Derrick Rose Will Play A 4th Segment Against 76ers
By Cody Westerlund--
(CBS) Feeling "great" after playing limited minutes in back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will play a fourth segment against the 76ers on Saturday night at the United Center, coach Tom Thibodeau said.
In his first two games following a 20-game absence after having a partial meniscectomy on his right knee on Feb. 27, Rose played three stints of around seven minutes apiece. He didn't play in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Magic on Wednesday or in the fourth quarter of a win against the Heat on Thursday.
Rose is expected to play in the fourth quarter against the 76ers. Thibodeau didn't give a specific number of minutes for Rose to play, but if his fourth stint is around the seven-minute range like the others have been, that would put him around 26 to 28 minutes. He was averaging 31.0 before the most recent injury.
"He handled the first two (games), which was good," Thibodeau said. "So we're going to go from there ... It's been step by step. We knew the first two games, we wanted him to get his feet wet again. And then we'll continue to add as we go along."
Rose scored 12 points in 20:22 of playing time Thursday, shooting 5-of-15. In his first game back Wednesday, he scored nine points on 3-of-9 shooting in 19:24 of playing time.
Thibodeau is most interested in how Rose plays, saying that will play a role in how many minutes he gets going forward.
"We're at the point now, the minutes thing, I don't want to get wrapped up into," Thibodeau said. "I want it to be about performance. If he's playing well and he's showing that the minutes are good, then he'll play more. But I don't want him out there fatigued or anything like that. But you got to play well. That's the important thing right now. I think he'll be fine. I think (Joakim Noah) will be fine. I think we're good with the minutes stuff."
Bulls wing Jimmy Butler will play against the 76ers, Thibodeau said, after missing Thursday's game with a calf injury.
Bulls center Joakim Noah -- who's been restricted to around 32 minutes as he's dealt with knee injuries all season -- also confirmed that he won't have a minutes restriction for the playoffs, which start next weekend. Noah said he spoke with the front office, Thibodeau and the training staff about it.
"Coach will be able to do whatever he wants," Noah said.
