Derrick Rose's hamstring, not knee, is keeping him from returning?

It's obvious why Derrick Rose hasn't returned yet; but it's kind of not.

He's trying to come back from a devastating knee injury he suffered less than a year ago. He's been cleared to play on the knee and has been practicing 5-on-5 on it, but isn't ready to go mentally.

Apparently, there's more to it than that. Via CSN Chicago, during ABC's broadcast of the Bulls-Lakers game, it was revealed Rose has been experiencing "burning" in his hamstrings following the 5-on-5 practices. Rose said he won't return until that burning stops.

It's kind of a weird thing to come out a few days after the whole "he isn't mentally ready" firestorm that has a lot of fans and some media criticizing Rose.

But it's his body and he knows it best. And if his hamstrings are giving him problems, then that's probably weighing on his mind and therefore, probably contributes to the not being mentally ready thing. When Rose returns, he wants to feel 100 percent and wants to go back to playing the way he did: hard cuts, jumpstops, bursts of speed, lateral moves. And he can't do that if he's got anything nagging at him whether it's his knee or something else.

Time is running out, though, for him to come back. There's just a month left in the regular season and then it's the playoffs. And it would be hard to picture Rose making his return for a playoff series. A lot of stress to walk into for your first games back.

So as we have been this whole season, we'll just have to wait and see.