though, still wasn't backing off his claim that his team still had enough to beat the defending champs, even shorthanded.

"As I said, I wish we could have played a little better in this series," Thibodeau said. "I thought [Wednesday] night's game was very winnable, couldn't close it out. I thought we played well in Game 3, couldn't win that one, but it gives us something to work toward."

DEERFIELD, Ill. – Although he wasn't on the premises Thursday, Derrick Rose remained the topic of conversation at the Berto Center, one day after the Chicago Bulls' season ended in an Eastern Conference semifinals defeat to the Miami Heat.

Rose and Joakim Noah had permission to skip coach Tom Thibodeau's final meeting and both reportedly remained in Florida.

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DEERFIELD. Ill. -- Rest and recovery is now on tap for many Chicago Bulls players now that the season has come to a close.

The walking wounded included Joakim Noah and his sore feet, Kirk Hinrich and his calf injury, Luol Deng and his complications from a spinal tap and, of course, Derrick Rose, who still needs to regain the necessary confidence after his ACL injury last April.

Coach Tom Thibodeau seemed most concerned with the health of Noah and Deng. Asked if Noah would need surgery for plantar fasciitis that has affected both of his feet since coming into the league, Thibodeau said that route hasn't been determined.

"Obviously, we'd like to avoid the surgery," Thibodeau said. "He has responded a lot better. He has found something that has worked. Hopefully the surgery won't be necessary."

As for Deng, who was never able to get completely healthy after the spinal tap before the final series of the season against the Miami Heat, rest will be the key.

"He's actually feeling better," Thibodeau said. "But he's de-conditioned. It was a very unusual circumstance. We have to make sure that he's completely healthy."

In addition, Taj Gibson will have a knee and ankle injury checked out as the summer moves forward.

It all made for Thibodeau's toughest coaching challenge.

"I think every year you're faced with new and different challenges," Thibideau said. "The Derrick part, we had an opportunity to prepare for. We had no idea going into the season what would happen. Would we get him back after the break? Would he miss the whole year? We knew that was a possibility. You hope for the best and plan for the worst. There were a number of other injuries we had to deal with. I loved the fight in the team."

MIAMI -- For the second consecutive year, the Chicago Bulls head into the summer knowing that their team will look a lot different in October than it did at the end of the season.

The Bulls' core, led by a presumably healthy Derrick Rose, will be largely intact barring a major trade this summer. The same cannot be said about the bench. With that in mind, let's take a quick look at the Bulls roster and see who will likely be returning next year. And decide for yourself with our Take Him or Trash Him.

Derrick Rose: After sitting out the entire season as he recovers from a torn ACL, the 24-year-old superstar will have a lot of pressure on him to produce. As long as he is mentally ready to go, he should be fine. He's also the only untouchable on this roster.

Joakim Noah: The emotional big man enters into the third year of his $60 million contract. He played at an All-Star level this year but he knows he must find a way to get his foot problems in order.

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After their Game 3 loss, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau stated his team would have to do the following: "We're going to have to play our best game on Monday. When you play this team, you need a lot of mental, physical and emotional toughness. We're not going to get the calls."

Then his team did the exact opposite. It didn't match the mental, physical or emotional toughness of the squad they are going up against, and the refs were a total non-factor in why the Bulls suffered one of the most disheartening losses in franchise playoff history.

We all saw how bad it was (midway through the third quarter the Bulls had only made 12 field goals) and how bad it got (they shot 25.7 percent for the game, 11.8 percent from three-point range). We all saw how the Bulls had nothing left to give, how losing Game 3 took every inch of everything they had out of them, how eventually their overachieving ways finally caught up with them.

We saw the end.

But to give up on these Bulls after all they've been through and done to get to a Game 5 against the Heat would be a punk move. Weak and shallow. Backbone-less. If anything, especially after proving that they are one of the hardest "outs" left standing in the NBA playoffs, Game 5 should be the game they are expected to win. Even after seeing what we just saw Monday night.

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has been fined $35,000 for his postgame comments regarding the officiating in Game 3.

"I see how things are going, I watch very closely," Thibodeau said after Game 3. "We're not going to get calls, that's reality."

Thibodeau, who had already spoken to reporters before news of the fine was released, said through a Bulls PR representative that he had no comment and was only focused on Game 4.

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CHICAGO -- It's a miracle he lasted this long. There have been so many different moments that have tested the extremes of his patience. But finally on Friday night, Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau reached his breaking point.

In a no-luck season where the Bulls have manufactured a commendable run, Thibodeau has been the constant rock. He probably should not be blamed for cracking after the Miami Heat won Game 3, 104-94, to expectedly take control of the series, 2-1.

You understand it, but it's still wrong.

In the game's final moments, Thibodeau just stared down with an unflinching and accusatory glare at veteran official Joey Crawford, who stared right back at him. The slow burn continued when Thibodeau, who has an iron reputation for rejecting excuses, blamed the officials for his team's plight in the series.

Watching the Bulls fight with their backups so vigilantly, pushing the Heat to the brink, it's easy to forget just how preposterously outmanned they are.

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