Rose’s return could come Oct. 5 in Indiana
If all goes according to plan, Derrick Rose’s return to NBA action will not start in Chicago.
The Bulls released their preseason schedule on Thursday and it features games in Indianapolis, St. Louis and Rio de Janeiro before the first contest at the United Center on Oct. 16 against Detroit.
Rose said during a recent European promotional tour he feels 100 percent healthy and plans to play in the preseason opener. He’s been sidelined since April 28, 2012 when he tore the ACL in his left knee in a playoff game against Philadelphia.
The Bulls will start the preseason against Central Division rival Indiana on Sat., Oct. 5, then face Memphis at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. After that, they’ll play the first NBA game in Brazil on Sat. Oct. 12 against Washington.
After Detroit, the Bulls will host Indiana on Oct. 18, Milwaukee on Oct. 21, followed by Nate Robinson and the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 25.
The other preseason road game is Oct. 23 against Oklahoma City in Wichita, Kan., the hometown of Bulls assistant coach Adrian Griffin.
The NBA is planning to release the regular season schedule on Tuesday. According to leaked reports, the Bulls will open in Miami on Oct. 29 and play a Christmas Day game at Brooklyn, which added Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the lineup that lost to the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs.
2013-14 Bulls preseason
Date: Opponent (site), time
Oct. 5: at Indiana, 6 p.m.
Oct. 7: at Memphis (St. Louis), 7 p.m.
Oct. 12: at Washington (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), 4 p.m.
Oct. 16: vs. Detroit (United Center), 7 p.m.
Oct. 18: vs. Indiana (United Center), 7 p.m.
Oct. 21: vs. Milwaukee (United Center), 7 p.m.
Oct. 23: at Oklahoma City (Wichita, Kan.), 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 25: vs. Denver (United Center), 7 p.m.
Source: Chicago Bulls