For obvious reasons, Derrick Rose's buzzer-beating three-pointer to force overtime received much of the attention after the Bulls' 119-116 victory against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at the United Center.

Despite the Bulls' struggles at the start of games in the last couple of weeks, coach Tom Thibodeau has resisted the urge to change the starting lineup -- other than, of course, reinserting Carlos Boozer into the lineup when he was activated -- and said the team as a whole needs to improve.

Derrick Rose was standing at his locker surrounded by reporters as he talked about his buzzer-beating heroics in the Bulls' 119-116 overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night when Rockets center (and former Bull) Brad Miller walked into the room.''A-hole ... a-hole ... a-hole,'' Miller whispered (not using the abbreviation) from the back of the pack.

BOSTON -- Bulls center Joakim Noah made his feelings about Kevin Garnett known a few weeks ago when he called the Boston Celtics forward ''mean'' and said Garnett was particularly harsh during Noah's rookie season.

All the momentum the Bulls built with inspiring play during the recent seven-game road trip has disappeared after back- to-back flat performances -- the latest being a 104-92 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday. After their first winning record on the annual mid-November trip since the championship era, the Bulls have dropped two straight.

Much of the talk after practice at the Berto Center was about Heat forward LeBron James' return to Cleveland for the first time Thursday night.

With Day 1 of Carlos Boozer's Bulls career in the books, the 6-9 forward couldn't wait for Day 2.

For some reason, Carlos Boozer was asked Tuesday if the Bulls were Derrick Rose's team.

Well, this wasn't the script the Bulls or Carlos Boozer had in mind for the power forward's debut with his new team.

Rick Morrissey: Carlos Boozer walked into the United Center 2½ hours before game time Wednesday, a camera crew struggling to stay in front of both him and all the suspense. There hadn't been this much anticipation for a player since, when? Derrick Rose's debut two years ago?

Carlos Boozer has watched every Bulls game this season from the bench and said he has been impressed with what he has seen.

It might not be determined until an hour or so before the game tonight against the Orlando Magic at the United Center whether Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson will play.

Rick Telander: I am really excited about the Chicago Bulls. I know old scribes like moi are supposed to be jaded and critical and cynical and nostalgic and mean to little kids. I am all those things. And yet these new Bulls fill me with holiday cheer. Here's what I like about them: With a basketball in his palm and defenders in front of him, Derrick Rose is the fastest...

Officially, the Bulls say they are unsure when Carlos Boozer will be ready to play in a game. But after listening to Boozer and coach Tom Thibodeau talk following the power forward's first full-contact practice Monday, there's little doubt Boozer will be in the starting lineup Wednesday when the Bulls host the Orlando Magic at the United Center.

At least when it comes to basketball, Tom Thibodeau is not a big-picture kind of guy and doesn't spend a lot of time reflecting on accomplishments. So when it was mentioned to him late Saturday night in Sacramento after a 96-85 comeback win over the Kings that he was the first Bulls coach to guide his team to a winning record on the annual mid-November road trip since...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- For two straight days, Carlos Boozer has been on the court before games working on post moves around the basket and shooting jumpers. He has looked good and plans to participate in a full-contact workout Monday when the Bulls return to the Berto Center.

The heartbreaking loss Friday in Denver still was a hot topic before the Bulls wrapped up their seven-game road trip Saturday night with a 96-85 victory over the Sacramento Kings at ARCO Arena. Many people were second-guessing coach Tom Thibodeau's decision to have John Lucas on the court when the Bulls had the ball with 24 seconds left protecting a one-point lead.

DENVER -- Carlos Boozer participated in the Bulls' shootaround for the first time on Friday before the game against the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center.

With Derrick Rose back in the locker room nursing a stiff neck and Taj Gibson ineffective and mostly sitting on the bench with a right foot/ankle injury, the Bulls' chances of producing another improbable win seemed thinner than their bench Friday night -- especially after falling behind by 19 points.

DENVER -- The saga of Taj Gibson's mysterious right foot/ankle injury continues, and his status for tonight's game against the Denver Nuggets is unclear at this point.

The Bulls' 123-115 double-overtime victory against the Phoenix Suns late Wednesday night was the epitome of how they've won three of the first five games on the usually crippling circus trip for an 8-5 overall record. The Bulls were far from perfect and made a slew of mistakes in falling behind by 23 in the first quarter, but they overcame it all with a gritty, determined effort.

PHOENIX -- After concluding this seven-game road trip Saturday in Sacramento, the Bulls return home Sunday. They will practice on Monday and Tuesday before facing the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at the United Center.

About an hour before the Bulls played the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night at US Airways Center, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about the status of forward Taj Gibson. Thibodeau said Gibson -- who missed practice Sunday and Monday with a pinched nerve on the outside of his right foot -- was showing no ill effects after playing 40 minutes the previous night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

LOS ANGELES -- With this being the 20th anniversary of the Bulls' first championship season, then-Bulls coach Phil Jackson was asked Tuesday to recall his favorite moment of the 1990-91 season.

Bulls power forward Taj Gibson's trip to the doctor Monday ended well, with the foot ailment he has been dealing with the last few days being declared nothing significant. But Gibson received a scare when he tried to read the faces of the doctors as they assessed his MRI exam.