ESPN reports:
Derrick Rose's doctor has cleared the Chicago Bulls' star to play, a team source said, but his long-awaited return to the lineup won't occur until he can confidently dunk off his left foot, Rose has told the team.
...
The team is not pressuring Rose, the source said, but the Bulls are confident he will return this season and are still hoping for a mid-March return, which would mark 10 months after his surgery. The Bulls play at Golden State on March 15.
So now we get more of the "Why hasn't Derrick Rose returned yet?" conversations, which are fun and pointless. Let's go over this in bullets to make it plain:
- There's no reason Rose has to come back this season. The Bulls aren't winning the title, so everything is a matter of fan excitement and seeing the team get momentum going into next year.
- There's no indication Rose will not come back this season, just speculation, and the Bulls have been adamant that he'll return.
- There's no "right or wrong" answer here. He'll return when he's ready. As long as he's not, he won't. It's as simple as that.
- The physical part isn't the issue. It never is with a traumatic injury like this. It's the mental. And that's not something any doctor can clear.
- It's still good news that Rose is cleared to play because it's one fewer hurdle and another step in the right direction.
The truth of the matter is Rose could return within a few days, or it could be a week. But we're getting closer, and that's a good thing for basketball fans. He'll get there when he gets there.
