As the world waits for Derrick Rose‘s return — particularly after Adidas’ extensive promotional campaign surrounding it, which started six months ago — every bit of news seems vital. Rose and the Bulls have been exceptionally vague (even for them, and in general they’re about as transparent as coal) about his return date. In a recent interview with USA Today, Rose put a damper on expectations he could be back relatively soon, after many estimates had him back mid-season or after the All-Star break.
“I don’t have a set date,” Rose told USA TODAY Sports on Monday in his first extensive interview since the 2012-13 NBA season began. “I’m not coming back until I’m 110%. Who knows when that can be? It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be any time. It’s just that I’m not coming back until I’m ready.”
How close is Rose to 110%?
“Right now, probably in the high 80s,” he said. “Far away. Far away.”
via Derrick Rose: ‘I’m not coming back until I’m 110%’.
It’s good that both the Bulls and Rose are taking the long-term approach with this. Get him back when he’s in the best possible position to return, not when he’s still struggling to find his feet. The Bulls without him have a definitive ceiling, but the Bulls with him at less than 100 percent carry the risk of him re-injuring the knee after ACL surgery.However, this does have to be considered when we look at the Bulls’ season. There are less than two and a half months left. The Bulls are still firmly in the playoff race, but if they want to hold on to homecourt, they need to get healthy, and get Rose back. There’s a very small window of opportunity for them to sneak into a possible Eastern Conference Finals spot with Rose healthy, but they have to improve to get there, particularly by nabbing a top-three seed.At the same time, much longer and you have to wonder if it might be better just to sit back and let Rose have the full year. He’s got a long career, focus on that. But the odds are Rose will return just in time for the Bulls to make the playoff push. After that, we’ll see what happens.For now, though, probably time to quit holding your breath for the first game of Rose’s return, despite his recent return to practice.