With the regular season winding down, time is running out for injured Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose to return. The Chicago Tribune indicated in a story on Thursday night that Rose sitting out the season is all but a certainty as he continues to work his way back from knee surgery last May.
Rose was cleared by doctors to begin scrimmaging on Feb. 18 but has insisted that he’ll play only when he feels ready. The former NBA MVP hasn’t ruled out the possibility of coming back yet this season — maybe for the playoffs — but time is quickly running out.
Asked whether Bulls management should have stated from the beginning that Rose would miss the entrie season rather that saying he would return at some point, coach Tom Thibodeau said, according to the Tribune. “They were just being forthright. That’s what everyone thought. We didn’t know, and we still don’t know. We were just being honest.
“Obviously, you can look back and say that now, but we never felt that way. We knew it was the type of injury that takes time, so you just want to do what you feel is right. We feel like we’ve done that.”
Thibodeau left open the possibility of Rose, 24, getting back on the court for the playoffs but said Rose won’t bow to fan and media pressure.
“This guy has done an incredible job with his career, with this franchise, and we understand how important it is,” Thibodeau said. “We knew (missing the season) would be a possibility all along.”
New York forward Carmelo Anthony offered his take before the Knicks’ loss to the Bulls on Thursday night.
“I don’t think he should come back,” Anthony said. “And that’s my opinion.”