The Chicago Bulls are heading into a tough game on Friday against the Toronto Raptors after a solid start to the season and the team will likely be without Derrick Rose in the lineup, as he sat out of the shoot around for the team and due to his hamstring he may not be playing in the matchup in Canada.
Rose has been dogged by a couple injuries since making his comeback from serious knee surgery and he now is dealing with a hamstring issue that could hold him out for a bit. ESPN.com is reporting that Rose will likely be out for the game after working out on Thursday and he was held out of the shoot around on Friday by head coach Tom Thibodeau. Rose is the key for the Bulls this season as they try to make a championship run and now the 25-year-old star will have to see how things go before getting back on the court, as hamstring issues could linger.
The Bulls have been struggling offensively this season as they have started 3-3 and on Friday the team heads to Toronto to play against the Raptors and the team has said that they will work with medical staff to see what the best course of action is. The team wants to handle Rose with caution after he spent all last year on the sidelines recovering from his knee surgery and now he comes back to try and regain his MVP form this season. Rose and the Bulls are likely hoping that holding him out on Friday could enable him to play on Saturday, as the central division Pacers are on the schedule with an undefeated record.
The game marks the first back to back for the Bulls this season and that could be another reason why the team wants to hold him out for the game on Friday. The Bulls and Pacers are expected to be two of the top teams in eastern conference this season and the central division could be getting out of reach already this season with the Pacers playing so well.
The team is 3-3 on the season and looking to start playing more consistently and that needs to start now before the Pacers get too far ahead. The team is ranked 28th in scoring offense and while they are ranked third in defense, they need to get things going on the offensive side of the ball.