Bulls point guard Derrick Rose starred with 39 points, seven assists and six rebounds against the Pistons on Saturday night.

Chicago trailed by 21 points in the third quarter and were still down by 13 points moments into the fourth. The Bulls then went on a 19-2 run, lead by Rose, who scored eight points in the final period.

"I'm just taking the shots that they gave me," Rose said.

"They're giving me wide open shots. I'm going to take them. They're giving me wide open lanes, I'm going to drive it. My teammates gave me the confidence to do that."

Carmelo Anthony made perhaps his most revealing public comments to date concerning the stalemate between him and the Denver Nuggets.

"They [Nuggets management] want to sit down and talk, but my thing is it?s way beyond this year.  It ain?t got nothing to do with the new GM, Josh [Kroenke], the players. For me, I feel it?s a time for change," Anthony said.

"If I do nothing now, I?m never going to do anything. I feel like my time is now to make a decision if I want to leave or if I want to stay," he continued.

Sources say Anthony is worried about joining a team that has gutted its roster to acquire him, and one source doesn't think he has warmed much to the idea of playing for the Nets.

Anthony has the Knicks and Bulls at the top of his wish list.  Sources say the Knicks don't have the assets to make a credible offer and the Nuggets didn't have a lot of interest in acquiring Luol Deng and his large contract.

Yet the Nuggets are still expected to deal Anthony before the trade deadline rather than risk losing him without compensation next summer.

Anthony continues to maintain that he is not as concerned about money as he is in controlling his destiny.  And he says that he does not dwell on the maximum-salary extension offer from Denver that remains on the table.

"I can?t go out there playing and thinking like that. I won?t be able to be as effective as I can be out there thinking like that," he said.

Bulls forward Carlos Boozer will have the cast removed from his right hand next week and will begin rehabilitating soon after.

Boozer broke his right pinkie on Oct. 2 after falling over a bag in his house.

"I get the cast off next Tuesday," Boozer said.

"And then they have to take the pins out. They'll put like a soft cast on for a few days, and then I'll start my rehab and I'll be back out there."

Boozer signed a five-year deal with the Bulls this summer.

Alan Hahn cites people with direct knowledge of the situation who insist that Denver still hopes to persuade Carmelo Anthony to sign a extension with the Nuggets.

Denver is reportedly not as high on the Nets' trade offer as some had believed.

"Despite the perceived value of the Nets' offer, I'm also told the Nuggets are not all that enamored with 19-year-old rookie Derrick Favors," writes Hahn.

The Bulls are looking at guard Patrick Beverley, who was waived by the Heat on Monday, according to front-office sources.

Chicago can't sign Beverley before he clears waivers on Thursday, unless they are willing to absorb his previous contract.

The Bulls released two point guards -- John Lucas III and Kyle Weaver -- in their final cuts.

The Chicago Bulls announced Monday the team has exercised its fourth-year option for the 2011-12 season for guard Derrick Rose and its third-year options for the 2011-12 season for forwards Taj Gibson and James Johnson.  

By exercising the respective player options, all three players will be under contract with the Bulls for the 2011-12 season.

Keith Bogans will be the starting shooting guard for the Bulls to begin the 2010-11 season.

Bogans beat out Ronnie Brewer, who suffered a hamstring injury during the preseason.

"He's just been solid," coach Tom Thibodeau said.

"He's done all the things we expected of him. He's a very good defensive player, spreads the floor so he can shoot the 3. He's a tough competitor. He's earned it."

Bogans started 59 games for the Spurs last season. He was signed as a free agent to provide leadership, defense and 3-point shooting.

Bulls forward Luol Deng has been red-hot this preseason, shooting 50.6% from the field and 51.3% from three-point land.

Deng credits his hot shooting to a summer of basketball, including a stint with the Great Britain national team.

He was forced to sit out the entire 2009 offseason as he recovered from a stress fracture in his right tibia.

"I don't like to take summers off," Deng said. "Last summer was really hard for me. Three days before preseason is when I started playing live. This year, I came into camp in shape and I played continually. And that really helped my confidence."

The Bulls have until Nov. 1 to decide whether or not to pick up the third-year option on forward James Johnson.

Chicago drafted Johnson in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft.

Many predicted that Johnson would be the odd man out in the Bulls' rotation, but a recent hot streak has improved his stock slightly.

"I just didn't want to have one good game in Toronto and take three games off," Johnson said. "I feel like if we need energy off the bench, then I'm going to be the guy who fills that role."

The Chicago Bulls announced on Thursday that the team has requested waivers on guards John Lucas III, Kyle Weaver, and forward Roger Powell.

Lucas III (5-11, 165) saw action in five preseason games with the Bulls and averaged 2.2 ppg and 0.8 apg in 6.4 mpg.

Weaver (6-6, 201) played in three preseason contests and posted averages of 2.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.7 rpg and 8.7 mpg.

Powell (6-6, 225) appeared in one preseason game and recorded two points and one board in two minutes of play.

Chicago?s roster now stands at 13.