Here we go again. During a press conference today, Derrick Rose wouldn’t rule out the possibility he could be back on the court this season after undergoing supposedly season-ending surgery to repair the torn medial meniscus in his right knee. Rose left an opening for a return to the court in time this season’s playoffs. If you’re experiencing déjà vu, you’re not alone. This is exactly what we went through last season after Rose was medically cleared to play in time for the 2013 Playoffs.
Let’s rehash Rose’s injury timeline since becoming the NBA’s youngest regular season MVP in 2011:
April 2012: Rose suffers a torn ACL in his left knee during the opening game of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against Philadelphia. Rose had only appeared in 50 of the 66 lockout-shortened games that season before going down.
April 2013: After being medically cleared to play by Chicago’s medical staff, Rose elects to wait until the 2013-14 season to return from the surgery to repair his ACL.
November 2013 Rose suffers a non-contact medial meniscus tear in his opposite (right) knee as the ACL tear. He decides he’ll undergo surgery to reattach the meniscus rather than deal with the long-term side effects of shaving the meniscus off. While better long-term, the surgical procedure means Rose is done for the 2013-14 season.
December 2013: Except, Rose leaves open the possibility he could be ready in time for the playoffs this season.
So after today’s press conference, we’re right back where we started when Rose was coming back from his original ACL tear last season. Here’s what Rose said, via the Associated Press:
“If I’m healthy and the situation is right, I will be back playing,” Rose said Thursday when asked if he might return for the playoffs. “If I’m healthy and my meniscus is fully healed, of course I’ll be out there playing. But if it’s something totally different and the outcome is not how I would want it to be, there’s no need.”
When Rose was asked whether the Bulls should blown things up and move on after his second consecutive season-ending surgery with only 50 games played since his MVP award, Rose cautioned against that sort of thinking:
“What can I say to that?” Rose said. After a long pause, Derrick added, “You could be a fool if you want to. I know I’m going to be all right.”
Here’s his press conference in its entirety:
Will we ever see Derrick Rose return to form again?
Follow Spencer on Twitter at @countcenci.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
