Rose To Return In 8-12 Months After Successful Knee Surgery
By Adam Hoge-
CHICAGO (CBS) Breathe easy, Bulls fans.
Derrick Rose's knee surgery was deemed a success by Dr. Brian Cole, who performed the surgery and believes the Bulls point guard will return in 8-12 months.
Dr. Cole addressed the surgery Tuesday at Rush University Medical Center, saying the procedure went "extremely well" with no surprises.
"It was, I'd say, really routine," Dr. Cole said. "He had an isolated ACL tear, a medial meniscal tear that we fixed, and he had a small outer meniscal tear that we trimmed and should be of no significant consequence."
The two extra tears were not previously disclosed by the Bulls, but Dr. Cole said medial meniscal tears are common with ACL tears.
Dr. Cole believes Rose will be able to return to the basketball court in 8-12 months, saying the best case scenario is a January return and the worst case scenario is that he misses the entire 2012-13 season.
"While he will hopefully be at a very high level in 8-12 months, it still may take slightly longer for him to be at his pre-injury level. That's not uncommon in athletes of his caliber," Dr. Cole said.
The doctor also said some athletes come back stronger and it certainly helps that he is still only 23-years-old.
"Strength-wise, he's less likely to injure that knee again," Dr. Cole said.
Questions still remain about where Rose will do his rehab. He usually likes to spend his offseason in the Los Angeles area and trainer Fred Tedeschi said the two parties have yet to decide on a location.
"Wherever he is, it's safe to say we'll be there," Tedeschi said.
Meanwhile, the timetable given by Rose's doctor means the Bulls will definitely be without their MVP point guard for a big portion of next season, but Forman vowed not to let Rose's absence affect the team's long term plans.
"Obviously, short term, we're going to take a hit," Forman said. "Our thinking in general long term won't change at all, but short term obviously you don't replace Derrick and what he brings to the team and the production that he's got. But we're going to have to fill that spot, scrape it together in the meantime to fit in with our other guys."
And if there is any doubt about whether or not Rose is prepared mentally for the road ahead, both Dr. Cole and Tedeschi raved about the point guard's spirits and attitude about the recovery process.
"I can tell you he is doing great," Dr. Cole said. "He believes he will do this. His spirits are great."
