Bulls’ Rose ‘doing fine’ but not joining team soon
Derrick Rose has generally been out of sight since injuring his right knee on Nov. 22 in Portland.
Coach Tom Thibodeau gave an update on Rose’s well-being Saturday, saying it likely will be a few weeks before Rose joins his teammates on the bench during a game.
“He’s doing fine,” Thibodeau told reporters after the morning shootaround. “He’s still on a crutch and he’s got his brace, so I don’t want him sitting (on the bench) when he’s like that.”
Rose had surgery to repair torn medial meniscus cartilage in his right knee. He has been declared out for the season by the Bulls, but Rose himself didn’t rule out a return late in the season.
For now, he’s focused on rehabilitation.
“He can lift with his upper body and do all his rehab stuff,” Thibodeau said. “He’s starting to move around a little bit more now. He can go in the pool and things like that.”
Mixed results for Teague:Marquis Teague played the first game of his D-League assignment Friday. He produced 21 points, 6 assists and 5 turnovers, while hitting 9 of 15 shots from the field. The Iowa Express beat Maine 110-107 in Des Moines.#147;I saw the box. I#146;m encouraged by that,#148; Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. #147;It looks like he played very well.#148;The Bulls were hoping to get Teague some playing time by sending him to the D-League. He logged 35 minutes Friday, but Saturday#146;s rematch didn#146;t go as well. Teague had 5 points and no assists in 16 minutes of action. Iowa rallied to beat Maine, though, with former Michigan State guard Kalin Lucas playing the point.More injuries to NBA stars:The NBA has seen a flurry of injuries to key players lately. Besides Derrick Rose, Oklahoma City#146;s Russell Westbrook (knee), Atlanta#146;s Al Horford (torn pectoral muscle) and the Lakers#146; Kobe Bryant (leg fracture) have been sidelined.Before Saturday#146;s game, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was asked if he had any explanation.#147;These things tend to go in cycles. Sometimes there#146;s not a good explanation for it,#148; he said. #147;Sometimes it#146;s just chance. I don#146;t have a great answer for you. When some of the more name-type guys get hurt, it brings more attention to it, so that might be part of it, too.#147;I know the league is very mindful of the frequency of games and all that stuff. It#146;s just an ongoing thing, trying to reduce back to backs.#148;Like Rose, Westbrook had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. Westbrook tore lateral meniscus cartilage on the outside of the knee, which is supposed to be more serious than a medial meniscus tear.Bull horns:The Mavericks completed a pair of 4-point plays, by Dirk Nowitzki and Jae Crowder, during a three-minute span early in the fourth quarter Saturday. #133; Dallas started four players age 32 or older #151; Dirk Nowitzki (35), Shawn Marion (35), Jose Calderon (32) and Sam Dalembert (32). Vince Carter (36) brought even more experience off the bench.