Derrick Rose Expects To Be Cleared For Full Contact Soon
(CBS) Bulls point guard Derrick Rose expects to be cleared for full contact soon and be back before the regular season ends, he told reporters Wednesday morning in Toronto, as he continues his recovery from right knee surgery on Feb. 27.
Following the procedure to remove the torn portion of his right medial meniscus, Rose was given a timetable to return of four to six weeks by the Bulls. Friday will mark four weeks since the surgery. Rose is doing everything with the Bulls except taking full contact, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said earlier this week.
After playing the Raptors tonight, the Bulls are off until Saturday against the Knicks, so Rose could return to practice for full contact Thursday or Friday. Rose reported that he's been pain-free and doesn't have any soreness in the right knee during rehab recently. Rose expects to go full contact next week if he doesn't do so this week.
So when does Rose expect to return for a game?
"It depends on how you take the contact," Rose said, according to the Tribune. "If I don't have any setbacks, I would say 1-2 weeks (after being cleared for contact)."
The Bulls' hope is that Rose can get a handful of games under his belt before the regular season ends, as they've only had their starters healthy for 19 games this season and are also trying to fit Nikola Mirotic into a bigger role off the bench after his strong late-season play.
If Rose was cleared for full contact later this week and returned to game action a week later on April 3 against the Pistons, for example, he'd have seven games left in the regular season to get his feel back. The Bulls then follow that up with an April 5 game on the road against the Cavaliers.
