Here's how Derrick Rose spent the latter part of his practice time Sunday:
He shot baskets, including some post-ups against assistant coach Adrian Griffin. Then he did a series of exercises with strength coach Erik Helland — forward and backpedal in the lane, side shuffle to the four corners of the lane, jumping to touch the backboard while sliding across the lane, diagonal side shuffles the length of the court and finally three laps around the gym.
So is Rose a game-time decision for Monday against San Antonio? Not yet.
"When he's ready, he's ready," said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. "We're not going to say, 'It's going to be this day.' That's not the way we're going to do it. When he's ready, he'll go."
Rose's return probably won't be a complete surprise, but the Bulls are still laying low on a possible return date.
"Yeah, he's on schedule for his rehab," Thibodeau said. "When our organization feels like he's ready to go and he feels like he's ready to go, he'll go. He's not being measured against anyone else's timetable. We'll know when he's ready.
"He's in constant communication with the doctor. That's the hurdle he has to get over. Everyone has to feel good about it, and everyone has to remain patient."
Remedial defense:
After the Bulls gave up 110 and 132 points in consecutive games last week, a refresher course in defense might have been appropriate. Sunday's practice was business as usual, though, according to Joakim Noah.
"I tell you what, practices don't change much," Noah said. "It's pretty much the same thing every day. He's more interested in just our energy level, making sure we're doing everything at 100 percent."
Coach Tom Thibodeau explained how he addressed the defensive slippage in losses to Indiana and Denver.
"You prioritize at this time of the year," he said. "You're not going to have a six-hour practice. So you have to prioritize the things you feel you need work on. You do some through film, you do some through walk-through, some through practice. We just have to clean some things up and each day we'll touch on something different, try to straighten it out."
Early workout for Rose:
As Derrick Rose's return date creeps closer, the Bulls still aren't planning any full-court scrimmages to help get him ready for game action.
In Thibodeau-speak, they have more than enough on the roster to get Rose prepared for game action.
"We have an early group that comes in and we get some work in there," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We feel like we have enough to get the things done that we want to get done. He's doing fine.
"I like to think that we're a good practice team, but also have the understanding that no matter what we're doing in practice, it's never going to be quite the same as a game."
