Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose elected to undergo season-ending surgery for his torn meniscus in his right knee. The surgery, which was successfully completed on Monday, was the best long-term option for Rose's career.
Rose sustained the tear in the medial meniscus of his right knee on Friday as result of a non-contact injury. ESPN reported Rose had two options: have the meniscus removed and return to the court this season, or have the meniscus re-attached and miss a significant amount of time.
The 2011 NBA MVP chose the latter option, which is expected to be better in the long-term - many NBA players, such as Dwyane Wade, have said simply removing the meniscus causes more problems later on.
"If you remove part of the meniscus, you're taking that cushion out and down the road, you can develop arthiritis in that knee earlier especially for someone in a high-impact sport," Dr. Alexis Golvin of Mount Sinai Hospital told USA Today Sports. "You want to save what's there. My guess is that you want to prolong the longevity of his career."
The Bulls anticipate a full recovery from Rose, but the lengthy rehab will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the 2013-14 season.
"Earlier this morning, Derrick Rose underwent successful surgery to repair his previously torn medial meniscus in his right knee," the team posted Monday on its official Twitter account. "The surgery was performed at Rush University Medical Center and Rose is out for the remainder of the season."
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose, who missed the entire 2012-13 season to recover from ACL surgery on his left knee, is staying positive.
"I talked to him at length last night. He's in good spirits," Thibodeau told reporters, via ESPN. "About as well as can be expected under the circumstances. And he's already thinking about his rehab, and typical Derrick - concerned about his team, his teammates. ...
"This is all part of the NBA. Injuries are part of it. That's why it's a team. I have a lot of confidence in the guys that are on our bench. They've done a good job of preparing themselves. They have to understand what their job is, get in there, and get the job done."
