After missing 20 games due to knee surgery, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is expected to return to action Wednesday night in a road game against the Orlando Magic.
Rose has been out since Feb. 24 after sustaining an injury to his right medial meniscus for the second time. Rose missed all of the 2013-14 season while recovering from the injury after a major surgery to repair the knee.
He was initially expected to miss the rest of the season after re-injuring the knee, but received a better prognosis after what was only a minor surgery in late February.
“It feels the same,” Rose said Wednesday about returning to action. “I’ve been putting a lot of work in, busting my ass to get back and I’m just happy that I’m able to come back to a team where I think we’re playing all right basketball. I think defensively we’re playing good, so offensively I shouldn’t have to worry about it, just come back and play the way that I normally play.”
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Wednesday that Rose would not play a lot of minutes in his return, and aims to limit his minutes to 20 against the Magic. Despite his limited minutes, Rose’s teammates and coaches believe that his presence on the floor will give them a much-needed boost in terms of morale and efficiency.
“Just him being on the floor is a plus for our team,” Thibodeau said. “I’m not expecting him to play 35 minutes. I’m not expecting him to score 30 points. Just go out there, run the team, play to your strengths, cover up your weaknesses, make your teammates better. That’s all I want him to do.”
Barring any setbacks on Wednesday night, the team is hopeful that Rose will be able to play in the second half of Thursday’s back-to-back against the Miami Heat. The Bulls have just five games remaining in the regular season, and would like to use the final portion of their schedule to rebuild chemistry and conditioning for Rose before the playoffs begin.
“I’m going to be winded for sure,” Rose said. “Just missing so many weeks, so many days, you’re going to be winded. But that comes along with just coming back from surgery. And just not playing the game in a couple weeks.”
Rose, who has averaged 18.4 points, 5.0 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 40 percent field goal shooting, and 3.2 turnovers in 46 games this season, joked with reporters that the time off put him in a good spot to be fresh for the playoffs.
“It gave me a little time to rest,” he said. “Gave me a little time to rest. Everybody else is beating each other up, I’m coming in fresh. I will only get better so it’s a little bit of excitement from my end.”
Bulls point guard Aaron Brooks has played well in Rose’s absence, averaging 15.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game in the month of March on 42 percent shooting. Despite Brooks’ solid output, the Bulls have stumbled to a 10-10 record in Rose’s absence, and will benefit greatly from his return, even in a season where nearly all of his numbers are down.
Chicago is currently third in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 46-31.
Rose’s return certainly diminishes Brook’s fantasy value, but it’d be best to be patient with Rose, as he likely needs a few games to get back in rhythm, and won’t make for a good play until the last 2-3 games of the season and into the playoffs.
