Derrick Rose has reportedly made up his mind about a return to basketball. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Rose is on the verge of ending the self-imposed exile he took as he tried to decide whether he wanted to continue playing basketball, and the former MVP is going to return to the Cavaliers.
Rose, who has missed the team’s last 12 games due to an ankle injury in addition to his exile, flew to Cleveland on Monday and intends on getting ready to take the floor.
After a self-imposed exile, guard Derrick Rose flew to Cleveland this morning and plans to report to the Cavaliers practice facility, league sources tell ESPN. He’s expected to meet with front office officials and begin the process of returning to the team.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 4, 2017
The Cavaliers were optimistic about Rose eventually making his return to the team after talking to him during his time away from the squad, despite the fact that he was reportedly “tired of being hurt and it’s taking a toll on him mentally.” This year, Rose has only played in seven of the team’s 23 games — he missed four games towards the beginning of a year due to an injury in addition to his recent stint away from hoops.
The veteran guard is averaging 14.3 points and 1.7 assists per game on the season. Cleveland has been leaning heavily on LeBron James to initiate the team’s offense during Rose’s absence, and as is usually the case when LeBron shoulders the load for the team, it’s worked out well. The Cavs are the hottest team in the NBA, winning 11 games in a row.
With Rose’s impending return and Isaiah Thomas‘ debut seemingly on the horizon, Cleveland is going to have its full point guard rotation sometime in the next month for the first time all season.
UPDATE: The Cavaliers have made Rose’s return official. The team released a statement saying he will work on rehabilitating his bum ankle, and there is no timetable for his return.
“Starting on Monday, December 4, Cavaliers guard Derrick Rose will resume the treatment and rehabilitation process for his left ankle injury at Cleveland Clinic Courts as the next step in his return to the team,” the statement said. “Rose’s status will be updated as appropriate when he reaches the point of returning to play.”
