He’s getting closer. Just over four weeks after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus, Derrick Rose participated in the contact portion of Chicago Bulls practice today for the first time since the procedure.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says the 2011 MVP performed well during Wednesday’s session, confirming that this is a crucial step in his road back to game action. Here’s K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:
“He was aggressive,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He was a little winded, but we expected that. But overall, I thought it was good. He said he feels good physically. The big thing is going to be the wind and conditioning. He’s been out a long time.”
[…]
“This is the next step. We’ll know more as he goes forward,” Thibodeau said. “Obviously, he needs some practice time where he’s taking contact. But it will come. The more he does that, the faster it will come.”
The Bulls scrimmaged full-court for two 10-minute sessions, though it was 4-on-4 because Pau Gasol, Mike Dunleavy, Aaron Brooks and Kirk Hinrich were given a rest and maintenance day and were excused from the scrimmage.
Rose said last week that he would soon finish practice uninhibited and that he would return to the court “1-2 weeks” thereafter. The Bulls originally estimated his recovery process at 4-6 weeks, and the superstar point guard is right on track to meet the back-half of that timeline.
Watching his floor general go full-bore has instilled even more confidence in Joakim Noah.
Noah on Rose: "We know when Derrick’s back right, he takes our team to a whole other level."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 30, 2015
Certainly.
But the question then becomes whether or not Rose will ever be “right.” It’s unreasonable to expect him to come back and play like his MVP self, and perhaps even to his reduced level of performance during 2014-2015’s first half. Will a further marginalized Rose be enough to put a healthy Bulls team over the top in the East?
We doubt it. With Rose back on the floor, though, the possibility exists at the very least.
The playoffs begin on April 18. Chicago has eight games remaining in the regular season.
