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Derrick Rose On Injury: 'I Had To Be Selfish'

(CBS) Derrick Rose hasn't said much since tearing his ACL over 14 months ago, but he recently sat down with the Bulls' web site in a video interview and discussed how hard it was for him to miss the postseason.

"I'm not a selfish guy at all," Rose told BullsTV. "But having this injury and knowing what I had to go through and being smart, this is something I had to be selfish with. I couldn't worry about anyone else but myself and my health."

Rose took a lot of heat from fans and media during the playoffs because he never ruled out a return while the team was battling a seemingly endless amount of injuries. He was also practicing at full strength and playing well. In the end though, he never felt comfortable enough to return to game action.

"When you're in practice, of course it's not game-like speed unless it's like training camp," Rose said. "Game-like experience is totally different. You have strategies. You have double-teams. When I play, I get double-teamed a lot. We play the same defense we play in the game so there weren't any double-teams. I was able to roam around freely."

So what would he like to say to his fans -- some of which have turned on him?

"I think me saying it is something totally different. I think me going on the court and showing them and let them know it was the right decision," he said.

Of course, he's still not completely done with his rehab.

"When you have an injury like this there are stages you have to go through. I'm still going through my stages. I'm not done yet," he said. "This is the most I ever worked on my craft and most focused I've ever been in my NBA career."

When asked what his goals were coming back, Rose responded simply by saying that his only goal is to win a championship.

Watch the full interview here.

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