Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose is still on pace to return this season for the playoffs. Rose, who underwent knee surgery last month, indicated he could return in as early as three weeks.
Despite his noncommittal interview earlier this month that suggested he may not return this season, Rose does in fact appear to be on pace to be back in time for the playoffs in April.
"Oh yeah, I'm not worried about that," Rose said Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. "I'm feeling good. I'm trying to do all the right things. Put all the positives in the bag and just try to go with it. It's something that I've been doing for a long time. Rehab is definitely a grind. But I'm getting used to it."
Rose has been participating in basketball-related activities, including morning shootarounds. The next step for him is to be cleared for full-contact, which Rose said is around the corner.
"Should be sometime this week or next week," Rose said. "Gotta talk to (Director of Sports Performance) Jen (Swanson) and go from there."
Once cleared for contact, Rose would begin to practice without any restrictions. Assuming there are no setbacks, he indicated he would be able to return to games 1-2 weeks after receiving his clearance for contact. That timeline has him returning around the second week of April, which could - at best - give him four or five regular-season games to play in before heading into the postseason.
Rose underwent surgery on Feb. 27 to remove a piece of the meniscus in his right knee, the same knee that he tore his meniscus in last season. Chicago's initial timetable for his return was four to six weeks. According to The Tribune, rookie Doug McDermott underwent a similar surgery earlier in the season and returned to action five weeks and two days later.
