This was briefly discussed when he was first drafted, and it was brought back up in the 'why don't the Bulls at least hype Rose?' post.
Are the Bulls serious about this cold-water treatment regarding Rose? Keeping him on the bench to start the season? All Paxson has done (in his brief appearances as assumed general manager) when talking about Rose was aimed at tempering expectations. Couple that with the odd commitment the Bulls have to Kirk Hinrich, and an 'apprenticeship' looks likely.
To me, there's no downside to having Rose start. I don't think the likelihood of him busting differs much whether he's thrown in the fire, or not. Either he's going to be great or he isn't, and the Bulls should be interested in finding out soon. And if he's merely OK, that's technically better than Hinrich was last year, a level which won't hurt the Bulls playoff chances this season.
I do see a downside in sitting him though. Hinrich's a capable player who will keep Rose on the bench more (both in every game and over the course of the season) than necessary. Yet, he'll be playing while always looking over his shoulder at the rookie inevitably taking his job (assuming the Bulls don't honestly try and make him a two-guard, yuck...actually this is a whole 'nother post). I'd rather Rose got used to playing with his best teammates instead of making entry passes to Aaron Gray. And I'd like for him to face tough competition right away as well.
I'm genuinely interested in gauging this amongst the community, so: