The Chicago Bulls expect to get Derrick Rose back on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers after the point guard missed two games with an ankle injury. Mike Dunleavy remains out, while Joakim Noah comes into the game feeling "frustrated" after a tough performance against the Warriors.
The Bulls have been using Kirk Hinrich and E'Twaun Moore with Rose out and with his return, Hinrich will be back on the bench. According to ESPN Chicago, Rose was able to practice as a full participant on Monday and he is on track to play against the Blazers on Tuesday night. Head coach Fred Hoiberg said that Rose would start as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks and Hoiberg added that Rose coming in for Hinrich is the only change to the starting lineup that he is making.
Rose could see limited minutes in his first game back, with Hoiberg saying to the Chicago Tribune that it would depend "on how he feels in the morning." Rose has not played a game in Portland since he suffered a serious knee injury back in 2013 and he will be looking to have a strong game as he comes back from his left ankle injury. The Bulls come in having won four of five games, losing only to undefeated Golden State and now they have another good opportunity for a win against Portland.
The return of Rose is big for the Bulls and the team is hoping that he can have an extended run without missing any more time for the team. Rose is averaging 13.6 points and six assists in 10 games this season and he is shooting 37 percent from the floor. The Bulls are still without Mike Dunleavy this season and he has not yet suited up for the team while dealing with a back issue. According to KC Johnson at the Chicago Tribune, Dunleavy has been able to start doing "side-to-side work" for the Bulls, but he does not have a set return date.
Tony Snell and Doug McDermott have been getting more playing time with Dunleavy out and the Bulls hope to have him back over the next month or so. Jonson reported earlier in the month that Dunleavy was starting to do running drills and CSN Chicago reported in the middle of November that Dunleavy could return in around two weeks. The timetable is still not set for Dunleavy, but he was initially thought to be out for eight to 10 weeks and that would put him on track to be back in December.
Joakim Noah comes into the game after a self-described frustrating performance against the Warriors. Noah had zero points with seven rebounds, one steal and four turnovers against Golden State and after the game, Noah said to KC Johnson that he is "frustrated with the way I'm playing" and that "I'm trying to figure it out, keep working." Noah has been struggling this season and he has been out of the starting lineup for most of the year for Hoiberg, coming off the bench instead. Noah is averaging 2.5 points and eight rebounds per game this season. Adding to all of that, Pau Gasol said that he wants the ball more and he has been off to a slow start, averaging 13 points this season, which is down from last year.
