Derrick Rose expected to miss 8-12 months with ACL injury – NBA Update
Chicago Bulls star guard Derrick Rose is expected to be out for 8 to 12 months to recover from his ACL injury, said Doctor Brian Cole, who performed the surgery on his knee on Saturday.
Dr Cole talked to reporters and media personnel in a press conference at the Rush University Medical Center. This is the first time any update has been received on Rose’s injury since he was operated upon on
Saturday. And sadly for Rose and Bulls fans, it is not good news.
Rose suffered the ACL injury in game 1 of the Bulls 1st round playoff clash with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bulls eventually lost the series to become only the 5th team
in NBA history to be seeded number 1 and lose to an 8th seed.
“Derrick is doing great. The surgery went extremely well. Really no surprises. It was pretty routine.” Said Dr Cole.
"We're at this point very optimistic. We think of recovery as the long process that's in stages. But the short answer is the time frame we believe an athlete of this calibre generally requires is about eight
to 12 months. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer” Cole added.
The news did not come as a shock, as ACL injuries normally take this much time to return from. Rose is now expected to miss at least the first 2-3 months of the coming season, and if the recovery is slow, he
could miss even more. His return so late next season would certainly put the Bulls in a spot of bother.
However, Rose and his team are only focused on the recovery process at the moment. Bulls General Manager Gar Forman met with Rose over the weekend and said:
“"There was a period when he was down. But I think his spirits are good under the circumstances, and I think he's ready to aggressively attack this."
Dr Cole added that the recovery was going to be in stages, with the severity of strain and contact increasing as Rose progresses. He also added that it was important for Rose to start trusting his knee again
and believe in himself that he could still do all the things he used to do before. Without that mental strength, it would be very difficult for him to return to his pre-injury form.
Rose’s absence will hurt the Bulls team and their aspirations for next season, and his is a spot that cannot be easily replaced. However, the Bulls now need to go though the thought process of rebuilding the
team till Rose returns, and they might go looking for a guard in the free agency to cover up for Rose .
With the Bulls salary cap already tight after re-signing Rose, we might even see the Bulls make some trades. But all these are speculations. What we know for sure is that it is the beginning of a rough few months
for the Bulls management and coach as they make important decisions about the future of the basketball club.
Tags: