Derrick Rose is ready for the basketball season to begin now. According to Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, the All-Star is anxious to get back on the court after missing the entire 2012-13 season due to surgery to repair a torn ACL. While this is great news for Bulls fans, sadly for Rose the season is many months away.
According to HoopsHype, while speaking at an Adidas event in Madrid Rose told media that he is 100 percent healthy and will be completely ready to start the new season. Chicago will begin their 2013 season with a preseason game on Oct. 12, so unfortunately he still has to wait a while, but the statement should be music to Chicago fan's ears.
Rose has been rehabbing the highly scrutinized ACL tear for 14 months after suffering the original injury in April of 2012 during the NBA playoffs. Rose was expected to at least return for Chicago's playoff run this season, but sadly he remained courtside while watching his team get eliminated by the Miami Heat. This began a slew of hate being thrown the All-Star's way as many felt Rose was being selfish. However, his teammates and coaches stood by his side and now Thibodeau is saying Rose is looking more and more like his old MVP self.
Thibodeau said Rose is feeling and looking great, better than he has in a long time and that is all the team can ask of him. The head coach felt like Rose had earned the benefit of the doubt when it came to rehabbing his knee, while the point guard stressed that he needed to be selfish with the injury in order to secure a long-term career in basketball.
"I'm not a selfish guy at all, but having this injury and knowing what I had to go through and knowing that I had to be smart, this is something that I had to be selfish with," Rose said. "I couldn't worry about anyone else but myself and my health."
Rose spent most of last year away from media before hinting on his website that his comeback will indeed happen on Oct. 12. The Bulls were picked as one of the teams to represent the NBA on the foreign market. The Bulls will play in Rio de Janeiro to help increase basketball's world exposure.