Derrick Rose has been recovering from an ACL tear that has sidelined him since late April of last year. Many hoped Rose would be ready to play by the All-Star game, but that weekend has come and gone and still no Rose on the court. However, it looks like Bulls fans might be closer to seeing their favorite player in the starting line. According ESPN Chicago, Rose has been cleared by his own doctors to return to basketball.
Rose wants to play, however he has stated in the past that if he does not feel ready, he will not hesitate to sit out the rest of the season in order to be properly healed. Rose had surgery to repair the torn ACL on May 12 of last year. He has been practicing and participating in team scrimmages and has told the team he feels confident he can dunk off his left foot. However, he is not 100 percent mentally ready to be back on competition.
The team is not pressuring Rose to return. Reports surfaced that team leaders and outside endorsures were pushing Rose to make a comeback sooner rather than later. They are hoping he can make a mid-March return to the lineup which would be 10 months after the original injury occurred. Rose now just has to trust that his body is ready to play again.
Rose returning would help an injured Bulls team. Guard Kirk Hinrich is out, along with consistent injuries to Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has been accused in the past for keeping his players in games for too long and overuse is starting to become an issue with the team. Overuse did not play a role in Rose's injury.
Chicago is currently locked into the sixth spot on the Eastern Conference finals. Barring any sort of meltdown, they should make the playoffs. They are 12 games back from conference leader, Miami Heat. In 2012, Rose averaged 21.8 points per game, along with 7.9 assists. The Bulls need him for the late season push and to be able to make a run at the playoffs.
