Good health news for Rose, Bulls

With a five-game Western Conference road trip looming, the best news for the Bulls may have been Derrick Rose's breakfast menu.

Rose led the Bulls to victories over Orlando and Indiana last weekend despite suffering from two stomach ulcers. He hadn't been able to eat solid food for several days.

But Rose told reporters he managed to consume an entire waffle Monday morning. A good one, too, not a frozen, toaster waffle.

“I'm eating a little bit more today,” Rose said. “If anything, that should be a good sign.”

For the most part, it was a day of wellness for the Bulls.

Rose felt better and practiced at full speed. Taj Gibson was on the court two days after turning his right ankle against Indiana.

Joakim Noah, meanwhile, was set to have a cast removed from his right hand in the afternoon, which will enable him to begin full rehabilitation on his surgically repaired right thumb and participate in noncontact portions of practice.

Noah will join the Bulls on the road swing, which begins Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. He tore a ligament in his right thumb during the last long road trip, on Nov. 27 at Sacramento, but he waited until Dec. 16 to have surgery.

“I'll do as much as I can without reinjuring myself,” Noah said after practicing left-handed drives to the hoop against Berto Center visitor Scottie Pippen. “I just want to be right and go out there and help the team as soon as I can.”

Coach Tim Thibodeau estimated Noah will return to game action after the all-star break, which would tentatively set his return for a Feb. 23 contest at Toronto.

The Bulls' last game before the break is at home Feb. 17 against San Antonio, which owns the league's best record.

“If he couldn't practice, we probably would have kept him back,” Thibodeau said of Noah. “The fact that he can start practicing, I think it's important for him to be with the team (on the road trip).

“From my understanding, once the cast comes off, they'll put a splint on it and then he'll be able to do the noncontact (practice activities). He'll do some shooting, some close outs. But nothing with contact.”

Gibson left the Indiana game early in the fourth quarter after stepping on the foot of teammate Ronnie Brewer. It was a recurrence of an old injury, which had Gibson worried at first.

“I thought I was going to probably be out some games because I really couldn't feel anything in my foot,” he said. “I'm feeling fine. I got back today after a long first night of pain but came back strong and just wanted to play through it.”

Most players were happy to be leaving for California just as a blizzard is bearing down on Chicago. But this trip won't be all fun in the sun. After the Clippers, the Bulls will visit Golden State, Portland, Utah and New Orleans.

Rose is hoping the worst is over with his ulcers. He's taking medication to correct the problem and is planning to remove spicy food from his diet. Last weekend he said it was painful anytime he tried to eat, drink or swallow.

“That's going away right now,” Rose said. “I'll continue to eat good and make sure I get rest; that's the biggest thing. I'm eating just a little at a time. Not too much because I don't want to irritate it again.”