Derrick Rose Says He’s ‘Far Away’ from Being Ready to Play

Much like Andrew Bynum, there had been talk of Derrick Rose suiting up just after the NBA All-Star break. In reality, there’s no telling when Rose will be cleared to play. The superstar point guard tells USA Today that he’s nowhere near ready to hoop for the Chicago Bulls, and wisely says he won’t return to the court until his surgically-repaired left knee is completely healthy: “‘I don’t have a set date,’ Rose said. ‘I’m not coming back until I’m 110%. Who knows when that can be? It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be any time. It’s just that I’m not coming back until I’m ready.’ How close is Rose to 110%? ‘Right now, probably in the high 80s,’ he said. ‘Far away. Far away.’ The ambiguity is by design but not with duplicity intended. The Bulls have no reason to target a date. Rose, the humble star, is the face of the franchise and worth the patience. ‘Every injury’s different. People want to pigeonhole exactly when he returns, and I understand that,’ Bulls general manager Gar Forman said. ‘Everybody would like to know. We would like to know the exact date. But what we really tried to do was stay true to the process and not skip steps as he went along his rehabilitation. … We wanted to make sure we did what was right for Derrick.’ In the meantime, Rose continues to work and contemplates the kind of player he will be when he returns. ‘I know it’s going to be something good. With all this hard work I’ve been putting into my game, I’m doing stuff I never did before. I gained 10, 11 pounds of muscle. I don’t know what type of player I’m going to be. I just know that I’m going to be very good.'”