Derrick Rose just cannot catch a break from the injury gods.
Things had seemed amiss of late: He had shot 8-of-34 (23.5 percent) in his last three games. Now we find out why:
He has a torn meniscus in his right knee, which will require surgery.
“Derrick Rose reported today with right knee pain,” the Bulls announced in a press release. “Exam and subsequent MRI confirmed medial meniscus tear of the right knee.”
This is the same knee he had the meniscus tear in last season.
The Bulls will not release a timeline for his return until after the surgery, however after this surgery last season in November and did not return. That said, last season he had the meniscus repaired, something that has a longer recovery time. He has the option of having the meniscus removed (although that is an increasingly rare choice), which gets him back more quickly but would be a problem down the line. This option is what Dwyane Wade had done years ago, for example.
Even being optimistic (which is hard with Rose), the idea of a perfectly healthy Rose leading the Bulls into the playoffs seems doomed. And with that, the Bulls title chances fall off a cliff as well.
Rose averaged 18.4 points, 5 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 46 games for the Bulls this season.
He will return from this, but likely not in time for this season. And whether we will ever see anything close to the MVP Derrick Rose — one that can be at the heart of a contender — is certainly up for debate. The Bulls need to seriously consider their long-term plans now.
