"In the case of Derrick Rose and his troublesome lower back, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau might have employed a little tomfoolery.

Both Thibodeau and Rose called his status a "game-time" decision at Friday morning's shootaround.

But C.J. Watson put his right hand on the Bible after being asked about the difficulty of not knowing until shortly before tipoff whether he would start.

"I knew (Rose) wasn't going to play," Watson said after the Bulls crushed Charlotte, 95-64. "I knew that (Thursday) because we have a big game coming up against Boston (on Sunday). I already knew, so …"

So Bulls fans who have been praying Thibodeau would rest Rose against horrid teams like the Bobcats got their wish.

Thanks to Watson's passing and big numbers from Joakim Noah (17 points and 14 rebounds in 31 minutes), the Bulls did not miss Rose.

The Bulls didn't even see him during the game. Rather than sit on the bench, Rose was with trainer Fred Tedeschi, apparently getting treatment on his back.

Thibodeau, speaking before Watson, did call the decision to sit Rose "precautionary. We just wanted to give him another day of rest and we will see where he is (Saturday).""