Chicago lost Friday night’s game against Portland 98-95 but the defeat was the least of their concerns.
Point guard Derrick led the Bulls with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists but was assisted to the locker room with 3:20 remaining in the third quarter. The team announced midway through the fourth quarter that he would not return to Friday night’s action. Rose left the arena on crutches and will undergo an MRI on Saturday.
“He has pain and felt like he couldn’t push off the right knee,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. “We’re not sure [of the specific diagnosis]. The doctor looked at him but he’s scheduled to have an MRI [on Saturday].”
In the 2012 playoffs, the Bulls star tore his ACL in his left knee during the playoffs, causing him to sit out the entire 2012-13 season for rehab purposes.
“I don’t want to speculate on what it is or what it might be other than my concern for him,” Thibodeau said of the injury. “I know how much work he’s put into his rehab, that’s the type of person he is, that’s the type of player he is. So concern for that, I feel for him because of all the things that he means to our team.”
Teammate Taj Gibson also expressed cautious optimism. “I didn’t see the play, I just saw him limping,” Gibson stated. “I didn’t think it was anything too serious. I was just hoping for the best. … He’s a strong guy. He worked extremely hard this summer trying to get his body right, working out every day. So it sucks that this has to happen but that’s what happens in this league. It’s a tough league.”
The Bulls are in the middle of a six-game road swing and will play on Sunday against the Clippers in Los Angeles. They’re already down a man since starting two Jimmy Butler sat out a second game with turf toe and will miss the entire road trip.
Update: The Bulls confirm that Rose has a torn meniscus that will require surgery. There’s no set timetable for him to return.
Update #2: Per the Chicago Bulls Twitter feed, “Earlier this morning, Derrick Rose underwent successful surgery to repair his previously torn medial meniscus in his right knee. The surgery was performed at Rush University Medical Center and Rose is out for the remainder of the season.”
Update #3: ESPN confirms through the Bulls that Rose will miss the rest of the season after opting for surgery on Monday. Per the report, the surgery was to be performed by Dr. Brian Cole, who performed the ACL surgery on Rose’s left knee in May 2012.
Photo: Getty