The long awaited return of Derrick Rose was finally upon us, and it seemed as if he was finally starting to get back into his groove. After a rough first 10 games back, Rose was leading the Bulls with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists with 3:02 left in the third quarter against the Portland Trailblazers. On what seemed to be a very routine play, Rose planted and turned to run up the court to get back on defense and fell to the court.
Rose was helped off and put no pressure on his right leg. We have since learned that Rose’s injury is a medial meniscus tear, and while not as a serious as an ACL tear, it’s still a major setback not only on Rose’s game, but on his confidence.
Rose’s confidence is the reason he missed the entire 12-13 season , one that many thought he should have returned in. Now needing surgery, a process that should require around 3 months of healing, the Bulls are left waiting for another return. It was tough to say if Rose would ever be the same after ACL surgery and now that crystal ball just got even foggier.
What makes this injury harder to swallow than the last one is the fact that there is nowhere to place the blame. Coach Tom Thibodeau received most of the blame for playing Rose too much when he tore his ACL during a first round playoff game in which the Bulls were blowing out the Sixers with under 1:30 left to play. This time however, it was in the third quarter, on a routine play, in a game that the Bulls ended up losing by three. At this point, there’s not much left to do but wait…again.
